[pct-l] Sleeping gear recommendations

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good morning, all,

For me, the change from sleeping on a thin, closed-cell foam pad to sleeping
on one of the air mattress cousins would be costly and would add weight --
all to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.  That’s my opinion – obviously
your experience, needs, results, and wallet will vary.

I expect the air mattress items would be fine to sleep upon, but I sleep
very well on the trail and I wouldn’t compromise much to make a small
improvement – and I certainly wouldn’t trade-off my ration of Peanut M&Ms in
the process.

The cost increase isn’t my biggest concern:  I usually get – or probably
already have – whatever gear I think I would like to use, or at least try to
use.

I’m not tough, I’m lazy.  The tough people are easy to spot – they keep
their socks up with thumbtacks.  Being lazy I’m most concerned about weight:
My cheap-o foam pads, modified to accordion-fold,
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=264203  provide some padding and
structure to my little 13-ounce pack.  A rolled up air mattress wouldn’t
perform that function, so I would likely have use a different pack – one
with some padding and/or structure -- adding a pound or so to the base
weight in the process.  I could pack differently to spread my sleeping bag
against my back instead of the pad, but without the pad’s modest structure
everything in the pack will shift around on while I hike.  Also, the pad
keeps the sweat of my back from soaking the sleeping bag better than can be
done with the slick, shifty ground cloth.

I also like to simplify the process of hiking/camping on the long trails.  With
my foam pad I don’t have to scrutinize a prospective bed-site for small
sharps; I only inspect for things that might make me uncomfortable –
something I would also have to do with an air mattress.  Neither do I worry
about being let-down on the cold ground in the middle of the night, or
finding and patching the probable leak(s).

Steel-Eye

Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09


On Sun, Apr 17, 2011 at 7:58 AM, Scott Williams <baidarker at gmail.com> wrote:

> Just a plug for the neo.  I carried one all last year, and just took it
> into
> a very chaparral covered area for a 3 day backpack trip this past week.  I
> cowboy camped on a chunk of tyvek for most of last year's thru hike, so no
> double layer, and still have not had it get punctured or loose any air.  I
> think they're reasonably tough.  Cactus thorns will puncture them, so I was
> careful in the deserts, but slept many nights on prickly pine needles,
> rocks
> and twigs, and didn't have it get a puncture, and have never slept on a
> more
> comfortable mat.  I met many folks using them on trail last year, and
> punctures were not what they talked about, the great sleep they got was.
>  For some of the younger folks I traveled with, who were on little foam
> mats, I used to tease them by offering them 10 minutes on my neo for a bite
> of their snickers.  No one ever killed me for it, but after they took a lay
> down on it, pretty much everyone of them swore they'd have one next hike.
>
> For young folks, you can all pretty much sleep on rocks and be just fine,
> but for the elders on trail, those of us not as absolutely trail tough as
> Steel-Eye or Switchback and a few others, I highly recommend the neo.  It
> works well on a crowded motel floor too.
>
> Shroomer
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