Sleep Pads
Once again my nemesis in camping is sleeping on the ground. I am a big fan of the air mattress, I can deal with a cot, but sleep pads aren't really my thing. They are very thin and don't add a lot of cushioning. But, if you are comfortable enough to sleep in a tent in a sleeping bag adding a sleep pad may be the perfect amount of additional comfort you need to really enhance your camping experience.
The first to consider with a sleep pad is the size. They are typically a single person accessory. Generally they are twenty inches wide and seventy-two inches long, although they do sometimes come in long and short as well as extra wide, we are talking a whopping thirty inches. Similar to the cots they don't leave a lot of room for moving around in your sleep.
Sleep pads are similar to air mattresses, they are inflated mat that gives you a small reprieve from the wilderness floor. They can be self inflating, closed cell foam, and manual inflating ones.
The self inflating require you to open the valve, the foam will expand and bring in air automatically. Then blow into the valve if you want any extra air and you close the valve. These are heavier, more expensive and don't compact down as well.
Closed cell foam mats are made of dense foam filled with tiny closed air cells. These are pretty much ready to go. They are light weight and inexpensive, but are bulky and less comfortable.
Manual inflating pads are typically blown up like a balloon. You open the valve and blow. Some come with pump sack that is designed for you to fill the sack with air, attach it to the sleep pad and squeeze the air from the sack to the pad. This is pretty standard for sleep pads.
The last consideration is the R value. R value is the scientific metric of thermal resistance. Basically how much heat or cold will the sleep pad not take on. The higher the R value the more comfortably you can sleep in the cold. Those who like to be warmer, typically women, need a higher R value than those that are more comfortable in a colder environment. If you have an R value of 1 to 3 you pretty much are relegated to the summer months. 3 to 5 will alllow you sleep comfortably in spring and fall while you will need at least a 5 to sleep comfortably in the winter.