Uncomfortable on blow up sleeping pad! Any tips?

[Where's Bruce?]

Get your self a 31/2" thick EXPED (I prefer long/wide) and fully inflate it.Then lay on it and slowly let a little air out until you are completely comfortable. Problem permanently solved.

 

[Mike Islander]

Thank you everyone for the tips and recommendations. The things I will try next are:

- Elevate my legs. I tried this in the living room last night and it made a tremendous difference. I have one of those squat lifter butts, so I really felt like I was doing backbends when I lay on my back. Also presses on my bladder so I have to go to the bathroom every hour. This one trick may solve all my back sleeper problems.

- Put a thin reflective pad under my hip for side sleeping in freezing weather. That will let me adjust the inflation for comfort without freezing my hip bone.

My test last night was with the large Max Xtherm. Will probably sell or give away the Xlite. As do many that posted here, actually sleep best on the foam pad. So it will stay in the quiver.

 

[valtteri]

The Neoair pads are great for saving weight. And the Xtherm Max has awesome R-value. But IMO, the horizontal baffles just aren’t nearly as comfortable as the vertical baffles of Exped or the “quilted” baffles of some of the Big Agnes pads. I still use my Neoair, when weight is the highest priority. But, I can usually talk myself into carrying a few extra ounces to not dread going to sleep.

This is very true for me as well. The Neoairs have never been comfortable for and I’ve tried many.

The Exped vertical baffles are way, way more comfortable for me. I now backpack with the Exped Synmat UL Winter, it’s 3.5” thick and even though not the lightest, still backpackable.

For car camping I use the Exped Megamat 12 which is 5” thick. It’s too heavy for backpacking but boy is it plush!

I would recommend trying out the thicker Expeds, they’ve really worked for me.

 

[AKDoc]

Over the past ten years I've used Exped, NeoAir Xtherm, and Nemo Tensor...these were all the high insulation models of each. Each has pros/cons for me...no deal killers, and they all have been well used.

That said, about seven/eight years ago I added an ultra-light cot to my gear line-up, and that has been a game changer for me...first a Thermarest and now a Helinox. They do of course add weight and take-up pack space...certainly not a sensible option for some scenarios and yet a perfect option for some others. There have been a few long-distance remote pack-raft hunting/fishing floats that were extremely weight restrictive where I could not bring my cot, and man did I miss it...even starting thinking at night about how much food I could leave behind next time to make room for the cot LOL!

Last thing, I still use a pad with a cot because in lower temps with a down-bag you will freeze your ass off on a cot without a pad...did that once for one night when helping a friend build his cabin.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Buy a Z-Lite pad and cut it down. Use the section for your hips while you sleep. Then while in the field it makes for a great seat, shooting pad, rear shooting rest, etc.

 

[verysimple]

Try nemo tensor alpine.
Little less r value than xtherm but more comfy for most. Go wide length for more comfort

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[Mike Islander]

Try nemo tensor alpine.
Little less r value than xtherm but more comfy for most. Go wide length for more comfort

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I've had two. Both had microleaks that could not be repaired. The second one leaked on a 26 degree night, going flat about every 30 minutes. Finally I put on all my clothes and had a cold sleep. Thankfully I had level III Primaloft pants in my pack or I would have had to pack up and head home or stay up all night with a fire.

 

[Deere83]

I had two big Agnes pads and I can’t believe anyone would recommend them, both failed on long consecutive trips like 7-9 days. They were blue maybe c or q core but I’ll never buy anything from them again

 

[camelcluch]

Is there a reason you are staying with thermarest? It seems you have tried a bunch and don’t like them. I love my Exped but BA and Klymit both offer nice options. The sea to summit is another thought. Good luck in the search.

 

[Mike Islander]

Is there a reason you are staying with thermarest? It seems you have tried a bunch and don’t like them. I love my Exped but BA and Klymit both offer nice options. The sea to summit is another thought. Good luck in the search.

My first goal is to see if what I have will work, as I spent a good bit of cash on the pads I have.

The Thermarest self-inflating foam pad is pretty comfortable to me, just not good for cold weather and a bit heavy. I sleep on an ultra-firm mattress, so on grass the foam is almost like sleeping in my own bed. The X-Lite is going away. Hate everything about it.

The X-Therm was pretty comfortable when I elevated my feet testing it in my living room a few days ago, something I had never tried or even thought of. Funny, because when I talked to my wife about this thread that is the first thing she said. She's a nurse, and she said "Everybody knows you elevate your feet to relieve pressure on your lower back". Not everybody. I also have a decent piece of EVA foam from MLD and I will be putting that under my hips with the X-Therm on the next outing.

