Heath-

I'm surprised that no one has suggested some form of an SPE (Segmented Pad Extender). The original is no longer being made, but ENO has come up with a similar product. <http://www.rei.com/product/830279/eno-hotspot-hammock-sleeping-pad-wings>

I usually sleep in a hammock, but if I HAVE to sleep on the ground, I need something to make my pad wider to at least support my arms. Camp shoes (Crocs, especially) stuffed just at the pad near the elbows help me, as does clothing or an inflated object stuffed into an SPE's sleeves. I've been experimenting with long balloons, "cheer sticks," or swim floaties cut between sections. I haven't yet tried just running a couple of pieces of shock around the mattress and inflated object to hold it close.

You might not need to have the whole pad be wider, just an area. Less pad can mean a significant weight saving as well as lower intial cost. Not all of us expect to sleep as soundly on the ground as at home, so some readjustment of bedding isn't unheard of.

CM