Are self inflating/therma rest pad needed in all weather

[grizzled]

I'm with Aaron on this-you want to enjoy the experience as much as possible. I have spent my share of time on the ground, with several different foam pads, and with probably near every version of the pack style Thermarests over the years and my opinion is you do need something and that something has to be better the older you get-the ground is getting harder.

I also currently use a NeoAir. A bit less than a lb and don't take up near as much space as a foam pad or self-inflator. To me, the compact volume and light weight more than make up for the additional inflation time. If you want a less expensive option with most of the benefits, consider the REI Flash version. Just a tiny bit more weight but I think they are actually more comfortable than the Neo's. However, I don't think those will last anywhere near as long as Cascade's products.

[Bobo Uzala]

something has to be better the older you get-the ground is getting harder.

LOL, Soooo true, why is that??

I also always have a thick mil trash bag (or just any thickish plastic) stuffed away. Weighs next to nothing and great to break out to sit on, arrange gear on, or cover stuff in the rain.

[randy grider]

My Big Agnes bag is not insulated on the bottom, therefore requires a pad to stay warm. It suits me ,as I wouldn't want to sleep without one anyway. I did one night out of necessity on an elk huntin trip in the Rockies. No matter how hard you prepare your bed, you will find every twig, lump, and pebble before the nights over. It was torture ! Hard to do much hiking with no sleep.

[Shaun Squid]

Everything is personal preference. I am a light sleeper and need a pad. You will be surprised by how much colder sleeping on the ground can be. Plus, I rarely find a perfectly level, rock free place to pitch a tent. But again, since it is all personal preference, why not go camp out in the backyard for the night sans pad to see what you are game for? Or even just sleep on the living room floor and see how it feels.

[ogg]

I have a suspicion that many in the foam pad camp are on the younger side, or a perhaps very youngish and hardy variant of the older side. I turned 50 earlier this year. Sleeping on only a closed-cell foam pad would leave me nearly crippled in the morning. I can remember being young and a sleeping on an Ensolite pad and not thinking a thing about comfort, waking up limber and pain free. Those days are long gone. I have never enjoyed sleeping in the backcountry as much as I do now after springing for a NeoAir All Season. Worth every penny and ounce.

[AdventureMyk]

Ogg, you're probably onto something. I've been camping since I was a kid and about 5 years ago was the first time I camped on an air mattress (queen sized $20 inflate type) because a friend of mine wanted to try it. Ever that date it was mattress, then a cheapy self-inflating 1.5" worthless airpad, then up to the Big Agnes style. The only time prior to that was snow camping where we put a few pieces of cardboard between the tent floor and our sleeping bag and it wasn't really enough. That was in my 20's though.