I'm going to pick up a GG Thinlight pad to serve as my primary pad for my minimalist, 3 day ultra/speed hike. I figure I'll be able to sleep on less pad due to how tired I'll be. I don't need much to be comfortable, anyway.

That said, I'm not quite sure what size to go with. I'm positive I can sleep on a 1/4" pad, but if I can push it to the 2 oz 1/8" pad, I'd like to.

I'm interested to hear from anyone who's had experience using these as their primary pads.

I used the Nightlight Torso pad with the 1/8 and was ok.

Only once did I try just the 1/8 Thinlight by itself. The insulation was good but was without additional padding was uncomfortable for me.

The Nightlight is less than 4 oz. IMO well worth the additional comfort.

Nate:

No experience with sleeping on just a 1/8th pad, but...

It's not just whether you can fall asleep. It's also how long you can remain asleep. We're all different, but when I was using my uncomfortable blue foam pad, I find myself waking up quite frequently throughout the night simply because half of me had become numb! And of course, without a halfway decent night's sleep -- we all feel worn out sooner. Anyway, something to consider.

Good point Ben

A) On back - lower back ache

B) On side - hip ache

Throughout the night, went from A to B back to A

That is why I only tried that once : )

A good night's sleep is definitely a concern, but so are a few extra ounces on a 45 mile day. There's a trade off either way I go, and I'm trying to pinpoint the best compromise.

I've used a POE Ether Thermo 6 for most of my backpacking adventures, but recently bought a torso length Ridgerest and have used it for 3 nights so far. I'm plenty comfortable on that, and it's 9 oz, so I think I can go lighter and thinner. I've taken long naps on my lawn plenty of times and have slept directly on living room floors more time than I can count without any trouble.

It's worth the $10 to experiment with using a ThinLight pad on a couple of quick overnights, but I'd rather not spend $20 trying out both the 1/8" and 1/4" versions. I'd love to go with the 1/8" version, but if no one here has been able to get a good night's sleep on it, then it's probably safer to go with the 1/4". I do feel like at least one person has mentioned using the 1/8" as their primary pad on some ultra hike, though.

Anyone else?

To augment the GG ThinLight, you could bring along a couple of layers of Bubblewrap, also known as Bubblepack or Bubblepak. It's not very durable, but it lasts for a few nights, and it is very lightweight.

--B.G.--

The thinlight pads are not comfortable. I own a 3/8" one for winter use and as a primary pad it is far from comfortable and the 1/8" offers no padding at all; so unless you are sleeping on really soft ground, forget the idea.

Get the GG Torso Pad instead, its much more comfortable and only ~3.3oz. I use it all the time, including 5 months straight on my PCT thru-hike and sleep fine. I often also carry a 1/8" thinlight if the temps are going to be cold, but it isn't really necessary.

Somewhere Scott Williamson's gear for his 2006 PCT yo-yo is listed, and he used a 1/8 inch pad...

Just to be fair, GG states on their website that the Thinlight pad is not really meant for comfort or padding, but rather its strictly for added insulation.

"The ThinLight™ pad is not designed for padding, but for insulation. It provides much better insulation for the bottom of your body than the equivalent weight of down when you are lying on it."

Edited by T.L. on 04/26/2010 20:27:27 MDT.

Nate, I've used a 1/8" Thinlight as my sole pad on a few summer trips. I am a side sleeper exclusively. One night, on a hard dirt site (Glacier NP w/ designated sites) I had to fold up my pants and put them under my hip to be comfy. That worked well enough. On another occasion I used it on some nice soft pine needles and slept great.

I don't think you'd find a substantive difference in comfort between the 1/8" and the 1/4", plus the 1/8" is long enough to fold over and use doubled as a torso pad.

Or cut down the ridgerest and be guaranteed a good sleep. Mine is 39" long and tapered at both ends and weighs 6 oz.

I cut down a 3/8" GG pad to torso size and it weighs 2.6 oz. My GG NightLight torso pad weighs 3.5 oz and is much more comfortable.

Biggest trick is not to sleep in "well worn" campsites with hard compacted ground. If you can sleep on forest duft, that is best (where it is permitted). Deserts are another story.

Aside from being out of stock, I'm concerned that the NightLight won't work well for me due to it's 29" length. I'm 6'2" and my torso is fairly long, so that could be an issue. Since I'm specifically buying this pad for one trip, I don't really want to splurge on a full sized NightLight and cut it down.

Although I should probably cut down my Ridgerest anyway, at 6 oz, it's still more weight than I want to carry on this trip.

Are there any other sub 4 oz sleeping pad options that I'm missing?

Nate,

Don't forget Nunatak is selling their version of the Mt. Washington pad online in their clearance section, these are essentially Gossamer Gear Evazote Nightlight pads, correct me if I'm wrong. You can just cut to length to save weight like you mentioned Nate:

Nunatak Luna Pad, 2nds (cosmetic), full length, $25

Nunatak Lunapad (scroll down to Sleeping Bags section for clearance)

Also, don't forget www.suluk46.com !!! Steve is a BPL member and sells 1/8", 3/8", 1/2" closed cell Plastazote pads in various sizes. The 1/8" "groundsheet" is 25x72 for $15. The 3/8 and 1/2" frame sheet/groundpad are in these sizes/oz. (from his website):

1/2" X 19" X 33" - 2.7oz (77 grams)
3/8" X 19" X 44 " - 2.8oz (80 grams)
1/2" X 19" X 44 " - 3.5oz (102 grams)

Suluk 46 Products


His customer service is excellent and I haven't found any other pad sources that are this light and affordable. Best of luck with the 1/8" pad for sleep, you're a beast!

Edited by Eugeneius on 04/27/2010 07:00:46 MDT.

I'll vouch for Steve as well.

I had ordered a 3/8" pad for supplemental insulation on a first week of March trip into the White Mountains (Carters) where they had recently gotten ~60" of snow over 3-days. Not only did Steve rush ship it to me so I'd have it in time but he and I worked through several setups to provide enough R-value based on his recommendation.

Pads are really nice. Planning on ordering another 1/8" pad for use as a ground sheet. I found the material warm and resilient. I'd rate them better than my ridgerest.

Edited by itbvolks on 04/27/2010 08:02:40 MDT.

I use the 3/8" Thinlite as my primary pad. I switch to the Nightlite (trimmed) for colder conditions. The 3/8" Thinlite is probably too uncomfortable for most people. I usually do high mileage days and I can pretty much sleep on concrete by the time I set up camp. I do usually sleep on top of a pile of leaves though, which is pretty comfortable for me.

-Sid

You're having kittens over something that, frankly, is completely irrelevant in the grander scheme of things.

This "huge, massive weight difference" represents the weight of 4 tablespoons of water.

Carry 4 tablespoons less water in your pack and you'll be all set. Or just don't carry any water but carry a huge pad. Somewhere in the middle is probably reality.

Brad,

On most trips, I bring my 21 oz POE Ether Thermo 6. The comfort more than makes up for the weight. On this trip, I'll be doing multiple 40+ mile days in a row. A couple of ounces will make a difference. As far as water goes, I'm setting myself up to carry as little as possible. I'm aiming to start the trip at under 15 lbs.

Not to be the gear enabler, but if you're looking to try the GG thinlights, I think they're back in stock. I just ordered one earlier this week.