Hi; I’m a new backpacker from Davis, CA. My current gear is just a big REI bag, a cheap Camp Trails pack and no pad.

I’m traveling across the country this summer, so I'm in the market for some lightweight gear. All I want is LIGHTWEIGHT, SIMPLE, and DURABLE. Let the recommendations roll:

* $300 for a pad
* $400 for a pack

Boy, you could get three pads, and a few pairs of socks and maybe shoes, for $300. (Well, maybe two of the really expensive pads...)

Get the pack after you upgrade the rest of your gear and decide where you want to go. If going to Yosemite and/or Kings Canyon/Sequoia, you will need to take into consideration how you're also going to fit a bear canister into the pack with the rest of the stuff. You're not going to need to spend that much unless you have some reason to need a specialized backpack.

You also need to decide what your priority for the pad will be - comfort? Lightweight? And whether you will go when it's very cold weather. That matters. For three season backpacking, anything from one of the self inflating pads to the Big Agnes Insulated Air Core to the NeoAir will do, and which one you get should be determined by what works for you - personally I'll never go back to the self inflators, as my hip sinks right through them to the ground no matter how much I inflate them. NeoAir for me when I have to sleep on the ground, hammock the rest of the time. I refuse to toss and turn any more.

Durable? none of the pads are immune to punctures, and none of them will last forever. Go with what's comfortable. I'm two years and counting with my NeoAir without a leak or noticeable wear, with monthly use.

For three seasons use.get a Z-rest. It won't leak and I find it quite comfy. Cut it in half and save weight and bulk.

Heck--for you budget, you can take both Lori and Old Ranger's advice. My wife takes a NeoAir (as do I) and supplements it with a Zrest! And she sleeps as well in the mountains as she ever does at home....

YOu have two good suggestions here. and the advice on the pack is also spot on. You don't know how big a pack you need until you have the rest of your gear set. NeoAirs are much smaller than Zrests, for example...but they also fit inside the pack...where a Zrest sometimes gets carried outside of it.

Your budget is very generous. We've packed for years with some old Eureka Getaweay 3900 packs. They hold 55 liters (3900 cubic inches) and weight a touch over three and half pounds. They'll carry a load well (although I've never gone over 35 pounds) and are built to last. They cost us about $60--and that was five years ago or so.

As others have suggested, I don't think that you will have trouble finding what you are looking for with that amount of money.

I am very happy with my ULA Circuit, and would suggest looking into ULA. Depending on how much gear you have & weight you carry, the Circuit or the Catalyst may work out for you. However, these are definitely top-notch gear with the same top-notch service!

For sleeping pads, if you are a fan of air pads, I would suggest looking at one of the NeoAir pads, or the Exped UL7 pad. There are many fans of both. I myself love my regular size NeoAir and will not trade it for anything!

If you're not comfortable on a z-rest, may I suggest the POE Elite AC mat - very lightweight and comfy, less crinkly than the neo-air:

http://www.amazon.com/Pacific-Outdoor-Equipment-Elite-Sleeping/dp/B004JMQDJW

I got the women's 66" mummy shape (I'm taller than that, but sleep on my side slightly curled, so no problem) and it's 10.5 oz! They are running a couple of ounces under published specs.

I too vote for the NeoAir and supplement it with a Zrest, or other thinner closed cell foam, both for comfort and mainly to protect the NeoAir. You might consider looking for a used pack to save some money.

play your cards right be thrifty do a little research and you will deffeniatly find yourself fully equiped with $700.

I am missing the logic with the NeoAir plus Z-rest. With the combined weight of those two, cannot you get an equally comfortable single pad for the same weight and less money?

When you say you are "going across the country" what does this mean? Car trip? Backpack? Public transport with staying in Hostels?

In general the 3/4 length body contoured blow-up pads are the most compact and fit inside a pack and are quite delicate. The plushy comfortable bow-up pads would have to be lashed to the outside of a pack and are moderately study. The indestructable foam pads are also bulky and not as comfortable, but healthy young people seem to adjust to them quickly. If you are checking your pack as luggage on public transportation, you want everything to fit inside.

Same with sleeping bags. The ultra- light weight down bags are also a bit delicate. Synthetic bag can be washed and thrown in a dryer but are more bulky for the same warmth.

almost all bags and pads are "simple" to operate. You do have to squish the air out of the blow-up pads before packing. If not worried about bulk, a slightly over-sized stuff sack will make the sleeping bag easier to stuff.

I agree with Daisy: the combination of NeoAir and ZRest is heavier than necessary, and somewhat inefficient.

I use, and like, the NeoAir; however, to use it in winter (below, say 25 degrees) you have to supplement it with something like the ZRest. The combined weight of those pads in the 3/4 size (what I use) is 19 ounces, and the combined R factor is 4.4. (OK, all you engineers - are R factors additive, or is there another combination formula?)

