Therm-a-Rest - Trail Scout Sleeping Pad

Important to know from the start: I have scoliosis as well as a lingering low back/hip injury, and at home I sleep on a probably-too-soft mattress. But I don't have any of the problems I mention below even when I sleep in a different bed with a different firmness, such as while traveling for work or family. My setup as of last year's season is a Therm-A-Rest Z Lite Sol underneath the Big Agnes Rapide SL inflatable pad (standard length, wide width). In other words, I'm not laying flat on the ground by any means - there's plenty of cushion from uneven or firm ground, and I haven't had any temperature issues (I pair these two pads with a now-discontinued Sea to Summit down bag that's plenty cozy). The Big Agnes pad was new last year, after multiple seasons attempting and failing to make a thin Therm-A-Rest Trail Scout work with the Z-Lite (I would anti-recommend the Trail Scout for this and other reasons). But this current setup isn't working very well, either. On some nights I found myself waking up with a leg or two numb on some nights because of some position that had me cutting off circulation. (This happens at home occasionally when I'm sitting flat on the floor, but rarely when I'm sleeping or lying flat.) Even though I played around with the inflation level of the Big Agnes pad, as I was worried it was maybe too firm at full inflation, that didn't seem to help much. I also prefer to sleep on my stomach, and I haven't figured out a backcountry pillow option that's flat enough to keep my neck at a comfortable angle without being non-existent, as sleeping directly on my arms puts them numb too. Out of desperation, I tried bringing my flat-yet-not-paper pillow from home for a trip last year, which feels embarrassing to write because of the pillow's weight and bulk, lol. If it had worked, I would make adjustments to my kit to bring it every time, but it didn't really fix the setup (which is probably for the best for the rest of my packing list), so I'm back to the drawing board. Given all this, I'm feeling nervous about this season's upcoming trips, as I'm not someone who functions well on a lack of sleep. I'd prefer to try and adapt my current setup before I buy new stuff, too, as these are otherwise high-quality products that I think will last a while, if I can make them work for me. For folks who have finicky backs, or sleep in ways at home that are harder to comfortably do out on trail, how do you adjust your sleep setup for overnighters? What might I change here that will help me sleep better while on trail and thus have a better trip overall? I'm considering the Nemo Fillo Elite - can any stomach sleepers attest to this or other semi-inflatable pillows as being worth the buy?

it depends on what r-value you need, but honestly most sleeping pads that are thick and comfortable are going to be inflatable of some sort, either self inflating or otherwise. under a hundred you'll end up with a zlite or some other foam pad which is fine, but not very plush. I use an old thermarest (maybe a scout?) on a neno switchback and it's pretty comfy, serves me down to about 25°f. when my partner and I go camping, we use an exped megamat which is great. we have friends who use a Nemo roamer and they love it.

I use a thermarest Trail Scout. Gets the job done.

Thermarest trailscout is an excellent mattress around the price. Trusted brand and packs really nicely in my dry bag.

My kiddo spends at least 30 nights a year camping since she was born.  Without knowing what kind of overnight temps your dealing with it’s hard to give specific recommendations, but if it’s anywhere where the overnight lows are below like 45f, I wouldn’t be putting them on something that isn’t camping-specific.  We use an exped megamat duo for us and a thermarest trails scout short for our 3 yo. I picked one up on sale for like $30. And we got our megamat on sale as well for like $120. You could get your kid a megamat - they are the top of the line, or you could find something of that style that’s specifically for camping, but cheaper (I think REI makes one).  Go with something that has foam and isn’t purely inflatable (the ones mentioned above are both) for durability.  At 18m I wouldn’t do a cot just cuz they may fall out. And I wouldn’t purchase a cot that doesn’t have any insulation under it - it’ll be cold.  We have an REI wonderland 4. It will fit the 3 of us and our stuff no problem, but if you plan on expanding your family, I’d get something bigger. 

Knock off flex tail pump on Amazon for 10-12 bucks have been a god send. Rechargeable, comes with other tips for pool toys and what not plus some have a small lamp built in that you can hang from the ceiling. Flip the tip and it deflates just as easy. But it can't do anything about the jumping beans. Most foam pads will be really bulky and take up a lot of space, just remember the thinner they are the less likely they will want to jump on them, something like a basic TAR trail scout is only 1 inch thick and less likely to pop.

A thermarest scout is in budget; it doesn’t save any weight over the old pad, but, since you have the mechanical advantage, I’ll go on: -comfortable. The way the foam works in self inflating pads is just quite comfortable. -warm. The 3.1r value seems accurate. I used it down into at least the teens. Durable. Here I must admit both of mine suffered ill fated premature failure, however, I do not blame the mattress. One is a simple pinhole I just need to fix and the other is a dog inflicted wound. The materials and the build quality to me seem plenty durable, like, overbuilt. -packable? Meeeehhh, prolly 3L or so? -self inflating, no pump/pump sack.

I have the basic thermarest trail scout in long. It's okay for side sleeping, but I might consider their base camp model instead if I were buying today. Thicker, more insulation. Should be better for side sleeping. Still reasonably priced.  I'd shy away from used on this purchase.

I cannot recommend the therma rest trail scout enough. It's not very thick but it's surprisingly comfortable. Imo as much as the thicker inflatable pads. Nowadays I use a therma rest z lite. It's not inflatable but it's comfortable enough for me. Reason I use it is it's easy to quickly deploy and pack up.

If you want more comfort than ccf but more durability than an inflatable, a self inflating is the way to go. Something like the thermarest prolight or similar. They aren’t the lightest, but if you avoid the super huge car camping style ones they aren’t too bad. They can still technically be popped but the outer material is much beefier than an inflatable. Often they’ll feel more like vinyl. I still have my original thermarest trail. It’s not as cushy as modern ones but it’s a tank and still hasn’t gotten a leak after 17 or 18 years. Got it sometime as a teenager. I think it was my first mat I had when I upgraded from a crappy blue Walmart ccf.