Sleeping - Pacific Crest Trail

imported
#1

I have never done any long distance hiking. Do you get used to sleeping on the ground? What is the most comfortable pad? Thanks!

Wayne Whiting

#2

Pad preferences vary from person to person. I use a Z rest pad and love it. But I also can sleep comfortably on the floor at home with no pad underneath. I prefer a hard surface to sleep on but I know many people (my wife included) who can’t sleep unless they’re on a thick inflatable pad. My suggestion would be to try out as many as possible until you find what will work for you. Rent them, borrow them, buy and return and go camp, even if it’s just in the backyard or living room. Good luck!

Garrett

#3

Yes, you get used to it - how long that takes is the variable! Benefits of closed-cell pads are that they’re cheap, light, don’t require inflating and will never deflate due to punctures. Inflatable pads are more expensive & may get holes but are more comfortable and may offer better insulation against the cold, depending on the pad. Personally I prefer an inflatable pad; have used Thermarest Prolite and Neoair and liked them both.

Pockets

#4

Inflatables are always colder than closed-cell pads.

Gasm

#5

I have used a RidgeRest (by ThermaRest) for all of my thru-hikes. Besides using it as a sleeping pad, it forms the interior ‘frame’ (unfurled) of my pack. Besides all the other advantages of closed-cell pads mentioned above, they also cannot absorb any water, whereas the inflatables have a nylon cover typically which can get damp. Also, foam pads can be used as a seat cushion either rolled up or flat on the ground. If you plan on doing any desert hiking (PCT/CDT, etc.) it is a BIG advantage to have a pad that cannot be popped by a thorn. Deflated inflatables are dead weight & worthless.

freebird

#6

Air cold
"Inflatables are always colder than closed-cell pads."

Wrong. A neoair xtherm (inflatable) is R5.7 a ridgerest (closed cell) is R2.8. In this case that generalization is just plain wrong.

To the OP. if cost is no issue then the neoair xtherm is the warmest most comfy pad I have used and I have used about a dozen different types.

Malto

#7

Wayne, It usually takes me about a week to get used to sleeping on the ground. Two tips 1) scrape a shallow depression (about 1" deep and 6-8" dia) in the ground where your hips and shoulders go and 2) sleep curled up in fetal position ( spreads your weight over a greater surface area).

bowlegs

1 Like
#8

Wayne, It usually takes me about a week to get used to sleeping on the ground. Two tips 1) scrape a shallow depression (about 1" deep and 6-8" dia) in the ground where your hips and shoulders go and 2) sleep curled up in fetal position ( spreads your weight over a greater surface area). My pad is the LEAST comfortable available, a piece of 1/8" packing/shipping foam that just barely keeps pine needles from poking through but weighs next to nothing.

bowlegs

#9

I use the X-inertia from Klymit…light weight and it works for me.

haznohorse

#10

I know you can never generalize, but after a long time out there it seems to me to be largely a matter of age. Kids in their 20s can be fine sleeping on closed cell. People in their 40s or 50s really appreciate an inflatable, no matter how long trying to get used to the closed cell. YMMV.

markv

#11

I think you’re right Mark, though would just qualify that middle-aged folks can often tolerate a closed cell pad, but opt for an inflatable because we’re more attuned to seeking a modicum of comfort as opposed to “toughing it out” in the absence of much life experience with wants and needs. Not to mention, the kids will sleep like babies after a long day on the trail, even on a bed of rocks. A little older, and good sleep is no longer a given, particular in the presence of even minor grievances. A little extra packweight is sometimes - thankfully not always - the difference between thriving and enduring over the long run on an extended hike.

hoch

#12

Thanks so much for all the wisdom! Age is an issue (mid 60s). You people rock!

Wayne Whiting

#13

On the PCT I used pad pockets – I cut some foam pad parts into the shape of the pockets in my hiking pants. That would allow me to get to sleep when my hip pointers were painful from a day of hiking. That was on top of using a RidgeRest pad to sleep on (to save weight).

Eventually I went to a NeoAir on the CDT. A bit heavy (for CDT weights that is) but sure is comfortable. Particularly since body repair is so important at night.

On the AT I mostly used a RidgeRest – flattened several on my AT thru-hike.

Datto

Datto