For 17 ounces, I can get a Prolite Plus pad that has an R factor of 3.8. That's not quite as much R, but my own experience (using each system for two nights when temperatures approached zero) is that the Prolite Plus kept me as warm as the NeoAir/ZRest combo. (Perhaps the additional .6 R would matter at 10 below or something - it's irrelevant to me because I won't be out in that weather.)

So, for less weight, I get a pad that is just as comfortable, just as warm, and considerably less fiddly in the worst conditions I reasonably expect to encounter. It's a no-brainer: NeoAir in the summer, Prolite Plus the rest of the time.

I carry a 3/4 RidgeRest (8.4 oz.) and small NeoAir (8.7 oz.) rather than a 3/4 POE 1" self inflating pad (17.0 oz.).

The Neoair is carried inside the pack and I do not even blow it up until just before I go to sleep. The RidgeRest is carried under the top pack strap. The RidgeRest is used to sit on in camp and at extended breaks. Since the RidgeRest goes on the pack last it is also the staging area to pack and unpack.

More utility and more comfort for an extra .1 oz.

Pad: Exped Synmat UL 7 (I have one)

Pack:
Order the one you like best from all of these companies based on online research and return or sell the ones you don't want.

Mountain Laurel Designs
ULA
Gossamer Gear (I have the Gorilla)

I must hang with Bill on this I do the same thing Neo air and a closed cell fome to put under avoids holes in the neo air and works great to sit on in the muck and to dump out every thing in your pack on. Or to use as a knee pad to get in and out of the tent. I cut mine in half.

Well, you said that all you want is lightweight, simple and durable. For a pad, look at the z-lite. If you are young, then your probably won't notice the comfort differences of inflating mattresses verses the ccf. Shoot, a $6 blue walmart pad will work great. You also can't puncture a ccf, very durable, very simple (no instructions needed, just lay it down), and very light.

Simple, light, and durable, for use anywhere across the country... here's what I'd recommend:

Pad: Stick with a closed-cell pad. They won't spring a leak on cactus or pine needles and don't need inflating. I use a Zrest, but one of Nunatak's pads would be just as good. You can either strap them outside the pack or let it unroll in the main pocket to give the pack structure. Use the money you save for other equipment.

Pack: Gossamer Gear's Gorilla, one of ULA's packs, or something by Kifaru are what I'd choose if I started over. I have a pack by Golite, and it's okay but could be more durable. I'd highly recommend getting your back measured at a good sporting goods store, then have it measured again at a different store to make sure; this will give you a good idea of the right pack size for you, especially if you buy online instead of in person.

It's a good idea to pick your pack last. You won't really know which volume to get until you have the rest of your kit all set.

I go along with dkramalc, having purchased a POE Elite 6' pad for $100 or so. It weighs 15oz inside its bag, is very compact and fits anywhere, and has insulation under the body core. Good to freezing if you're in a tent, if tarping it in the open, you might have to put an extra item of clothing on. Blows up good, deflates fairly well, and looks to be good quality construction. If you were going up higher, say at 10-13,000 feet in the Rockies, I might be tempted to try and find a POE Eather Thermo, which has insulation all through it for 21oz. For price-weight ratio, this POE Elite is winner!

At the risk of being repetetive... the NeoAir isn't crinkly!

Otherwise I wouldn't have used it every month since I got it.

^^ my thoughts exactly ^^ ive also had mine down below freezing with no supplimental pad and slept warm. also as long as your using it in a tent with a grondcloth and choose a half way decent camp site you shouldnt pop it. also little gorilla brand ducttape or a patch kit weigh practcally nothing.

ps if i know the temp is going to be real cold i will make a little bed of pine straw/leaves dead grass or what have you under my tent instant r value.

I'd try the $6 wal-mart blue pad first and the pack later. You may be better off in the long run using the $700 to upgrade your bag. You can find good 2lb (or less) packs for close to $100 with some searching.

Theramrest Pro Lite Plus

OR

Thermarest Pro Lite

If you guys had to choose which one? (sorry for the jacking) I think you shuold go for the pro lite plus. Very portable and lite when folded up. If you're afraid of puncture holes get some Tenacious Tape .

Hmm well 300 forapad? Hennesy Hyperlight hammock and a blue walll mart pad. 400 for pack? 39.00 for a g4 pack kit from quest, or about 125.00 for a g4 from Gossomer Gear. I might splurge and spent 200.00 on the new Granite Gear Blaze AC 60.
Either way, still plenty left over for pizza and beer! If dead set on tent camping I would use a prolight pad as well. If you do puncture it still offers abit of foampad till it can be repaired!