Sleeping pad recommendation for camping?

[nakerr]

I would/will probably buy this...Therm-a-Rest LuxuryLite UltraLite Cothttps://www.backcountryedge.com/therm_a_rest-luxurylite-ultralite-cot-2014.aspx?utm_source=GoogleMerch&utm_medium=dfm&zProductAttributeID=13450&gclid=CNiL6sLAuMACFc1_Mgoda2kASA

I have one of these cots. Caution though, there are two versions ... One has a mesh surface and can be cold. The foil mattress works on these well.

 

[foshow150]

Therma rest Pro lite 4. Hands down the most compact and comfortable you can't feel the ground pads out there. They self inflate, no pump. During the Minnesota winter you can use it in igloo, get the one with the insulation rated for snow. You will not freeze from the ground up. Trust me on that one. Bit spendy but I bought mine 10 years ago. Just remeber to store it in it's inflated mode and not compacted. Great piece of camping gear.

 

[Hudson]

I have the REI 3.5" self-inflating. It's much wider than the 2.5 and the extra thickness makes it feel great. I used without issue on a recent ADV ride, and they are on sale until labor day.

 

[Auburn]

Big Agnes here to. Best air pad I have found. get the insulated one. with their sleeping bag, good well into the teens for temps.

 

[Uncle Hud]

Good point, foshow150. I've had a Thermarest for 10 years, and it works great. Open it out with the valve open when I get home and slide it under the bed. Patched it twice; you find the leak by inflating it and putting it in the bathtub. Use a sharpie to circle where the bubbles come out and whoop a patch on there.

 

[dcarver]

Ahh, yes, camping.

I remember it well..

 

[juniorfjr]

Ahh, yes, camping. I remember it well..

Ahh, yes. Lake Louise lodge, those Canuks know camping.

 

[SacramentoMike]

I know it's about pads (and of course now cots--and luxury hotels), but here's another goodie I like a lot: a sleeping bag liner. This one is the brand I have, but probably not the exact model--I don't think mine's a mummy-style. They come in cotton or silk, but mine is a fabric like nylon, or some kind of microfiber. Stretchy, very long--it's thin enough to not hinder your breathing if you have it up over your face or your whole head, which is very nice if you have a mosquito or something in your tent, or if you want to get a few more winks after the sun comes up--it blocks a lot of light. And it's stretchy enough that you really don't feel restricted at all by it inside the bag.

But the point of it is it gives you about 10 degrees of extra comfort--makes a 30o bag into a 20o one, etc. And it stuffs into its little bag to about the size of a softball. If you get to a motel and wonder about how clean or critter-free the room is, it's also nice to put it between you and them.

Nice addition to my camping setup.

 

[FatNakedGuy]

hammock.. AMAZING sleep

 

[Auburn]

I know it's about pads (and of course now cots--and luxury hotels), but here's another goodie I like a lot: a sleeping bag liner. This one is the brand I have, but probably not the exact model--I don't think mine's a mummy-style. They come in cotton or silk, but mine is a fabric like nylon, or some kind of microfiber. Stretchy, very long--it's thin enough to not hinder your breathing if you have it up over your face or your whole head, which is very nice if you have a mosquito or something in your tent, or if you want to get a few more winks after the sun comes up--it blocks a lot of light. And it's stretchy enough that you really don't feel restricted at all by it inside the bag.
But the point of it is it gives you about 10 degrees of extra comfort--makes a 30o bag into a 20o one, etc. And it stuffs into its little bag to about the size of a softball. If you get to a motel and wonder about how clean or critter-free the room is, it's also nice to put it between you and them.

Nice addition to my camping setup.

Yes bag liners are highly recommended. My wife made ours.

 

[mxboy96]

Awesome! Thanks for the recommendations. I'll post what I get. I'm wanting to get something within the next week cause my buddy's and I are going on a bachelor ride to the black hills here in September.

 

[FJRGuy]

Double Air Mattress when taking a trailer and pillion with me.

Self-inflating sleeping pad when solo. While the double mattress doesn't take up much more space than the pad, it isn't insulated, it is heavy, and takes more time/effort to set up and tear down.

