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Let’s face it, most of us are accustomed to sleeping on thick mattresses. The shift to sleeping in the wilderness with minimal night-time amenities can be a shock to the system. Our home mattresses provide both comfort and insulation. The outdoor mattress serves a similar function, putting insulation and padding between you and the hard, cold earth.

My first pad, a Thermarest Travel Comfort, weighed 2 pound, 8 ounces, stretched 66 inches long and was about three inches thick. Very plush and VERY heavy.

For A Few Ounces More

In search of ultralight perfection, I shed this comfort king for a self-inflating 15-ounce, 3/4 body length Thermarest – smaller, thinner; truly minimalist. A couple of years later, a new model appeared — a full body length, 20 x 72 x 1-inch Thermarest Prolite 3 Sleeping Pad for only 5 ounces more. It is thicker, warmer and much more comfortable than my shorter pad. Personally, I thought the increased weight was worth the extra comfort and warmth.

If you've already made the jump to ultralight (less than 20 pounds with food for 3 days and a liter of water) or light backpacking (20-25 pounds), I couldn’t, in good conscience, encourage you to backslide. Because it is, indeed, a slippery slope. A few ounces here, a few ounces there and next thing you know, you’re carrying lots of extra pounds. During my first year of backpacking, backsliding added 7 pounds to my pack.

Smart Choices
Remember, sleeping pads not only provide comfort, but insulation from the cold, while adding warmth. A few extra ounces provided by a thicker pad will allow you to use a lighter, minimalist sleeping bag, offsetting extra weight for the pad. As a friend of my frequently says, "life is but a series of compromises."

Becoming a lightweight or ultralight backpacker certainly requires compromise. But with some smart choices you can easily balance comfort and safety with your goal to carry nothing that isn't a necessity.

In the not too distant future, we'll look at a range of ultralight and lightweight sleeping pads.

Be light.  Be safe. Be one with the pack.

Other posts in this series:

• Lightweight backpacking for beginners
• Choosing a lightweight backpack
• Choosing a shelter: tent, bivy or tarp?
• Choosing a sleeping bag: How much is enough?
• Choosing a lightweight backpacking stove

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