Sleeping Pad

Believe it or not your sleeping pad is very important. It insulates you for the the ground, keeps you warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Not to mention its pretty dang comfortable to sleep on.....compared to the ground. Like every other piece of equipment out there you have plenty of options to choose from.

We'll start out with the most basic.
3/4 length is all you need. You only need to cover up your vitals, that is your chest. Don't worry about your feet or your head, your extra cloths will be your pillow and your empty pack will be your foot rest.

Foam: It's quick, simple and inexpensive. Lightweight BUT BULKY! You have probably seen them in the walmart camping section, that big blue roll. Trust me it works. The downside to this is, it's pretty hard to pack. The only reasonable way to pack it is to roll it up and strap it to the outside of your pack.
There are a lot of name brand foam mats that are a little easier to pack up. Thermarest makes a sleeping pad called the z-rest that is pretty popular. If you decide to go the foam route make sure to cut it down to 3/4 length.

Blow up: I havent really ever used one of theese, but I have seen them. They are super light weight. The down to theese is you have to actually blow them up. They can weight as little as 12 ounces and pack as small as a 1 liter water bottle. But like I said, you have to blow them up. I have met people who were so exhausted after a hard days hike that they were too lazy to blow them up manually. Keep that in mind if your thinking about purchasing one of theese.

Self Inflating: This is what I use. You simply unscrew the cap and wait, its that simple. When the pad is close to finished you just take a couple breaths and blow into it to make tight when you lay down on it, so your hip bone wont be digging into the ground when you lay on your side. To deflate it you unscrew the cap and sit on it untill all the air is out of it. Think if it like a vaccum effect. NO MORE THAN 1/2in. THICK!!!! The thicker it is the bulkier it will be when you roll it up!

Another thing to keep in mind if your getting a blow up or inflating sleeping pad is they can get holes in them! I never carried a repair kit (because it weighed too much!! remember ounces add up to pounds!) so plan ahead when your laying this down, kick all the rocks and twigs out of the way. Out of the 1,500 miles I hiked this past summer I once got one hole in my thermarest, so plan ahead!