elbows

My wife and I are hoping to do a short tour or two this summer, and I'm slowly stocking up on the needed gear. When it comes to sleeping gear, especially sleeping pads, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by the options. Neither of us has done much camping before, so this is all new to us.

We'd like to sleep comfortably -- she has had bad experiences with the thin closed-cell pads, so those are out. Our touring will likely be limited to relatively nice weather -- spring and summer in New England, so maybe down around 50 at night, but not much colder -- so we don't need a ton of insulation. Weight isn't a huge concern, as we're not expecting to go particularly long distances or climb any mountains. We also don't want to spend too much money, especially since we don't know yet if we'll actually like touring.

What sleeping bags and pads would people recommend?

eliktronik

If you're planning to tour in the summer months, a lightweight (~1 lb.) 50F rated bag will generally be fine. Pack a few thermal layers (and a hat!) in case it gets a little colder and you should be fine. Likewise, in warm weather one of the "pool float" type pads works well. They're thick and comfortable, yet light. Unfortunately, I've found these pads don't work well in colder weather.
https://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___27345

Best of luck.

sparky221

Mild weather or not, you need to determine if you "sleep cold". A lot of women (myself included) do and I have very warm sleeping bags that won't keep ME warm down to their rating. Determine if either or both of you sleep cold and pick a temp rating based on that.

Down is the lightest bag insulation, packs very small, is very expensive and doesn't keep you warm when it gets wet. Make sure you can keep the bag dry even in a monsoon. Synthetics are heavier, bulkier, cheaper and great in wet or damp weather. Primaloft and Climashield are nice insulations. Mummy bags are the warmest but claustophobic for a lot of people and pretty awful if you're a stomach sleeper. There are modified mummy bags with more room for your legs, but that's more air in the bag you have to warm up and keep warm. A full zipper will allow you to open the bag up for ventilation in warmer weather or use as a quilt. Get in them and try them out before you buy.

Sleeping pads: Self inflators, like the Thermarest and REI clones, come in different thicknesses, widths and lengths. Thicker and wider = heavier but more comfy. I prefer these over pretty much everything else. I'm short and use a 3/4 length sleeping pad that comes down below my knees. I have a closed cell foam pad that I use for sitting on in camp (can't puncture it!) that I put under the lower legs and feet. works great for me. Air core pads are lighter but offer no insulation and the ground below you is very cold.

Hope that helps a bit.

Johnrs2117

Try this link on bicycle camping. It also has links for sleeping bag and tent selection:

https://www.bicycle-touring-guide.com...e-camping.html

Robert_in_ca

I like how the Big Agnes bags are built to work with the pad inside a sleeve of the bag. This way you won't slip off the pad.

They're not that expensive either.

knatchwa

sleeping pads, lightweight, depends on the area my last tour just had a slleeping bag.

Newspaperguy

I bought my sleeping bag through MEC. The MEC Raven is a down bag at the price of a good synthetic bag. It's rated down to -7C or 19F. A cheaper version is also available which is good to 0C or 32F. I prefer a bag that can handle cooler temperatures than I'll experience, since I could easily encounter rough weather at almost any time of the year.

For a sleeping pad, I've got a fairly cheap foam pad and it's been great. It provides a bit of insulation and comfort yet it also packs fairly tightly.

hangman_jdf

All the above responses sound good. For summer camping, I use a 45 deg bag and a liner to keep it cleaner and warmer (if the temps get cooler). I also use a closed cell pad from Walmart and it works well to insulate from the ground. Since you mentioned that closed cell pads were out. The only other option I know of is the thermarest. But I don't like these because they're heavier and cost more and can't take alot of abuse.

