What do you take (if anything) to help you sleep better on the GG Nightlight? (Even with a Thinlight underneath I still wake up every hour).

I don't think NyQuil caps do anything for pain, but it sure knocks me out. Haven't tried it on the trail though. Any ideas? I'd prefer not to have a hangover in the morning.

Some take Vitamin T....tylenol PM

I normally take some Vitamin I (Ibuprofen) before I go to bed. It helps with any pains left over from the day and helps the pad feel a tad more comfortable.

Adam

My baby brother, an MD, told me the cause for sleeping pain on closed cell foam pads is having birthdays. Easy for him to say. The little twerp is only 45.

Uh oh... I'm only 23.

I am only 29 but I still have trouble sleeping through the night on super thin pads and am weary about any medication to help me sleep, so I have been using a exped downmat 7 short. It weighs a lot, 19oz with the modified stuffsack inflation device, but it is well worth it when I can easily sleep though the night and feel well rested the next day. I only use the thin foam pads when I am really trying to get my weight down or on short trips where my bed is only a few days away.

I thought that would get some reaction! However, you have to realize that Baby Brother's idea of roughing it is no microwave. I can run circles around him on any terrain. I just need my Big Agnes air mattress at night!

I camped with a piece of blue foam until two years ago (age 45) -- when I 'graduated' to a self-inflating pad. Blue foam was OK -- but the self-inflating pad is absolutely heavenly for me.

I know that the 2.5" air pads are ven cushier... but I see this as a one-way street. As long as the self-inflating serves me well, I will keep deferring my switch to air pads.

Ryan -- if your foam pad is driving you to contemplate drugging yourself -- then do yourself a favor and move on to a self-inflating pad. Hiking should be fun. Drugging oneself to save half a pound doesn't make sense to me...

Ditch the nightlight. I am a very tolerant sleeper, but even I can't handle the nightlight. I use a cut down RidgeRest (torso length) and am a happy camper. I don't really like inflatables.

you can spend energy fussing over this pad or that pad, or you can make another choice...
use a hammock.
Now Im not trying to convert anyone, just mentioning that for me, all the pads were uncomfortable to me. A hammock with a GG nightlite pad is a much better nights sleep, and in these winter months when the temps reach 35 or less, I have to go down to the ground. The big agnes insul. air core is my go-to pad.

I received my brand new Nightlight Torso in the mail today. After using it for both my pad and pack frame for well over a month last fall, I figured that I deserved a new non-compressed one to start my thru(s) this year. I'm hitting the 68 mark in two months and can still use it. I've considered using the Montbell 90, but since going SUL just can't bring myself to carry the extra weight.

Edited by Quoddy on 02/04/2008 17:20:55 MST.

I suppose a hammock would be good unless you're like me...mostly hike as a couple, and lots of nights above treeline.

As a couple I am acutely aware that everyone's tolerance and comfort level is different. I am happy with my 4 ounce RidgeRest torso pad. My partner will not leave home withou a 27 ounce Stepehnson's DAM! If the GG nightlight is not comfy for you then simply ditch it. Not worth a bad night's sleep or drugging yourself to sleep for the sake of a few ounces. When you start going down that road, insanity soon ensues and next thing you know you'll be hiking naked with no pack, no food and no sleep, head and body shaved, intentionally dehydrated, just to prove you can go lighter than everyone else ;)

What do I do to sleep better with a nightlight (or any foam pad)? Leave it at home, or combine it with insulated air mattress. :-)

Some of us just don't get a good night sleep on a foam pad, even after several exhausting days. Some people adapt after a few nights. If you have used the nightlight several nights in a row and still find yourself waking up too frequently, then try something difference. I recommend air mattresses, but a self inflating foam mat, hammock, or maybe a cot could possibly help as well.

--mark

I use a double layer. I use two of the GG NightLight pads. (One for torso and one for my legs.) Then I use a Montbell 90 on top of the GG torso pad. Very plush.

I use one of the pads as part of the frame for my SMD Essence pack and the other I strap on the outside to pull off for a seat when I stop along the trail or in camp.

I get full length insulation with extra cushion for my hips and shoulder and a great seat pad for about 17 oz (482 gm).

-Mark

I'm 53 and am happy using:
NightLight(Torso) plus the 1/8 ThinLight Insulation Pad

Before them I used Thermarest Prolite 4 regular or Prolite 3 small. Now my son (25) has the Prolite 4 and my other son (29) has the Prolite 3. When I backpack with either of them, they always ask me if Im sure I dont want to use the Thermarest. I havent yet.

Possibly I've grown comfortably numb and/or my bones/joints are always sore so I dont notice discomfort when backpacking. : )

After a few uncomfortable nights out on a nightlight, back home I stopped sleeping on my bed and migrated to the floor (still softer than the foam pad!).

But after a few weeks I'm starting to find my torso nightlight more pleasant... of course I don't have a partner to explain myself to. Friends think I'm nuts of course.

Edited by adrianb on 02/04/2008 22:12:09 MST.

First a question for Allison: how did you get your Ridgerest down to 4 oz? I have the 3/4 version and it weighs 9 oz, I think. Did you chop down the length and width?

As for getting a good night's sleep on the Nightlight, I use several tactics to welcome the Sandman. First, I limit my intake of liquids in the evening so I don't have to get up in the middle of the night. Then I take Ibuprofen, which will reduce any knee, ankle or other swelling and manage aches. Finally, I place the pad under my sleeping bag convoluted side down, which makes for a not so lumpy surface to sleep on.

However, I think the real reason a good sleep on the Nightlight is so elusive is the sudden change in altitude, from sea level to 5000' or more. When I'm in Montana, my hometown is at 3500', so the change in altitude when going up to the mountains isn't so dramatic and sleep seems to come easier.

I guess I should confess that I am 26 and a light sleeper in the back country as well (AKA: a wimp). So I use a BMW Torsolite and a GG Nightlight 3/4 with a dose of Tylenol pm and that seems to do the trick for me. But I figure if I am not sleeping well I will not hike well so what is the point of being uncomfortable. Those of you out there that can sleep all night on a foam torso pad, I envy you!!

i sleep on a self-inflater. i tried medicating. didn't work, and i thought, "i'm drugging myself for a lighter pack? oh, heck no." so i'm back to a heavy, soft, delicious self-inflater. makes me warm & happy.

I have a ridgerest I take everywhere. The trick for me is find some softer soil or gravel, be really tired, and mentally relaxed.

If you are still thinking about work, how early you need to get up, your guylines, kids, mosquitoes or bears, it can keep you from descending to REM. If you are really type A, some relaxation techniques may help.

An alarm can really help you sleep, ironic huh?

Edit: I sleep well with an alarm if by myself, but with friends, I worry that it will annoy them. In spring around here, there are reliable bird sounds to wake to.

Edited by Paul_Tree on 02/05/2008 11:29:08 MST.