I'm liking the idea of the cot. Been thinking about looking into a cot small enough to fit in my tent, and now I don't have to look very far!

 

[Harald]

To save on space on the bike (just like backpacking where most of my gear comes from), I use a self inflating sleeping pad from Cabelas:

https://www.cabelas.com/product/Camping/Cots-Pads-Beds/Sleeping-Pads%7C/pc/104795280/c/104712480/sc/104484780/Cabelas-XPG8482-Sleeping-Pad/1839059.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fsleeping-pads%2F_%2FN-1100678%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104484780%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104795280%253Bcat104712480&WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104795280%3Bcat104712480%3Bcat104484780

This is a new version of the one I have, but the specs look similar. Packs very small and lightweight and good comfort for the size. There's obviously more comfy options, but they take up too much space!

BTW, the foil blanket works great for very cold weather if you put it under the sleeping pad. I've done numerous camp trips that involved digging a snow cave to sleep in and having the foil blanket under the pad keeps you much warmer (I've shivered all night using just a single sleep pad and no foil blanket).

 

[eg23232]

Very cool. https://www.windcatchergear.com/

 

[CA G-Man]

Much like beauty is in the eye of the beholder, comfort is in the ass of the sleeper. It's all about compromises. When I'm summer camping in the back country I use my Hennessy Hammock and a thin closed-cell foam pad (well, half of one) or my 2/3 length Therma-Rest. In the winter (in a quinzhee or snow trench shelter) it's the Therma-Rest. On the rare occasions that I go car camping and weight/size doesn't matter I might get soft and use a full-on queen sized air mattress with a blanket between me and the mattress for insulation. I haven't been FJR-camping yet, but when I do it will be the Therma-Rest based on size and weight.

By the way, not all Therma-Rests are the same - they've made some pretty significant changes/advances in the designs over the years. I'm not a fan-boy or anything but I've been pleased with mine for the last decade (with no leaks - knock on wood!). That said, there are a lot of folks (especially those old enough to have grandchildren...) who would never even consider sleeping on something that's only 1.5" thick when inflated.

Generally, cushy + warm = big and heavy. Figure out how much space/weight capacity you can afford for your sleeping system and then fill it up with whatever works for you!

 

[CAJW]

Therm-a-rests are great!

This^^. Mine has served me well for both bike and backpacking.

 

[Ignacio]

I would/will probably buy this...Therm-a-Rest LuxuryLite UltraLite Cothttps://www.backcountryedge.com/therm_a_rest-luxurylite-ultralite-cot-2014.aspx?utm_source=GoogleMerch&utm_medium=dfm&zProductAttributeID=13450&gclid=CNiL6sLAuMACFc1_Mgoda2kASA

I bought that at the beginning of the season and have pretty good luck with it. The dish effect of the cot is WAY closer to my mattress at home than the air mattress I used to have and the XL I bought is wide and tall enough to side sleep pretty comfortably. (I'm 6'4") I put down a Therm-a-rest 2/3 inflatable pad for some insulation factor.

The design of the cot takes a bit of time to assemble and disassemble. If I didn't need the extra length and width I probably would have gone with the Big Agnes Cot One. Setup and tear-down is much easier.

 

[icedbreaks]

When I go camping, the bike is right AT capacity, and that makes a big difference.

I'm curious what storage solutions you use for camping? Photos of your bikes loaded up might be helpful. Do you use a rear rack case or just strap a lot on?

 

[saltcreep]

Exped Megamat 10

It is huge, but after waking up feeling like I'd been ran over trying to sleep on crappy ones, I went and got the best one I could find. I'm happy with it and feel much better the next day.

https://www.amazon.com/Exped-MegaMat-Sleeping-Ruby-Long/dp/B0047BTUEK

 

[CA G-Man]

I'm curious what storage solutions you use for camping? Photos of your bikes loaded up might be helpful. Do you use a rear rack case or just strap a lot on?

Icedbreaks: You might want to check out this thread:

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/158324-what-does-your-fjr-look-like-loaded-for-a-trip/