Another sleeping option - hammocking?

uciflylow

All closed cell pads arn't the same. I am most uncomfortable on a cheep blue foam pad, but I sleep fine on a Ridgerest pad that's the same thickness and much lighter.

foamy

Thermarest makes a closed cell foam pad that is egg-carton in design. Very light weight, but a bit bulky (it folds accordian-style), but not any more so than regular closed cell foam. Much more comfortable than it's conventional brethern. Otherwise, go inflatable or self-inflating. Big Agnes and Thermarest are the generally accepted standards. I went with the BA because of it's (relatively) light weight (it still weighs more than my bag), small packing size and it has a bit of insulation. I've used it down to 34 degrees and suffered no discomfort. I own and have used all three types I've mentioned.

thePig

I always like to try and save weight, so this is what I do:

• I use a summer sleeping bag, but have used it to tour at all times but winter. If it is cold, I just put ALL my clothes on.
• It is also a mummy bag. If you buy a mummy bag make sure it stretches around where your knees are, otherwise you won't be able to sit up cross legged in your bag.
• I use the shortest & lightest mattress from the thermarest range. It means your feet are dangling but I don't find it too bad. It helps to carefully select where you put your tent, thick grass is good.
• For a pillow, I just take an empty half-size pillow case and stuff it full of clothes. Inside the pillow case put your softest fleece on the top-side so at least it is smooth where you lay your head.

I always find the best way to guarantee a good nights sleep is to have ridden a v.long way. If I have only done a short distance I will substitute with a few beers :-)

atman

Your wife is going to want an insulated air core pad, like the ones Big Agnes makes. At that point you may as well pick up a BA bag also; why not consider the recycled one? It's synthetic, which means less potential for catastrophe if you get it wet. The BA system is very comfortable, at least for me, and it's compatible with hammock sleeping, which is a very lightweight, low-impact option which I frankly find more comfortable than sleeping on a futon at home.

But as a couple just getting into camping and touring, there's no advantage in getting hammocks or even mummy-type bags. For myself, I use a BA Horse Thief with drysack, and an Air Core pad with extra insulation added when I need it. I'd recommend you consider the Ripple Creek 35 degree bag, which is made of 98% recycled or sustainable materials, and the Diversion insulated Air Core, which is also made entirely of recycled materials, right down the the aluminium in the valve.

The reasoning? Bare minimum, your wife is going to want an insulated air core pad. If she doesn't like roughing it while she sleeps, she doesn't, and insulated air core is the best combination of comfort, warmth and weight for that case. If you get a left-zipper bag, and she gets a right-zipper bag, you can zip them together into one big bag. As for getting the recycled version, why not? It's good for the earth and works as well as the non-recycled, for a trivial percentage of the cost of the bag and pad. It's got cachet.

The BA bags may look a little expensive but they genuinely work better and mean carrying less weight for an equivalent warmth rating (given the same fill quality). Think of it this way: You'll spend at least as much time in the bag as on the bike, and you wouldn't skimp on a bike to go touring with, I hope?

Last point: Buy the bags and pads through REI. If you decide you don't like touring, or if the system doesn't work for you, you can return them, no questions asked.

Have fun!

BigBlueToe

I agree with you about the thin, closed-cell pads. I used one once or twice when I was in my 20s, but not now.

I think you'll find that weight is always a concern. It's usually a huge concern. Most tourers have had the experience of stopping at a post office along the way to send home things they found weren't absolutely necessary - because they didn't want to carry any more weight than absolutely necessary. I've done it twice.

Having said that, it's also true that many tourers have one or two items which other tourers would consider dead weight, but which are important to the individual. What's worth it to me to lug along may not be to you. So you might we willing to lug along something heavier than what I would. After having a few tours under your belt, you'll have a better idea of what you're willing to carry and what you can do without.

Now, regarding sleeping mats, I'll tell my own experience. After I graduated from the closed-cell foam, my next purchase was a full-length Thermarest. I still have it 20 years later. It has never leaked! It doesn't inflate itself too well anymore, but after I blow it up, it's still pretty comfortable.

Unfortunately, it's also pretty heavy. After a 4-week tour with it (and other heavier than needed things) during which I broke a lot of spokes and wore myself out pedaling my load over hill and dale, I decided I didn't need a full-length Thermarest.

My next purchase was a 3/4 length Thermarest. It was great. I slept comfortably. My legs didn't seem to need cushioning. It was quite a bit lighter.

Last summer I made a new purchase. I bought a Big Agnes air mattress.

