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 t's a geologic fact: the earth is getting harder. I know this from personal experience. When I was a teenager backpacking in the Cascades, I just spread my sleeping bag on the ground and slept fine.
In my twenties, I bought an ensolite pad to put under my sleeping bag, for insulation from the cold ground rather than comfort. Later, I used a slightly thicker blue foam pad. Then I graduated to a one inch thick Therm-a-Rest pad.
And now, I buy the thicket pad I can get. This has nothing to do with getting older; the ground is just harder than it used to be. Ask anyone my age and they'll tell you the same thing.
I hasten to point out that I'm just as tough as I ever was, but I find that I cast better when I get a good night's sleep, and I don't want to offend anyone's fly fishing experience by forcing them to witness a sloppy cast. Just thinking of others, as always. ("Yeah, right," says my wife).
Some Options
When looking for a sleeping pad, I try to balance weight, space, insulation from the cold ground, and comfort. Usually I'm looking for something that works in a tent for car camping and for river drifting. Sometimes space and weight are a premium, such as on a bike camping trip, and that calls for a different type of pad.
I've tried a lot of different types of sleeping pads, and my opinions are below.
- Maravia Silverback (26 inches wide, 76 inches long, 4 inches thick flat. 11 inches rolled up. 12 pounds. $170. Available from Cascade Outfitters and other rafting supply houses). On the surface, it makes sense that companies that build rafts should also make sleeping pads for rafters. Simply use the same tough fabric as on the rafts, and the same valves. Finish inflating with the same pump you use on the raft. What could be easier? Well, consider my experience. I used this pad on a three-day, two night drift down the Deschutes. On the same trip, I also took the Cascade Outfitters Big Mat (see below). I spent one night with Maravia pad while my friend used the Big Mat. The next night we swapped. It's a good thing it wasn't a three-night trip because we might have come to blows over who had to put up with the Maravia for a second night. It is uncomfortable at any inflation, is expensive, and it's bulky. While it has the advantages of large size and tough fabric, I can't recommend it. There are much better options out there.
- Aire Landing Pad (30 inches wide, 78 inches long, 3 inches thick flat, 11 inches rolled up. 15 pounds. $110. Available from Cascade Outfitters and other rafting supply houses.) Like Maravia, Aire makes inflatable boats, so this pad has the same kind of heritage as the Silverback described above. And all the same problems, except it's bigger and weighs more.
- Cascade Outfitter Big Mat (24 inches wide, 75 inches long, 3.5 inches thick flat. $99 from Cascade Outfitters). This mattress has some self-inflation capacity and is less bulky and not as heavy as the two above. It is comfortable and a reasonable choice. I've let several friends use it in different situations and they found it satisfactory. However, I think there are better solutions for the money, as described below.
- Therm-a-Rest DreamTime (25 inches wide, 77 inches long, 3 inches thick, 11 inches rolled up. 6.75 pounds. $180 for large size. Available at REI and other outdoor stores or online at www.thermarest.com). The Therm-a-Rest brand from Cascade Designs is the reigning king of backpacking and camping pads. The pads are self-inflating (mostly) and squeeze down to take up less space. Therm-a-Rest has three different lines: Fast and Light; Trek and Travel; and Camp and Comfort. Each maximizes different attributes, as you'd guess from the names. The first is aimed at bicycling and other ultralight demands; the second is for backpackers; and the third is for when you want a maximum of comfort and don't care as much about weight and space. The DreamTime falls into the "comfort" category. It is three inches thick when inflated and provides good edge-to-edge support due to its internal closed-cell structure. The mattress is in a removable shell that has a fluffy fleece top. You can remove the shell to machine wash it, which is a good advantage. The insulting value is rated as R 8.0 and the pad weighs 6 lbs 13 oz. This is a very comfortable option but it is bulky and heavy as well as expensive. For comfort, I prefer it to the Cascade Outfitters Big Mat (above). Friends who have tried both are of the same opinion.
- Therm-a-Rest Base Camp (25 inches wide, 76 inches long, 2 inches thick flat, 5.5 inches rolled up. $75. Available at REI and other outdoor stores or online at www.thermarest.com). The Base Camp is similar to the DreamTime (above), but without the removable cover and fleece top. It is one inch thinner than the DreamTime. The Base Camp is rated as R5.8, so it's not going to insulate you from the cold ground as well as the DreamTime. At 3lbs 10 oz, though, it's considerably lighter than the DreamTime and it's half the money. If you sleep on your back rather than your side, you may find this pad adequate. You may even find the weight acceptable for backpacking.
- REI CampBed 3.5 (25 inches wide, 77 inches long, 3.5 inches thick flat, 6.5 inches rolled up. 7 pounds. $89. Available at REI). This is as thick as the Therm-a-Rest DreamTime. With an R value of 6.6, it's suitable for any season. While it doesn't have the convenience of a removable cover or the fuzzy-factor of fleece, it's very comfortable and sells for a great price. It gets my vote as the most comfort for the least money. The weight and size are acceptable for most uses except backpacking.
- Therm-a-Rest Z-Lite Small (20 inches wide, 47 inches long, 0.75 inches thick flat, under 5 inches rolled up. 11 ounces. $30. Available at REI and other outdoor stores or online at www.thermarest.com). This Therm-a-Rest pad is optimized for low weight. It's just long enough for your head and torso, but not for your legs. I use it on bike camping trips on the Deschutes. It's not as comfortable as the two pads above, of course, but at a scant 11 oz it's a whole lot lighter and takes up very little space. I just make sure I pitch my tent in a soft, sandy place and only use it when the weather is warm (the R rating is 2.2).
Scott Richmond is Westfly's creator and Executive Director. He is the author of eight books on Oregon fly fishing, including Fishing Oregon's Deschutes River (second edition).
Uploaded 08/23/2006.
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