Spoiler alert: all you folks who are irrevocably wed to your closed cell pads can stop reading now.

We've had inflatable pads since the 1950s - well, sort of. Colin Fletcher talked about his air mattresses, which were uninsulated water-floaties-on-steroids. Self-inflating pads (Thermarest) blew those off the face of the backpacking map by providing insulation and comfort with the added bonus of lighter weight and less bulk.

Then, around the turn of the century, a new generation of inflatable air mattresses burst on the scene and made self-inflators low-tech. They used all sorts of fancy laminates and other materials to achieve really high r-values and thickness to provide sink-in, cushy comfort at weights rivaling closed-cell pads.

Having had several years experience with inflatables, I'm now starting to lose my fascination. While there is no denying the sheer comfort of inflatables, it comes at the price of functionality. First, to get the extra 2 inches of comfort under you, you give up 2 inches of headroom in your tent. (Most self-inflators are 1 or 1.5 inches thick; inflatables are 2.5-3.5 inches thick.) Second, you have to inflate an inflatable pad - which requires extra effort, by mouth, or extra weight for a pump. Third, with that extra thickness, you just about have to use a full-length pad - you can't use your pack as padding under your lower legs. A full-length inflatable usually isn't much, if any, lighter than a short self-inflators. The ability to use a short pad with your pack under your lower legs not only minimizes weight, but neatly solves the problem of where to store your pack. (Note: if you use a trampoline suspension pack, this isn't as practical.)

But the biggest issue that's making me question whether I want to continue using an inflatable pad is where to sit in camp. One thing that I valued as much as sleeping comfort was the ability to use a chair kit that let the pad double as a comfortable chair in camp. I was able to sit in the pad-chair and relax my back (sitting on a sit pad, or a log, or just a ground cloth leaves me with a tired back.) With a rested back, I found I slept sounder and, as a result, had more energy the next day. Inflatable pads just aren't as easy or comfortable to use with a chair kit; the air squishes around and puts your butt on the ground unless you fully inflate the pad - which means you're about six inches off the ground with a doubled-over pad - and the double layers tend to try to separate and scoot off on their own. It's just not as stable or comfortable as a self-inflating pad in a chair kit.

So, this summer, I'm going to give self-inflators another try, and see what happens. Oddly enough, the self-inflator I've chosen (Thermarest Trail Scout) and Compack chair is nearly a pound lighter than the Big Agnes Q-Core SL and Big Easy chair kit they replace. Go figure.

Has anyone else gone back to self inflators? If so, why? Ever tempted to return to inflatables? Likewise, for those who prefer inflatables - why? Ever tempted to go back to self-inflators? Any other comments?