I found it to be more comfortable than my 3/4 Thermarest (it's full length), about the same weight, and it packs up smaller. The main drawback is that it isn't self inflating, but the tubes are small enough that it only takes me about 2 minutes to blow it up. I like it a lot!

knatchwa

Experience certainly teaches you alot I will have to take that into consideration on my next tour.

MTBMaven

The Big Agnes pads mentioned by BigBlueToe are on sale at REI right now. I picked one up for like $49. Really nice pad that is comfortable, lightweight, and compressible (all relative statements I know).

DTSCDS

I just wanted to add my support for Big Agnes. We just bought the Air Core pads. It takes a bit of breath to inflate, unlike the self-inflating Thermarest we were carrying but it packs down MUCH smaller.

We are just getting into the biking scene and want to do some touring this summer. We are coming from a backpacking background so this seems a good fit--what we know from backpacking should translate pretty well.

Here are a couple of other suggestions:
For real weight savings try a quilt. Here is a site that offers a kit you sew together yourself. We are in the process of making our first. The finished product should be much lighter than our Big Agnes bags plus we get to share our warmth. Another benefit is you can customize it to your specifications. You decide how warm you want to make it. Assuming ours turns out well we will probably end up making another so we will have one for warm weather and one for cold.
Another great resource for backpacking gear info is BackpackGearTest.org. It is full of reviews of equipment--all commercial free and posted by people that have actually used the stuff. As I said before, backpacking and touring seem to have the same equipment concerns--weight, durability and packable size.

elbows

The quilt idea sounds appealing. I don't mind doing a little sewing, especially given what seem to be substantial weight and money savings.

I worry about sliding off the sleeping pads, though, or the two pads shifting in the night. It seems like the Big Agnes bags with the built-in pocket would hold everything in place, especially if you can zip two bags together.

Has anyone else gone the quilt route? How did it work out?

knatchwa

good information keeps flowing.

cyclezealot

First bike/ camping trip, I slept on those cheap blue foam pads, don't do it. Not comfortable. Others had some kind of clear, blow up padding. It was compact and much more comfortable.

gregw

Being able to sleep while camping can make or break a trip. The camping gear info you have gotten is great (+1 on the Big Agnes) and I have nothing further to add to that part.

Another big help for beginner (and advanced) campers is a sleeping pill. Most people who have trouble sleeping while camping have poor equipment and just plain can't sleep because of the excitement or apprehension. A simple over the counter sleeping pill can really help, especially for the first couple days. Usually when camping your body is plenty tired from the days events, but the mind can create enough anxiety to keep you awake.

stevage

Not sure if you've thought about this, but two people in a pair of sleeping bags zipped together is *much* warmer than a single person in one sleeping bag. I can barely cope in my tent by myself in my normal sleeping bag, needing wool thermals, usually a jumper, thick socks, and a wool beanie to sleep ok. With my girlfriend there, a pair of underpants suffices The exothermicness of your partner may vary...

Steve

stevage

Oh, and I always just use a cheap blue foam pad. I don't find it super comfortable, but, well, whatever. OP sounds a bit older and in need of more comfort, so, I wouldn't recommend they do the same.

(and yes, the egg carton ones are comfier)

Steve

DTSCDS

As I said, we are just in the process of getting our quilt sewn and have not used it yet so I may end up hating it. But, right now it seems like a great idea. I had wondered about the sleeping pads shifting but I found a suggestion online--put a little velcro on the two pads and "connect" them so they won't shift. We went for overkill and bout the Big Agnes Aircore pads--the 25" wide ones. That gives us essentially a full-size mattress width when they are side-by-side! We are larger than average sized humans so we wanted to be sure and have enough room.
But, our backpacking sleeping bags are Big Agnes so we support you in that should you decide to go that route instead!

atman

Big Agnes also sells some nylon straps designed to hold two of their sleeping pads together. I'm pretty sure one could do a similar thing just by getting some webbing and sewing Velcro to it.

-holiday76

i also have the big agnes and love it.
I just thought of something though, is there an attachment for a bike pump, such as a topeak road morph, that allows you to pump up a sleeping pad with it? hmm...