Therm-a-Rest - Z Lite Sol

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?

wondering how often you slept in a shelter vs sleeping in your tent? I personally used to love CCF pads but have found them not to work on the hard shelter floors. I switched to an airpad for my thru since I planned on sleeping in shelters more often than not. I really enjoyed my airpad, but will still use my Zlite Sol when just doing short overnighters now

Tämä on aika päinvastainen vastaus kun mitä kysyit, mutta muut ovat jo suositelleet halpoja vaihtoehtoja, kerron vaihtoehtoisesti premium-vaihtoehdon. Jos haluat kerralla hyvän, niin Cumulus myy parasta hinta-laatusuhdetta Euroopassa (pl. jos löydät jonkun supertarjous-poistotuotteen jostain myymälästä). Esim Panyam 600 on aika varma suomen oloihin. Noiden kokoja voi myös kustomoida kohtuuhintaan, jos et ole ihan standardimittainen. Jos haluat alustan jolla pärjää talvella ja kesällä, niin esim. Thermarest X-therm. Jos haluat vähän kevyempää, eikä tarvi olla ihan niin lämmin, niin thermarestin neoair xlite. Myös nemon tensorit on aika hyviä. Tai jos kovuus ei haittaa, niin solumuovi on varma, kestävä ja halpa vaihtoehto, esim Thermarest Z sol. Nämä on toki huomattavasti kalliimpia kuin tuo 200€ budjetti. Jos budjetti rajoittaa tiukasti, niin käytetty on hyvä vaihtoehto. Katso esim kevytretkeilijöiden myyntipalsta facebookista. Jos vaellus kiinnostaa harrastuksena muutenkin kuin mennä lähilaavulle, niin osta kerralla kevyttä. /r/ultralight on hyvä foorumi. Jos tulee kysyttävää niin kysy, oon aika syvällä kaninkolossa.

I ordered both mats, the ZLite SOL and the Yamatomichi UL Pad 15+, both in the short one-meter version. After trying them on the floor at home, I honestly couldn’t feel any real difference in comfort. The main advantage of the UL Pad 15+ is the weight. It’s about 70-90 grams lighter at the same length, which is a nice bonus if you’re counting grams. The downside is packing it, because it doesn’t fold nearly as well as a ZLite or a Switchback. What works okay for now is using it as a tube inside the backpack and packing everything else inside that tube. It gives the pack a bit of structure, but I’ll only know how practical it really is once I have all my gear together for the trip. That’s when I’ll see whether the ZLite packs better overall or whether the Yamatomichi tube system ends up being good enough. In the end I’ll go with whichever option integrates better inside the pack, since attaching a pad on the outside isn’t really an option for me at the moment. In terms of comfort they feel very similar to me. The UL Pad wins on weight and the ZLite wins on packability

If money is a concern, buy a Thermarest Z Lite Sol and put your pad on top of it.

I have both the Z Lite and the Nemo Switchback. I don't have tons of experience with Backcountry's house-brand gear and in particular not this pad. But based on the couple of their items I have bought, and others' experiences I've read about, I'm inclined to guess the Stoic will be only marginally inferior to the Thermarest, and that given the price difference in your market it makes sense to just get the Stoic. Certainly not all foam pads are created equal, even if they look similar, and I personally wouldn't grab a pad from a no-name fly-by-night knockoff off Amazon or AliExpress, because durability issues could easily compromise the already-borderline comfort of a CCF pad, and if it degrades or compresses quite a lot on a long trek it could badly compromise your sleep system warmth. But Backcountry certainly doesn't fall into the fly-by-night category, they stand behind their products reasonably well, and what few reviews I can see seem to be positive. I've heard that for at least some of their house-brand gear - notably some tents - Backcountry licenses outdated designs from bigger name companies, so the manufacturer really can pretty much just change colors and logos and keep making the old gear. Wouldn't be shocked if the Stoic is made in the same factory as pads from some bigger name brand.

I've used the Z Lite a fair bit but haven't had as many opportunities to go backpacking since I got the Switchback, so this isn't a highly well-tested opinion. The Switchback is more comfortable - not by much, but enough to be consistently noticeable. They're essentially identical in most other aspects. The small weight difference in the manufacturers' specs doesn't seem to hold up in the real world; my Z Lite and Switchback weigh exactly the same. Online reviewers similarly say any weight difference is dominated by minor manufacturing variability. Reviewers' pictures all show the Switchback's folded size is smaller, but mine are not very different. Some reviewers say the Switchback is a tiny bit more durable as well - they say that it compresses just a little more slowly and Nemo puts some kind of protective film on the thermal reflective surface. Nemo suggests using theirs thermal reflective side down, and that makes the pad less slippery than using the Z Lite in its recommended reflective up state. Overall, I do think the Switchback is the one to get.

Have used a Therm-A-Rest Neoair Topo Luxe Balsam Large since 2022.  3.7R value, 4" "tall" so you can let out some air to get comfortable. Sleep on the side and stomach mostly.  When really cold I'll pack a Therm-a-Rest Z-lite Sol which is 5.7R value combined. 680 grams ish (1.5lb), compact and easy to deflate. To inflated it I just being a Aerogogo GIGA Pump 4.0, which is awesome 

Thermarest z fold with the reflective material on one side or a copy of it is what I'd recommend. They're a foam pad so no worrys for punctures. Keep the silver side up to reflect your body heat. Frost on the outer layer is most likely due to moisture in your breath. You can get hanging candle lanterns to help with keeping the inside of the tent dry and it'll add a few degrees of warmth. Best of luck to you, winters are tough.

Foam camping pads, per dollar, have better R-values (insulation rating) against cold ground compared to inflatable mattresses, and they stack linearly, meaning you can take 2 pads with an R value of 2, and stack them on top of each other to reach a level of 4. For winter camping, you want an R value of 4 or higher. The Z Lite Sol has an R Value of 2.0 and Wal Mart sells one similar by Ozark Trail for around $35. I imagine the R value is similar. I would suggest buying two of those and stacking them on top of one another.

Or breathe on the SOL zlite to wear off the shiny reflective coating...

Ah, thinking of the ones with silver reflective coating that wears off to dull grey after first couple days.