I sleep pretty warm ( used a Ridgerest on snow on a 10 F night in Colorado when I didn't know better and was just fine) and I don't mind the hard ground (a back sleeper anyway).

Is there a 3 season foam pad anyone can recommend for me? I just want basic insulation and basic smoothing over of sharp rocks..

I'd had my mind set on the GG Nightlight torso length for weeks but just before ordering tonight, I noticed some pretty bad reviews on its durability by Ryan Jordan and others in the reader's reviews section.

Any alternatives?

Given what you wrote, I highly, highly recommend the blue foam pad -- which has all the following advantages:

1. ultra cheap!
2. ultra light - about 10oz.for full length
3. good temp insulation
4. practically indestructible
5. easy to pack

Just about the only shortfall is that it isn't as comfy as self-inflating pads or air pads. But I think it will suit you just fine!

I have a nameless blue foam pad right now :)

I have been using it for 3 years now.. no complaints really.

Was just in the middle of a gear purchasing streak and I guess I thought I could do much lighter than 10 oz with the stuff from Gossamer Gear..

and I thought I read on this forum that not all blue foam pads are the same and their insulation varies quite a bit.

Depends, do you want to be comfortable or not? If you don't need insulation, then a regular kooka bay will weigh in at 12.5 for a 72 inch 2.5 inch thick mummy pad. waaaay more comfortable than a "blue pad". If you need some insulation, talk to bender about adding some climashield.

I got a generic 1/4" thick blue foam pad from Bass Pro Shops, 72x20x1/4". It does a great job, cost $10, and weighs 7.7oz. Trim it down to torso length and it just about 5oz.

Dont:

Keep what you have. No need spending lots of money for marginal differences in warmth, comfort or weight. No closed cell pad is going to be truly comfy anyway -- and reading your post, you are likely a young hiker with strong bones, joints and muscles who don't need a lot of padding.

"....strong bones, joints and muscles who don't need a lot of padding."

Too true, when you get old like me and have weak bones, joints and no muscle, you need all the padding you can get.

Try a Suluk46 PFS or PGS.The largest pad weighs 6.6oz the thinnest weighs only 2.2oz. I use a 1/2" thick 19" by 44" PFS and it weighs 3.5 oz. It isn't very durable, but it's crazy light and only cost $24.00.

>Too true, when you get old like me and have weak bones, joints and no muscle, you need all the padding you can get.

Hey, I'm 28 and in good shape, and I love the thick, cushy inflatables! SLEEPING PADS that is. Ben, don't get any ideas! : )

IMO, young hikers should start with closed-cell pads when all they need is insulation from the cold ground and maybe just a bit of cushioning -- as OP describes.

When you hit middle age and you find yourself waking up through the night because half your body has gone numb -- then it's time for a self-inflating pad -- which provides a quantum leap in comfort.

And when you become old and decrepit -- then it's time for an air pad -- the final word in backcountry comfort.

Travis -- now that you've gotten used to the soft life -- whatcha gonna do when you hit middle age?

Edited by ben2world on 05/13/2010 21:21:08 MDT.

+1-- on the Suluk46 sleeping pad at 2.2 oz..Fits perfect under my Neo Air(Reg)--for both warmth and puncture protection.

I looooooove my cushy Big Agnes pad. One of these days ill upgrade to one of the new fancy pants UL inflatables.

Edited by MikeyLXT on 05/13/2010 21:41:17 MDT.

Ben, I'm not planning on hitting middle age. I'm gonna skip right to the old and decrepit stage, and pay my grandchildren to haul my crap around for me, including a 3 pound, 5 inch thick, super duper ultra comfortable air mat.

All kidding aside, I'm hoping that as long as I keep acclimated to the air mat, my body will never know anything different. Well, actually it does know different......my first overnighter ever, my girlfriend and I slept out in winter. We camped on a solid sheet of ice (not hard snow, ICE) and we only had one mattress. She got that. I got the ice. And I wondered why I was cold in my crappy, 5 pound, Slumberjack-lyin'-that-its-a-negative-25-degree-bag-piece-of-crap. Bollocks. I love my down mat, and you can pry it from my cold, dead hands!

Ben,

I think I might be old. I will be 60 in a few months. I normally use a GG NightLight Torso pad, or a trimed ThinLight 3/8" pad. Ocassionally if I haven't slept outdoors in a while and the ground is going to be covered with small rocks, I splurge with my BPL TorsoLight and a GG 1/8" ThinLight.

:)

A hint to all you young'uns out there. Before you head out on that trip with a super thin sleeping pad, get in training.

Before each trip, I sleep for a couple of nights on a firm floor at home. Maybe a thinly carpeted floor. That gets me used to firm ground and a thin CCF pad.

--B.G.--

I am young but pretty rail thin.. don't really know how it works but I'm pretty comfortable on uneven ground with the blue foam pad + 32 F synthetic sleeping bag. And don't really get cold either..

Anyway, I'm going to stick with my present blue foam pad for now and just cut it in length to save 50% of the weight (think it'll weigh 6 oz after trimming).

Shipping seems expensive on the options mentioned in this thread.. will wait until I have other stuff to combine it with.

(By the way, we are going to carry an Exped DownMat 7 for my girlfriend..)

I've got a mental image of Bob sleeping in the hallway on a hardwood floor, and the dog trips over him in the middle of the night.

But, I've thought of doing that as well. After a long day's work, I can pass out on the carpeted living room floor without extra padding, no problem. So, why should camping be different?

Dont: have you bought the Exped yet? Save some ounces (maybe pounds?) and check out KookaBay down mats.

Edited by T.L. on 05/13/2010 22:19:44 MDT.

Show off! :)

What is this Kookabay down mat people speak of? I visited the Kookabay website and it barely has 2 items listed.. one of which looks like a very minimal air pad with no down shown next to a soda can.

I emailed the owner and I think he replied saying he could put some down in or something.. so one has to jump through a few hoops to discover this (possibly existing) product. Is thsi really what people speak of?

Besides, there is no price, weight or anything listed since the product isnt listed..

Yup. It exist

It's a down filled air mat. And you need a special stuff sack to inflate it.

Consider it an "off menu" selection for the better informed. If you do some searching on here you can get an idea of weights. And bender is a UL backpacker, so he probably has a scale. Which means he can give you a weight.