Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 12,727
Likes: 2,105
From: Madison, WI
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
I should have mentioned this earlier but did not think of it. Air mattresses, they usually are a couple inches thick. All of my air mattresses are full length.
But self inflating pads that are an inch or less thick, all of my self inflating pads are the shorty length. On soft soil, I do not need a lot of padding under my knees or feet. If the ground is hard, I throw some clothes under my bag down at knee and feet level for a bit more padding.
The thicker your pad or mat is, the more important that it be full length so you do not feel like your lower third has fallen off a cliff.