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  1. #1

    Default 6 sections of Z-Lite for sleeping pad - stupid light?

    I’ll preface this with saying that my cold weather/first month kit is gonna be a lot different than the rest of my kit, so know that I’m already gonna bring my XLite that first month & change. Gotta be warm

    just wondering how people who slept on a short CCF fared on a thru. Sure on a weekend trip I could get away with it, but did anyone regret trying to be so hardcore? I haven’t actually slept on CCF yet but I was in Yosemite a few weeks ago and i don’t know what was going on, but man was I sore every night sleeping on my full length inflatable. Hips and spine and shoulders all on different latitudes. Fully inflated, slightly deflated, didn’t matter. And to answer your question, no I do not want to hammock camp.

    my shakedown hikes next month can’t get here soon enough

  2. #2

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    I've spent many nights on a CCF pad, to the extent I can't sleep on a soft bed! I do prefer my Prolite or NeoAir inflatable in my old age though.

    As for the 3/4 length pad, my feet get cold using it, even in the summer. Sure you can put your pack or something under your feet, but that's annoying and what if the pack is wet? What little weight a full length pad adds is insignificant vs the added comfort. My main problem with the CCF pads like the Z-rest is the bulk, so it's hard to attach it to a pack and keep it dry. Plus I hate having anything hang off my pack. The only things outside my pack are water bottles.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  3. #3
    Hiker bigcranky's Avatar
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    10-22-2002
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    I took a 3/4 length pad on our Long Trail e2e hike to save weight. It was great the first few nights in our tent, but the first time we stayed in a shelter my feet hurt on the bare wood floor. Miserable. Went into Manchester and got a full length Neoair, 11 ounces. Bliss.

    I can't sleep on CCF at all. I'd love to be able to, but just no.
    Ken B
    'Big Cranky'
    Our Long Trail journal

  4. #4
    GSMNP 900 Miler
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    I recall reading something from an ultra-light hiker who uses those thin pads but augmented it by sleeping on soft sand. NOT practical in my humid GSMNP stomping grounds, but one of my favorite nights on the JMT was a campsite on top of a hunk of granite with about a 1" bed of sand

  5. #5
    Registered User
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    While I’d love to be able to use a CCF pad to eliminate a point of failure, I’ve yet to figure out how to be comfortable enough using one. Part of the problem, probably the biggest problem, is that I tend to be a side sleeper. It’s much easier to be comfortable on a CCF pad on my back but unless I’m super tired, I cannot fall asleep on my back.

  6. #6
    Garlic
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    To answer the actual question about number of sections, I've used six sections of Z-Lite for decades on my long hikes and rides. Eight sections are a luxury for car camping. It seems you need to be a back sleeper to make that work, unless you're a wizard at site selection and can find deep duff every night. Or you need to be an ascetic.

  7. #7
    Registered User
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    For a side sleeper I found an extra, double thick fold in the middle of the Z-Lite helped pad my hips.

    And carrying it in a larger/flatter half folded rectangle on the back of my pack rather than a huge, chunky square on the top/bottom tended to not snag on anything while hiking.

    ZLite.jpg

    Ute_Pad.jpg

  8. #8

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Slo-go'en View Post

    As for the 3/4 length pad, my feet get cold using it, even in the summer. Sure you can put your pack or something under your feet, but that's annoying and what if the pack is wet? What little weight a full length pad adds is insignificant vs the added comfort.
    this has been my experience too. wasted my money on a S2S short pad only to buy it again in full length.

  9. #9

    Default

    This is so individualistic that the best advice is to try it yourself. Clearly CCF, full of 3/4 works for some. I even met a young man who just used a sit pad under his hip. But I couldn’t.

    Cold sleeper vs warm sleeper will play a role beyond the cushioning aspect. I needed the R value of my inflatable a few nights of every month of my SOBO except maybe August.

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