Therm-a-Rest - Z Lite Series

The therm-a-rest is the most popular and i have the blue one but depending on the conditions you camp in you could pick the lighter one (yellow). That being said this one and the nemo extreme conditions will have higher denier material underneath which makes them less prone to puncture. I don’t know about the other ones on top of my head. Nemo and thermarest both have good warranties and spare parts, so I’d be leaning towards that. It’s polarizing but both are known to make a lot og noise no matter what they claim.

—-Therm-a-Rest Z Lite camping mat —-One Tigris Down camp blanket —-Helikon Tex Swagman —-Mil Surp US GI Poncho or a British Basha is better —-Mil surp US GI bivy sack This is about as light and compact that will keep you warm and cumfy down to about 10 degrees from my experiences Edit: forgot the bivy sack !

Just cut one down. I did that with a thermarest.

Most closed cell foam pads will be lower R value but can easily get 2 to reach about the same. They tend to not be as comfortable though. Thermarest Z lite has been one of the better that I've seen, but most closed cell foam pads are about the same. I'd make sure to check the dimensions so that they work with you/your pack system.

I used it in the military. Assuming you're talking about the brown Z-fold "Iso Mat"? It's not that heavy. We'd wrap our tarps around it so both can be laid down quickly to bivouac. The military uses these because: - Air pads simply squish down and contact the ground at the point of most force (usually your shoulder or butt). And they pop. - Z-fold because rolling foam stresses the material and damages more quickly over time. I prefer these over the "egg-carton" z-folds because of the smooth surface.

Z-Lite (6 panels) with an 1/8in ccf pad from atom packs underneath. I figure this comes to an r-value of about 3, fine for me down to about 2C. I sleep in some smartwool merino leggings to keep my legs warmer as they’re off the end of the foam pads. All of this coupled with good site selection on thick grass or pine needles under some tree cover to help with trapping some heat around the tent and I’m comfortable. Different story in winter.

We have a similar setup, but my wife and I share a double sized down quilt (EE Accomplice) on two air pads and our dog has his cut down ZLite and synthetic Kifaru woobie. Our dog (heeler) is about 40lbs. We are vigilant to keep him from getting on our uncovered air pads. Our quilt more or less covers our two pads, so it adds a layer of protection, but we insist that he stays in his ZLite as much as possible. We've gone out dozens of times and only lost a pad once when he was young and tried to bolt after a goat.

Z lite. Only about $50 and works great even in wet weather.

Second this. Ridgerest or zlite closed cell foam pads are great for kids and actually pretty comfortable and sturdy. 

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?