Sleeping Pads / Ground Insulation

[ayron]

a yoga mat would be way to heavy for me i think, and there not designed for comfort so much as creating friction with a sweaty foot. id steer clear and go with a cheepo closed cell fomy, much lighter and versitile

 

[Gudj]

Has anyone tried using a yoga mat? I've always been curious if any of you have used these as sleeping mats. They look comfortable, and sell for next to nothing, compared to what outdoor sleeping mats go for.

The only yoga mat I've tried to sleep on was thinner, colder, and less comfortable than cardboard. It was also heavy and sticky.
Pretty much what ayron said. Maybe there are soft/warm ones out there, but most seem not to be.

 

[NBDDreamer]

I dig on the Therma-rest Ridge Rest. I'm a big guy, but I bought the small one and trimmed it to torso length. It's light (9 oz., less with my trimming), cheap (20 dollars), indestructible, and relatively compact fitting in the tent pouch of my CFP-90 rucksack. I don't like having equipment that is overly expensive and fragile, and self inflating mattresses are, in my estimation, both.

To the ridegnu-- don't use that fiberglass filled silver insulation, you'll get a rash from the fibers. And have you tried fixing your current air mattress with bicycle tire patches or rubber cement and a piece of innertube? Maybe cover that with a piece of gaffers tape?

 

[wildboy860]

Has anyone tried using a yoga mat? I've always been curious if any of you have used these as sleeping mats. They look comfortable, and sell for next to nothing, compared to what outdoor sleeping mats go for.

yes... this past winter I rode some trains for a few weeks and it was near freezing and I was using a yoga mat on the train, along with my 25 / 45 degree sleeping bag and a ton of layers. and the 45 degree sideof my sleeping bag was the part I was laying on on top of the mat. when I use my sleeping bag and it's colder than 40 degrees and I have no mat underneath, its still cold, but the yoga mat worked fin for it's insulating purposes as far as I'm concered. I would just check out the material of the pad before buying it. I lucked out and grabed mine from my parents basement.

 

[ENgagRelyt]

I have used the shiny silver bubble wrap insulation from Home Depot in 10 below degree weather it has been great.

 

[Brand0nRagged]

i'm on the cardboard team here... it's available in every town with businesses. you don't have to pack it (long-term) or ever buy it.

 

[Gypsy Smile]

Thats what I use is my Yoga mat,it works great. The only downfall is they Can get really dirty pretty quickly If you sleep on the ground.Sleeping on grass though, it works like a Charm. And Plus, You can wake up at Sunrise and do some Yoga
NAMASTE

 

[Gypsy Smile]

But the Yoga mat is Just a a Conveniant, Lightweight, Item. If your Looking for Insulation and Warmth, You'll be cold..

 

[MrD]

But the Yoga mat is Just a a Conveniant, Lightweight, Item. If your Looking for Insulation and Warmth, You'll be cold..

This. Yoga mats are too thin to provide any real warmth

 

[recalibrating]

Why would anyone need more than the cheapie foam military sleeping mat? It's the happy medium.

 

[ayron]

yeah ive recently joined the cardbord team, fuck carrying more useless shit with you. like i used to carry a light weight cheepo blue fomey thing, i even cut it to torso length, but ive recently decided "fuck that noise" and just use what i find, (cardbord) cardbord is vertually the same thing as most cheep light weight pads, but its free and abundant. cardbord all the way!

 

[rsproutseb]

I prefer non-inflatable closed cell foam pads for the extremely fast and easy deployment and pack up if you can take the space and/or lash gear to the outside of your pack. One can trim down closed cell foam pads since they won't let in water or other moisture.

I use several depending on the season/pack space available. My usual suspects are:

Gossamer Gear ThinLight Insulation Pad (I use the thickest option - 3/8")
Gossamer Gear : : ThinLightâ„¢ Insulation Pad

MultiMat Adventure from the UK (e-bayed for $12.77 including shipping from the UK)
adventure - Multimat - be comfortable sleep warm - outdoor sleeping and camping mats - Beacons Products


As others have, I give a shout out to the Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest especially for colder seasons or climates and the army surplus green pads which are a little stiff but very very tuff.

 

[BrittanyTheBananarchist]

Has anyone tried using a yoga mat? I've always been curious if any of you have used these as sleeping mats. They look comfortable, and sell for next to nothing, compared to what outdoor sleeping mats go for.

i actually usa a yoga mat myself. its a lot better then the foam pad thing i was usin before. it keeps me off the ground and its pretty darn comfy. i didnt buy it so im not sure how much they go for. i also havent had problems with it absorbing water. its water resistant i think. anyways great sleepin mat if ya get one.

 

[Deleted member 125]

i got kicked down a torso to knee sleeping pad in richmond and found it very inconvienent. i pack heavy as it is and even with my yuppie pack i had trouble finding a place to store it comfortably. i use a wool blanket. works as a pad and when its real cold ill wear it like a cape inside of my sleeping bag and since i sleep on my side it keeps me comfortable and warm. the weight of the blanket has never been a issue for me and i have a pretty bad back from injuries when i was younger.

 

[sleeping animals]

to add another opinion, i sleep way better with a pad which is a bonus when travelling. i had a thermarest inflatable one that was real small but got full of holes. I use a thermarest z lite now which is a bit larger but worth the space in my pack. a lot quicker to fold up, durable, comfrtable, warm, and you can fold it into different sizes for whatever space you got. The downside that i see to it is that they are always usually colored which pisses me off.

 

[Cade]

I also use the thermarest z-lite. I can strap it to the outside of my pack with a bungie so it won't take up any room in my pack. many warm nights in that along with my 10 degree bag and bivy sack. Everything is easy to put away because the pad is like an accordian, my bag just stuffs into its sack, and my bivy rolls into another bag.
As for the inflatables, I wouldn't trust them because of the holes problems. Then you have to carry around patches and a repair kit for it.

 

[LeeevinKansas]

trash bag stuffed with newspaper.

 

[LarZ]

Short story: I use my very large, very insulated, very soft (on the inside) jacket as a pad when I need one (like when sleeping on trains.)

Long story: I started out carrying a torso thermarest (the nicest once, snagged from REI), but now I just use my jacket for the following reasons. The pad was good for concrete or otherwise cold hard surfaces (I imagine), but not on trains cause it took waay too long to set up and take down. And if I'm not on a train why would I sleep on something hard and cold? There's always some dirt under a bush or some grass around to be slept on. I have a bivvy for staying dry and if I need something for padding or insulation the jacket is perfect. Torso sized, warm, soft, I can fold it or squish it or roll it, and it's obviously a jacket too, and sometimes a dog bed, and sometimes a pillow (you get the idea).

Anyway, the thermarest wasn't worth its weight/size for how (in)frequently I used it (maybe 5 times in 2 months).

 

[stubby]

I'll put it out there. I like traveling comfy in in comfortable situations which tear pads to shreads. Thermarest Ridgerest has lasted a year and a half for me and I must say it's been through some shit. Insullating, yet tough.

 

[Animus]

I have one of those roll out "self inflating" mats. my piece of advice. get some sort of durable foam pad. the inflating ones havent worked out that well for me.