Bushwalk Australia

My girlfriend finds a neo air bed too hard on her hips even when not blown up hard.
I tried adding a thin foam pad but she did not find this comfortable .
What does anyone suggest that is not too heavy or too bulky?
I could carry a more bulky mat tied up on the back of my pack I think.

Even uncomfortable if half inflated?
i find the epxed downmats very comfy, but i'm not so sure it works with your "under10kg" philosphy
Does she have an underlying back or hip problem or overly bony prominences? might need to bulk her up abit with yummy food to increase fat padding around certain areas?
how about hammock camping?

I'll second the hamock sugestion ??
They are very comfy.

Or maybe a exped UL syn mat ?? Or downmat (But heavier) Might feel different to the neoair as the side baffles are 85mm.

I am a happy owner of a Exped Synmat UL 7 and I am not light by any means. Works okay for me at least



Andrew

Hi u10kg,

If your GF is a side sleeper, then her hips might actually be pressing on the ground (maybe intermittently as she moves) with a neo air or similar. The problem might not really be with the mat though - it's more likely to be caused by being on relatively flat ground when our hips are most definitely not flat.

Side sleepers can be a lot more comfortable with a small depression under their hips. If you can align her sleeping spot with a dip in the ground (or dig one before you pitch your tent), that might help.

The other option is to make a bit of a dip by adding some foam immediately above and below her hips. That is, raise the mat a little under upper thigh and under her lower torso, so there's a bit of a (relative) dip for her hips to sink in to. Some LW hikers use a little donut of foam with the hole placed right under the boniest bit of the hip to achieve the same thing. The idea is to support the body around the bony bits, reducing the direct pressure on those bits.

I'm a side sleeper with problematic hips and I use a foam donut - it really helps.

Hope that helps.

Alliecat

Comfortable usually means a deeper /thicker pad.
I have to say my new Ridgerest Solar is much better to sleep on than my standard (25mm ) Thermarest so perhaps getting a better foam pad and adding a 1/2 or 3/4 mat on top may solve the problem.

http://cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/ ... ar/product

It all adds weight tho, but better a little more weight on the back than not getting a good nites sleep, but the regular is only 540 grams

add a 38mm mat
http://cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/ ... 12/product

and you still only get a kilo and a bit.
Women ( and girls ) need a different padding to men ( and boys ) and the shorter length of a womens model saves a little mass
The advice on digging/scraping a hip hole is old bushcraft and worthwhile remembering

Thanks for all the tips. Yep I know I will be carring her heavier sleeping gear! Love to try a hammock but I do not know anyone that has one.

bulk her up abit with yummy food

Now you want me to carry extra food too~!

This might just be the ticket

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1992916508/nyxtm-lightweight-cot-chair-take-comfort-wherever

Now that is 2.5 pounds. Probably at my upper limit of weight!

Sometimes the weight is worth it. A friend with a bad back regularly carries one of the "luxury" Thermarests that weighs about 3 1/2 lbs (1.5 kg). Rolled up and strapped to the back of his pack it looks like a tent. But for him it is weight well worth carrying.

Orion wrote:Sometimes the weight is worth it. A friend with a bad back regularly carries one of the "luxury" Thermarests that weighs about 3 1/2 lbs (1.5 kg). Rolled up and strapped to the back of his pack it looks like a tent. But for him it is weight well worth carrying.

Probably how he got a bad back in the first place!