A good sleeping pad is imperative for a good night’s rest. Besides the obvious cushioning, a sleeping pad insulates you from conductive heat loss due to your body weight smashing the sleeping bags insulation.

That said, in the spirit of keeping a light boat while maintaining a degree of comfort, the sleeping pad has been the most challenging piece of self-support gear for me. Having tried various pads as well as making my own, there seems to be no such beast that is both light and comfortable yet compact, convenient and warm too...at least in the truest sense of these terms. However, the less persnickety individual will probably find content with a simple closed cell foam or self-inflating pad, or, a combination of those.

Closed cell foam
These pads are just that, closed cell foam. No coverings or any other bells and whistles. They are the lightest, least expensive and most trouble free. They are on the bulky side though and without modifications, can take up a lot of room in your boat. The lightest of these foams don't have the best of memory retention either. In other words, over time, the pad won't fully rebound and you may notice a small loss of cushion and warmth.

Pads with ridges or an egg crate like pattern offer the most comfort. Cascade Designs Z-Lite and RidgeRest as well as the Gossamer Gear NightLight fall in to this catagory. Of these, the NightLight has the best ratio between comfort, weight, price and size.

Self-inflating
These pads consist of open cell foam encased in coated nylon. Once you open the valve, they self-inflate. If you desire more firmness, you blow in more air. Not only are these pads adjustable, they are more compact and comfortable than closed cell. They are, however, heavier and require more attention. If tossed around willy-nilly like a closed cell foam pad, it might spring a leak leaving you with little cushion or insulation. A patch kit is advisable.

The most recognizable name in the self-inflating market is the Therm-a-Rest by Cascade Designs. Lesser known but more innovative in design are the various offerings from Pacific Outdoor Equipment, a relatively newcomer to the market. Bozeman Mountain Works also sells a torso sized pad that gets high praise from hard-core backpackers. More on these immediately below.

Self-inflating & closed cell foam pad combos
To date, the best compromise I have come up with for myself has been a 3/8" thick x 60” long closed cell foam pad over a short torso length self-inflater. The short self-inflating pad provides cushion and insulation where it is needed most and the closed cell pad adds to that while sufficiently comforting the less vulnerable lower body. When cut in half (see "closed cell foam sleeping pad modifications" below), the bulk of the closed cell foam pad becomes manageable and the little self-inflater takes up no more space than a Nalgene bottle. Additionally, set-up is easy and if the self-inflater springs a leak, the closed cell pad will still provide some cushion and insulation. Perhaps best of all is the fact that not only is this system more comfortable than the popular ¾ length self-inflating pad, it can be just as light if not lighter. Combined, my Pacific Outdoor Equipment Über Lite & Coleman Rest Easy Pad tips the scales at only 11oz (see photo to the right). That's 3 oz less than the lightest and ever popular ¾ length Therm-a-Rest.

Torso sized self-inflating pads:

• Pacific Outdoor Equipment Über Lite: innovative hour-glass shape; least coverage; may not be for everyone; 9 oz (with out its stuff sack, strap & repair kit, mine comes in at 7 oz)
• Bozeman Mountain Works TorsoLite: proven durability; tapered cut; narrow; generally most popular; 10 oz
• Montbell U.L. Comfort System Pad 90: pillow strap; widest in class; least expensive; can be taken from 10 oz to 9 oz with the removal of bells and whistles; reports of some delam & leakage problems (cusotmer service on this supposed issue is said to be excellent)

  Complementary closed cell foam pads:

• Gossamer Gear Thinlight. Available in 1/8", 1/4" and 3/8" thicknesses
• Coleman Rest Easy Pad. 3/8" thickness; readily available; cheap; light; optimum cushion and insulation short lived

General tips

• If your closed cell pad won’t fit in the main drybags, place it anywhere in the boat. Doesn’t matter if it gets wet. They dry quick. And if yours doesn't, just place it under the shelter so your sleeping bag doesn’t get wet. It'll also double as protection for your shelter floor. To make one of these pads fit in your boat better, see Closed cell foam sleeping pad modifications below.
• Use nature for extra insulation and cushion by placing moss, leaves, grass or rushs' under the shelter. The hollowness of scouring and horsetail rush gives them the most cushion and insulation. Use what ever is availble on the ground though. Just remember that the dryer it is, the warmer it'll be. Green = moisture = warmth robber.
• Due to thier comfort and oft time low cost, air mattresses are often thought to be the ticket to a good nights rest. However, air mats are convective making them suitable only for hot nights. Yes, air insulates but only when comprised of many small pockets. This is why "insulation" is installed between the studs in a building; to replace a single large air space with many small air pockets.
• Do not use open cell foam only. Not only will open cell eat up space in your boat, it’ll suck up water like the sponge material it is.
• A neoprene wetsuit or pants can be used in conjunction with your pad for additional cushion/insulation or as a stand alone pad. Again, if wet, simply place under your shelter and cover with nature.
• To save weight and bulk, I used to use a 3/4 length pad, which is around 48" long, and use stuff sacks, extra clothes or nature under my legs (nature goes under the shelter; sacks and clothes inside).

Imagine an insulating mattress that is more comfortable than two Therm-a-Rests together yet weighs less than one and only costs $15. This is it! The bottom is an air mattress (A) comprised of party balloons inside synthetic silk. This serves as the cushion. The upper (the side you sleep on) is a closed cell foam pad (B) which acts as additional cushion as well as the insulation.

B Coleman Rest Easy Pad cut to 20"x59" then in half C dollar store balloon pump D 24 260Q party balloons (2 nights + spares) E syn silk balloon encasement; 10 sleeves; 20"x48" F sil-nylon stuff sack Total weight = 10oz

Modifiying a closed cell pad so that it's easier to pack is simple: cut it in half. Insert each half in to each dry bag then pack the rest of your gear inside. The pad adds protection to your gear whilst being crammed in the stern. If the pad won't fit inside your drybags, put each half anywhere in the boat...unrolled conforming to the shape of your kayak (I have even used them as extra thigh/knee cushion). The bluish colored pad in the left photo is a Coleman Rest Easy Pad used in my experimental mattress above. The gray pad is a Gossamer Gear Nightlight cut down to 19.5"x46". There are two ways of reattaching the two halfs at camp: (A) velcro which is attached to the foam with adhesive or (B) tying/stiching with string. The velcro is by far the more convenient and trouble-free method. However, (B) makes for a faster mod and will hold for several trips if the holes are far enough from the edge and you handle the pad with some care. In the photo on the right, (C) is velcro that attaches the pad to the underside of my bivy floor. Sleeping pad & shelter floor protection in one. Double duty!

What about pillows? There are several things you can do here besides taking the special Winnie the Pooh "camp pillow":

Stuffing grass in a sleeping bag stuff sack for a nature pillow.

• Place your spray skirt or wetsuit inside the sleeping bag stuff sack then under your shelter if they are wet.
• Use your pfd. If wet, place under your shelter floor.
• Build up a mound of leaves, rush, grass and/or moss under the shelter floor or place it inside your sleeping bag stuff sack. I have come to prefer dried grass in a sack. It's quieter than leaves and warmer than some thing that's green. If you don't like the feeling of nylon against your face, place the sack inside extra clothing if it's available.

Works great, saves weight.