What are using for a sleeping pad

[bikenh]

I'm a roadie...sorry.

Trying to convert from backpacking for touring to bikepacking for touring.  I recently bought a nice bargin at Walmart and got the sleeping bag I wanted.  Boy was I surprised the other morning when I woke up at 34 degrees and I was still warm in that bag that packs smaller than any bag I've ever seen.  Nice down bag, I believe it was the only down bag Walmart.com carries.  Sleeping bag taken care of.

I know I want swap over to using a bivy bag versus the one man freestanding tent I've been using since I thru-hiked the AT in 1997.  It weighs too much and packs too big as well.  For most of the places where I end up camping, putting up a hammock isn't an option, if you want to remain hidden at least.  I always stealth camp...typically in baseball dugout or other facilities where I can get at least a roof over my head and I have a 'guaranteed flat ground underneath me so I don't have to worry about things poking up at me overnight.  I still need the bug protection though for the brunt of summer bug season.

The one thing I can't figure out is what are you guys using for sleeping pads?  Currently I use one of the blue close cell foam pads cut in half but it packs so darn big that it would be impossible to take something like that bikepacking.  The NeoAirs don't pack that small do they?  I have an old Thermarest that bubbles out at the head when you inflate so it might be under warranty since the leak is internal and not external.  It doesn't pack all that small hence why I still find myself questioning what you guys use that you can pack in a seat bag, frame bag or handlebar bag.  Everything seems like it would be too big.

I have to admit I know the biggest item in my pack weight wise is one other thing I'm looking at changing and that's the thing I'm on right now...the laptop computer.  I know I won't go to an iDiotphone or a Stupidphone but I definitely want to get something smaller both dimensionally, so it might fit in the frame pack, as well as something lighter weight...8 pounds for the laptop and accessories is crazy...that's almost 1/3 the total weight of the pack when loaded.  Couldn't believe it when I weighed it this morning.

[juanesunpescado]

Very brave of you to admit being a roadie. ;-)

The neoair is incredibly light, compact and warm. The regular length version fits easily inside a liter bottle. This is my first year with it so I don't know about durability. Being so light, I tend to treat it with care.

There are a lot of choices between your blue foam pad and the neoair. One way to save some volume is to go with a 3/4 length pad. Unless you are on snow, they seem to work fine. I have used pads from REI, Big Agnes, Exped and Thermarest (MSR). All have been adequate. Most of the high end pads are made at the same 1 or two factories in China. In my experience Thermarest offers the best performance for your money at whichever price point you choose. The neoair is currently the cream of the crop.

Yeah, the lap top seems like a candidate for upgrading. There are lots of good small tablets out there now if you need a computer.

Good luck on your search.

[joeydurango]

I use a car-windsheild sunshade.  Six bucks, superlight, packs small, replaceable almost anywhere, reflective to keep body heat from seeping away into the ground.  Not exactly super padded, but I can sleep on concrete if needed... choose soft camp sites!

[wahday]

I use a Big Agnes insulated air core pad. Got it REI on sale but you can find them many places. It packs to a little larger than a standard Nalgene bottle but inflates to a very comfy thickness. I have only had it about 9 months but used it about 10 times. Theist comfortable nights camping I have had in years! My issue as I age is my hips fall asleep if not enough padding and I toss and turn all night. Not do with this pad. I love it.

[Mr Cup]

3/4 length thermorest air pad. Packs really small and light and provides enough pa an insulation unless its down in the 30s.

[Adam Alphabet]

In my opinion the perfect UL sleeping pad has yet to be created. Half to 3/4's of a pound for a single use item that's dead weight most of the day is too much.

I've used a thermarest prolite short for many years. It's comfortable, but it's heavy and packs way too large for bikepacking imo. I made a separate bag to carry the pad externally attached to my handlebar bag.

This summer I experimented with a klymit inertia x-lite that I got for super cheap. I'm a side sleeper so unfortunately I couldn't get it to work consistentl. Some nights were ok, others not so much. The weight and more importantly tiny pack size were perfect though. I really want the thing to work for me.

Haven't tried a neo air but they're a little expensive for an experiment and I've seen a couple people who've had them fail.

What else is there? I might retrogress to a small thin cut up ccf carried externally until the industry figures things out something for us weight/volume conscious bikepackers.

[james-o]

I use a neo-air short version. 260g. Pick a good spot with a warm / soft area for your feet, or use a drybag with some stuff in it as basic insulation there and all's good. It's been used on snow as well as flinty, stony or prickly-weed kind of ground for 30-odd nights now and no leaks, it doesn't need any real pressure inside to be supportive when lying on it. I roll it up with my sleeping bag and use a 16" x 24" section of thin foam mat to give the bar bag shape and add ground cover, sit on, pad out my 'rucsac' when full of food, etc. Best weight-comfort compromise I've found so far, I don't sleep easily on hard ground unless totally done-in already so appreciate the good rest the mat offers.

[Mike K.]

The neoair is really comfortable and decently warm used with a quilt. Annoying to to inflate, deflate, and pack, though.

Hoping to keep the neoair's, warmth and comfort but be lighter and easier to pack, I have switched to the x-lite pad combined with a full length 1/8 inch thick closed cell foam pad and a regular sleeping bag.  The x-lite is way easier to inflate and stores easily in the frame bag. The foam pad rolls up and is carried on the top tube. In addition to adding comfort and warmth at night, the foam pad is super easy to access and set up for a daytime nap on wet or cold ground. Plus if the x-lite gets damaged, at least I have something.