Does anyone have any tips on how to sleep comfortably on a closed cell foam pad? I tend to toss and turn on one and do not want to go to a heavy inflatable pad.

The only thing that ever worked for me was to be young

But that train left the station years ago:-)

Put it on as much duff as possible.

Other than that my best advice is to put an inflatable torso pad on top!

Try scooping out a depression in the ground (or find a natural depression) for your hips/behind. Seems to make a big difference for me.

Edited by Lancem on 09/21/2011 10:51:54 MDT.

Sleep on it as much as possible. Once you get used to it, your body will find it fine.

I've never used anything but a foam pad. The few times I've tried an inflatable, I find it TOO soft and pliable.

So, I really do think it is what you are used to.

Sleep on a hard bed at home. At home we have a wooden bed with cotton filled mattress, no springs, and my wife and I both prefer a foam mattress when camping.

I found the problem was having a pillow, not the pad. With a good pillow I can sleep on the most basic pad.

The real cure is a hammock. Can't beat it.

Edited by dwambaugh on 09/21/2011 12:12:11 MDT.

Same situation as Jim. As I've gotten older, my hips have gotten more sensitive. Over the years, I've gone through a progression of pads, from none at all, to blue foam, to old-style Thermarest, to Thermarest LE (2" thick and almost 2 lbs.), to POE Insulmat Max Thermo (2.5" thick and 17 oz.), and now a 20" x 60" x 3.5" thick insulated air pad from Kooka Bay. The last, by the way, in mummy style, weighs only 12.8 oz., proving that you can get comfort and warmth without paying a weight penalty.

Some folks like the NeoAir, but I never was able to get comfortable on the horizontal baffles, and I started shivering at 40*F. The NeoAir is also expensive. My custom Kooka Bay pad was about the same price!

Edited by hikinggranny on 09/21/2011 12:31:49 MDT.

Yeah I think a pillow will help out a lot. I've been using my down coat and whatever else I had for a pillow but things end up getting scattered through out the night and come undone.

So I think I will try the pillow route next time I go backpacking. I love the simplicity of a foam pad, quick to deploy, put away, and indestructible. I guess I will also just have to wait till I get used to it as well.

Thanks for the input everyone.