Backpacking pad carry?

HD, reply sent.

It seems there is no real consensus here on pad carry (for the rolled foam ones anyway). Evidently the top or bottom crossways carry isn't as awkward as it appears to me. My experience with that carry was back last century with a cheap external frame pack on the AT. The sleeping bag (heavy by today's standards) was carried the same way and may have been more of my problem than I remember. That was circa 1973.

Inside the pack would be better, but as I said, when I tried it, it just took too much volume in the internal frame 65L pack I was using.
 
Codger_64 said:
Wow! Those Big Agnes and Thermorest inflatable pads are pricey! (I gave about $6 for the blue foam pad). I could use a better pad for sure though. Self-inflating sounds good. But still, to drop nearly a c-note on a pad is beyond my budget just now. How is the Z-pad different from the blue foam pad? Any thicker? I've seen them for around $30, I think.

Thanks for the input guys. Maybe I can find a better pad used from someone upgrading (or retiring).

By the way, I am not attracted to hammoks at all, though I read great things from people who use them.
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Heard that, the Army issued thermarest self inflating pads for a while. Pretty nice pads, much better than closed cell in IMO, at least for comfort not so much for durability. They can be had surplus very cheap, might be a good way to try one out without breaking the bank. Me and you are eye to eye, can't stand the claustrophobic bear burritos either, AKA hammoks. Chris
 
I am getting ready to buy an exped. Pricey, but the 70x20x3.5 packs down to 9x6. At that size it can pack anywhere. With Thermarest, horizontal on top. If I were in heavy growth areas, vertical on back.
 
Mannlicher said:
I don't do as much back pack camping as I used to....
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I hear that!

I am trying to get back into it with more modern gear. I just cannot carry the weight I used to. Well... I can actually carry more (no loss of physical strength), but I can't move the next day! I've done two overnighters of about 12-16 miles and quite a few day-hikes of the same length this fall and find that I have few problems on the trail or afterward when I can keep my total pack weight to 25-30 pounds including food and water.

As I "regear", I am trying to whittle weight as much as reasonable (for me). One boiling pot means I have to cook meals "in shifts", not a bad thing. Leaving all of the accumulated cookware behind except the GENUINE AUSSIE BILLY can and replacing my old Optimus gas stove with a lighter cannister stove knocked out quite a bit of weight.
 
jw2n said:
I am getting ready to buy an exped. Pricey, but the 70x20x3.5 packs down to 9x6. At that size it can pack anywhere. With Thermarest, horizontal on top. If I were in heavy growth areas, vertical on back.
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Well, so far, I am in fairly heavy growth areas... upland hardwoods, but I can't resist occasionally stepping off the trail and bushwhacking in spite of the Park Service signs reminding me to stay on the trail. It is the only way to find natural springs in the nearby park where I hike.
 
When I had one of those blue foam pads, I carried it on top of my pack and it didn't really get in the way of anything. Now I carry a Thermarest ultralight inside my pack.
 
I use a hammock...............
If I need xtra insulation in the hammock " A sunscreen" for the windshield is fine.
Palm fronds underneath suffice, if i am in the coastal areas.
 
Full Karrimat rolled up right side. 2*Karrimat sections folded up the left.

.
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fujita yuji said:
Infratables suffers puncture. Foamed is bulky and gets soaked.
Quest of sleeping pad seems never ends.
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Lol! Well, the blue foam mat I am using is closed cell and doesn't absorb water at all. In fact, I use the same material to pad the bottom of an underwater ladder I use in my construction work. It stays submerged for hours and never soaks up water. But yes, it is bulky. I don't think I would have problems with an inflatable getting punctures or burn holes. And it would give me a soft place to fall when I passed out from blowing it up! :D
 
Just a length of pressure blown foam. The folded bits are just cut down sections from another full one that can fold 'cos of the size. Once I'm into pressure blown foam rather than chemically blown foam I'm not really fussy.
 
Yes, Codger_64, you are right.
But I think I'm also right.
They don't get soaked, unless repeatedly rolled/extended, scratched
in the woods or on the rock, and carried on top of the pack
for a few successive rainy days.
 
well, they might hold water in scratches and cracks, true. But it is fairly solid throughout. But I put it in a nylon bag for carry to keep it unscratched, dry and clean on the outside of my bag. We may be describing two different types of foam though. Foams that are just sealed on the outside would do as you say, absorb water when the coating was compromised. Closed cell foam doesn't.
 
I switched over to the Exped Goose Down filled air mattress for winter because of the lighter weight, small footprint/space in the pack, excellent R factor against cold ground and it is the only thing my damaged back can handle sleeping on the ground. It is amazingly comfortable, warm, light and small in the pack!

In warmer weather I can handle the Thermalrest but have in recent years gone with a hammock which is the best nights rest!. Now here is a hint if you're smaller stature or you know someone who is...have them check out the Women's Trail Pro Thermalrest. Now fellas, hold your judgement before you say anything. Yes it is a women's mattress but it comes in a decent woodsy color in green and it has some great features you might find of value.

First the women's mattresses have more insulation around the core than the man's model because women get colder (generally) than guys. So if you're cold blooded it is a great mattress.

It has an R factor of 5.1 which is extremely high for such a lightweight 880g pad. It rolls up fairly tight (roll it up and squeeze the air out - twist to plug the vent. Then unroll it and fold in half width ways and then re-roll it up lengthways after opening the vent. It will reduce the footprint down considerably.

If you don't tell anyone or who them the label they'll never know...

Q
 
I don't carry a pad, but my Mountainsmith pack has a set of nylon straps near the bottom of the pack where I lash my tent, and my sleeping bag gets wedged between the cover of the pack and the pack itself when it is clipped shut. A vast majority of my tools can be easily accessed without taking the pack off, so I don't have to putz with opening and closing it.
 
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