I like being warm and comfortable. I also tend to be a side sleeper. Right now my sleeping pad is a full-length Prolite 4 and it succeeds marvelously on both those counts.

The downside of course is the weight and bulk. I backpack with my family which usually means that I am carrying two sleeping bags and two sleeping pads in my pack (the other being for my youngest daughter).

So, in an effort to reduce some pack weight and volume, I am considering switching out my sleeping pad for something lighter. I am open to the idea of a torso-sized pad like the Torsolite or the Prolite XS. I am considering coupling this with a 1/8 inch full-length evazote/plasizote pad which I can double as foam padding for my pack.

For those of you who have made such a drastic change... how did it go? Am I going to regret this, or is there another option that I would be better off considering?

Have you considered something like the NeoAir (admittedly not as warm as Prolite 4), or a custom DAM from someone like Kookabay?

I'm a back sleeper, so I can't comment specifically RE: side sleeping, but the TorsoLite didn't spin my wheels, especially considering it weighs as much as a NeoAir short. I actually preferred a RidgeRest cut down to torso sized compared to the torsoLite, but sleeping mats are a pretty individual thing. For instance I was never really comfy on a 4 inch thick Stephenson's DAM. It was too high off the ground and made me a bit sea-sick! Go figure.

Edited by retropump on 05/04/2010 20:31:47 MDT.

My last 2 pads have both been from Pacific Outdoor Equipment.

My current "air" pad is the Ether Thermo 6 2/3 (the "2/3" refers to the length). I am mostly a side sleeper and found this to be comfortable (but I only have a few nights on this from last fall). It is not a self-inflater, which is good b/c it rolls up to a very manageable size.

I also have a pad that looks similar to the Peak Oyl Lite (mine is an older model from when they were known as InsulMat). One nice feature about this design is the side rails, which have the dual benefits of either keeping you on the pad (especially as a back or stomach sleeper) or as a nice cushion for the knees in a fetal position.

POE's website lists the Peak Oyl Lite 2/3 at 13 oz.
My scale has the Ether Thermo 6 2/3 at 14.70 (w/o the included stuff sack or repair kit).

Finally, a nice perk of the POE pads vs. the NeoAir is cost. You get a lot of pad for basically 1/2 the price.

Here are links for Backcountrygear.com (no affiliation, just a site I know that has the pads).

Ether Thermo 6:
http://www.backcountrygear.com/catalog/accessdetail.cfm?PRODUCTS__ProductID=POE1025&code=GF10

Peak Oyl Lite:
http://www.backcountrygear.com/catalog/accessdetail.cfm/POE900
Edit to add that aside from the above, I'm probably using a cut-down RidgeRest for the JMT this summer.

Edited by saparisor on 05/04/2010 21:26:25 MDT.

I have gone to a Prolite XS on top of a 36" ridgerest, 14 oz. for the pair. Best nights sleep I have had in years. Tough, warm, light, great internal pack frame.