Seat Pad

[Black_Fly]

After ann extensive search I found a pad to fit my Swift bench seat, Im hoping to upgrade my NW Solo seat pad. Currently using an inflatable that is ok for short periods, a pain to inflate. Anyone found a durable, non-inflatable standard size pad that cushions decently?

 

[clemency]

Something like this?

https://www.rei.com/product/829881/therm-a-rest-z-seat-pad

 

[Black_Fly]

Something like this?

https://www.rei.com/product/829881/therm-a-rest-z-seat-pad

It’s tough to gauge comfort without testimonial. Im hoping to find one that not only supports my booty, but also straps on between the attachments of my backrest. Cushgear might want to expand the width of its Backsaver because it attaches right where seat cushions with straps attach. Some can be routed around the clamps but many cannot.

That said, I don’t turn my nose up at DIY options. I’ve tried closed cell foam and web straps - just not comfortable with the foam I used.

 

[gumpus]

I have quite a collection of seat pads and the one I use all the time is the Oak Orchard pad. Pics show it on my Merlin II with Northstar seat and on Swift Osprey. It also makes the boats very comfy to carry just resting the seat on your shoulders; I've never considered using a yoke.

 

[yknpdlr]

My first voyageur canoe had hard plywood seats with a thin (very thin) insulating pad on top. (original classic voyageur canoes had only a narrow flat wood bar thwart to rest your butt on). Difficult to take for an 8+ hour race. We looked forward to the ADK-90 portages as a welcome break from the seats. The voyageur I next paddled and on the marathon Yukon River races was captained by a hospital worker. It had hard carbon fiber seats. He was able to obtain a large bed size gel pad that he cut into individual seat sizes. Beautifully comfortable on the butt all day and night. Our ground crew sewed cases and handle straps for them. The problem was they were heavy. So heavy they would sink if dropped into the water. But since there are not any portages on the Yukon races, they worked perfectly for our maximum paddling day of greater than 24 hours without taking a shore break. Since then I have discovered blue honey comb gel pads on Amazon that work great. Much lighter, but still somewhat heavy and add a lot to the total weight percentage to a 14 pound bushwhack canoe. The other main problem of how to secure the pad in place on the seat or elsewhere during an overhead carry. The Skwoosh canoe pad is fairly light, comfortable and small, an works well for a solo canoe.

 

[recped]

I have a Skwoosh pad, it's ok but I fortify it with various layers of other types of padding.

My arse doesn't come with much padding and what little I had 40 years ago is pretty much gone so I have real problems on extended trips (a month+) especially if there is little in the way of major rapids, portages, lining etc to give my arse a rest.

A few years ago on a 30 day trip I developed fairly severe "bed sore" that took a couple of months to fully heal and was truly "a pain in the arse" while on the trip.

I have some experience dealing with bedsores in the elderly, it never occurred to me that I had entered "elderly status" (almost 70 at the time). I know this is a major health issue for the bedridden, it never occurred to me that they could develop from paddling.

 

[yknpdlr]

Many on my marathon Yukon team have discovered something even more ofensive than a sore bum from hard sitting. We call it "monkey butt". it is a painful chafing between the butt cheeks that sets in after many days-long paddling hours. A lubricating and antibiotic cream applied each morning is the simple preventative.