I did actually order an insulated Exped SynMat XP 7 medium wide last night and will be giving it a try as well.

 

[rayporter]

my foam pad for cold that i add to the air pad is 4 ft long. you have to make sure your torso is insulated!!!
it doubles as a sit pad and kneeling to cook pad. as a general rule i carry one that is a quarter in thick but for really cold i have a half incher -both 4 ft long.

 

[zacattack]

I have three different sleeping pads and have tried another. They are all fairly uncomfortable for me. Any tips for improving comfort on these pads? I know I can adjust the air to make them mold better to my body. I've also mounded up pine needles under my tent to frame my body. I have a long, heavy torso with relatively short legs. Also have a pokey butt. So on my back I feel like I'm doing a backbend. On my side, I feel like I'm balancing on a beach ball with my lower body up in the air.

1. Neoair X-Lite Wide: Oval-shaped pad. All of the above problems. When I let out enough air to be comfortable on my side my hip gets cold and sometimes touches the ground.

2. Neoair X-Therm Max: Much better, but on my back still feel like I am doing a backbend. When I let out enough air to be comfortable on my side my hip gets cold and sometimes touches the ground.

3. Neoair Trail Lite Large (self-inflatable closed cell foam): Best feeling of the bunch but a thin, silly heavy, and R-value of only 3.2

- Is digging a small hole for my butt a good solution?
- Learn to sleep on them over time?
- Hunt harder and you can sleep anywhere? Actually this one is probably correct.
- Any other suggestions?

Many thanks in advance.

Tylenol PM

 

[camelcluch]

I love my exped. It is super comfortable and I have no issues being a stomach/side sleeper. There is nothing worse than bad sleep in the woods.

 

[z987k]

I could never find a pad I liked and unless I'm doing a spike camp, which is almost never, I went to a lightweight cot. I think it's 4lbs.

 

[slim9300]

Melatonin. I use an Exped that is 3" thick, have some minor back issues, and sleep on my side. It's great for what it is but I wouldn't call it comfortable. One biggie I realized last season, make sure your head is slightly elevated compared to your feet.

This was exactly my advice. I have tried at least 8 different pads over the last 20 years and I have the same problem. I love my Exped Winterlite LW for a balance of large size, good R-value and light weight. I also add seam seal dots to keep me from sliding around.

I sleep with the pad about 80% inflated so I can sleep on my side and just keep my shoulder and hip off the ground by about an 1”. No matter what it’s never amazing to sleep on the ground but it’s very important to make the best of it.


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[nodakian]

Just tried elevating my legs by putting my empty pack under the pad. This seemed to be a huge improvement. I will try it in the woods soon.

This has been my solution too. My back sucks, but elevating with my pack has worked magic to keep me from being crippled. Without it I sometimes wake up so messed up I almost can’t put on shoes. My kids know they may have to help me get dressed.

I use a BA Insulated QCore Deluxe. It’s 3.5” thick and I inflate it maybe 60-70%. Just enough to keep my hips off the ground while side sleeping.

I hope you can work this out. Not many things worse than a bad back.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Mike. Have you entertained or tried out a hammock at all?

 

[Mike Islander]

Mike. Have you entertained or tried out a hammock at all?

I have not. It's on my list of things to try, but my goal is use what I have first. And ultimately I have no desire to sleep in a hammock. I like tents, and I like sleeping on the ground. Except for cold weather, I can sleep on bare ground almost comfortably. It is blow up pads that have been my nemisus, but for very cold conditions I have to insulate my sleep system from the cold. And I haven't given up yet.

 

[Mule3006Elk]

Less air a little more comfy. I don't sleep well on on a minimalist mat but that's because I toss and turn changing position which is normal for me. If I slept on my back and didn't move it would be great. In my case the problem is me not the pad.

When I go camping I bring my Exped MegaMat and I sleep great. This mat feels like a mini portable mattress with a very high r-value (8.1).

 

[Nickofthewoods]

The Sea to Summit Comfort Light is my current and so far, favorite sleeping pad. Highly recommended. I am a side sleeper and my hip bones always seem to dig into the ground with most pads (6'0 180). They still do a little with the Comfort Light if it isn't fully inflated. Also, it has thus far outlasted any Big Agnes or Thermarest pad I ever had and it's not even close. I'm probably at 50+ nights and no leaks yet. Maybe I've had bad luck but it seems with most pads I get about 2 or 3 weeks total before they start leaking.