Necessity of Sleeping Pads

[rjley]

Hello everyone,

I currently have the Nemo Dagger 2p Tent and the Nemo Coda 10 Degree sleeping bag en route to my home. I've never used a sleeping pad, and was wondering how necessary they are for longer camps while hunting out west. Is their added size and weight worth having the comfort?

 

[roosiebull]

100% necessary

The wrong sleeping pad can ruin a good sleep system. It’s very necessary and should not be a piece that you compromise on, you want one that’s comfortable, durable, and has the right R value for the conditions you’re in. The right sleeping pad is almost as important as the right bag

 

[chizelhead]

Y. You can get lightweight ones for backpacking and heavier ones for car camping. They not only cushion your body, they add warmth. You can buy one from REI and take it with you. You can try sleeping without it and see how that goes. If you're fine and don't feel like you need it, you have a year to return it. I can't imagine sleeping without one.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

OP, the issue when the temperature drops is as you sleep on your sleeping back you crush down the insulation and don't get much buffer there because of it. The sleeping pads remedy this.

 

[Fireflyfishing]

I’ve slept on the ground many, many nights with my job. Yes! Sleeping pads make the difference between good sleep and potentially no sleep.

 

[rayporter]

you should take a test run with your gear before you go to find out if it works for you.

a night of 30* will answer your question.

 

[AKDoc]

100% necessary

The wrong sleeping pad can ruin a good sleep system. It’s very necessary and should not be a piece that you compromise on, you want one that’s comfortable, durable, and has the right R value for the conditions you’re in. The right sleeping pad is almost as important as the right bag

^^^^this^^^^

To the OP...remember that a sleeping pad is not only comfort it's also necessary insulation (R value)...especially true with your down sleeping bag, so don't skip on the R value of the pad you choose.

 

[Dos Perros]

Think of it this way: without an insulated sleeping pad, you just turned your 10 degree bag into a 50 degree bag, slept like shit, and potentially subjected yourself to unnecessary risk of hypothermia.

 

[ianpadron]

If I was 9 miles into a 10 mile hike and realized I forgot my pad I'd hike back out to get it.

 

[caseybratten]

Like a lot of others have said its not about comfort in the sense of not sleeping on bumps, a sleeping pad creates an air barrier between you/your sleeping bag and a massive heat sink (the earth). If you sleep on the ground heat is going to transfer from you to the ground until your body and the ground are the same temperature, which is approximately never, you'll just be much colder all night.

 

[rayporter]

if, during the night you find yourself tossing and turning constantly to warm up or you dont know why you are cold, your pad should be the first thing to upgrade.

 

[cmahoney]

Hello everyone,

I currently have the Nemo Dagger 2p Tent and the Nemo Coda 10 Degree sleeping bag en route to my home. I've never used a sleeping pad, and was wondering how necessary they are for longer camps while hunting out west. Is their added size and weight worth having the comfort?

You are hard core


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Goafterit]

Definitely worth it!! Sleep is extremely important! Being cold while trying to sleep is miserable. Makes for looooong nights. Lol. Ik.

 

[rjley]

Thank you all for the advice, just ordered a pad and will be trying it out as soon as it comes in!

 

[Crowmangler]

Whatever you do test the damn thing right before you go. Sleep on it at least 1 entire night to make sure it holds air all night & doesn't have any small pin holes. And take a patch kit.

 

[GunsAreFun]

So most of us wouldn’t spend the night without one, but I will say a former marine hunting partner went three years without a sleeping pad and his sleeping bag wasn’t that great either. We finally pressured him into buying one for next season and a better sleeping bag. He’d just sleep on his pack or a sweatshirt lol.

He’d say he was cold but he still slept.

 

[ianpadron]

Whatever you do test the damn thing right before you go. Sleep on it at least 1 entire night to make sure it holds air all night & doesn't have any small pin holes. And take a patch kit.

Patch kit x2!

My buddy had a hole in his pad on night 1 of a 7 day trip waaayyy back. We ended up having to build him a 'squatch nest out of pine boughs and he was still miserable. Neither of us had a patch kit, and after that trip we each carry 2 LOL. Would have been a 2 minute fix.

 

[dribeerfeht]

Use a pad with a higher R value in the Winter...it is worth the extra few ounces.

 

[Seth]

It’s a must have for warmth, even if it’s just a closed cell foam pad and not a more expensive insulated air pad. I put a high value on my sleep quality when out because it ties directly to my performance, so I spend accordingly. I’ll gladly pay a modest weight penalty for sleep quality as well.

 

[Maxhunter]

I live out west and I feel there a necessary item. Getting a good night rest will help with you be on your A game when hunting. Lots of good light weight options on the market. I use the

Ether Light XT Insulated Air Sleeping Mat​