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  1. #1
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    Recommendation for multi-purpose pad?

    Hello, everyone!

    This summer I am going to do a paddling trip in CA where hammocks are apparently prohibited. After I will fly to Alaska and hammock camp there. I'll need a sleeping pad for the paddling trip, and some extra insulation when I'm camping in Alaska wouldn't hurt, so does anyone have a suggestion for a pad that works well on the ground and in a hammock? I'm a little worried about being able to sleep on the ground, so comfort outweighs weight or size to a certain point.

    Thank you for your input!

  2. #2
    LowTech's Avatar
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    Aug 2020
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    Where are you paddling in Cali and can't hang a hammock?
    Worst case you could pick up a couple Solo poles, or Trekking Trees, and hang most anywhere.
    (I'm not using my Solo in this hang but could and have.) I did get it for kayak camping and bikepacking.

    "Sent w/o me knowing"

  3. #3
    Senior Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by LowTech View Post
    Where are you paddling in Cali and can't hang a hammock?
    ...

    "Sent w/o me knowing"
    Methinks he means Cannuckland! Even so, that's a new one on me.

  4. #4
    FLTurtle's Avatar
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    What part of Alaska? I did an 11 day outside of Denali around the Yanert Glacier area. Fair amount of trees...but not a lot that you'd be able to hang a hammock easily. Lots of underbrush, and the trees can be either jammed in tightly or too far apart. Also, we ran across a huge underground hornet/wasp/bee hive under/around some trees. We could literally hear the buzzing as we got close. So, trees suck there...except if you get a campfire going. All the camp sites we stayed at...they weren't picked clean.

    Don't have much of a recommendation for pads...I did use an inflatable/padded one. Wasn't very comfortable (I can't sleep on the ground any more)...would've preferred to hammock camp, but wasn't an option unless you want to do a bivvy style. You're gonna want that bug net in the summer time.

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  5. #5
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    These pictures are beautiful! I'm still working on trip planning but will likely drive from Anchorage to Fairbanks, and spend a few days in Denali. I'm unlikely to be doing any real backpacking while there, so I should have the ability to choose camping spots pretty carefully. I've also been pretty successful hanging my hammock in weird spots (like in juniper trees in the Badlands) so I'm hopping to get by.

    Any other Alaska camping tips?

  6. #6
    cougarmeat's Avatar
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    If weight is unimportant, consider carrying a pad and a UQ. I do that when kayaking. I have an old Therm-a-rest Guide pad and some UQ on all trips. That's because the pad is just a backup. Now that I carry a Solo pole, I will have even less need for the pad.

    If I thought I'd have to go-to-ground more than two nights out of a trip, I'd bring a full-size (the Guide is 3/4th length) Pad. As the pad is rarely used, I'm not concerned about "best fit". I just use what I had during the dark (ground) years.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

  7. #7
    FLTurtle's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ElyseK View Post
    These pictures are beautiful! I'm still working on trip planning but will likely drive from Anchorage to Fairbanks, and spend a few days in Denali. I'm unlikely to be doing any real backpacking while there, so I should have the ability to choose camping spots pretty carefully. I've also been pretty successful hanging my hammock in weird spots (like in juniper trees in the Badlands) so I'm hopping to get by.

    Any other Alaska camping tips?
    If your brother-in-law is an Alaskan hunter/mountain man...and if he tells you that this hike should be easy, don't believe him: He's a liar. A lying liar full of lies.

    If you're going in the summertime, it's definitely warmer in Fairbanks than I thought it could be when it hit the 90s. Plus the sun never goes down, so definitely need sun protection...I got fried out there. I wore zip off pants/convertible shorts. After my legs got all tore up trudging through all that scrub, just left 'em as pants.

    Oh, and bring a sleep mask if you can't sleep in daylight. My yellow tent was a bad idea, it seemed like it was brighter inside the tent. Didn't have much of a need for a headlamp.

    Bugs weren't too bad for the most part, but there were areas where they were insane. I had treated all my gear with permethrin and I had brought a head net just in case. Used it a few times, just to get through the swarms.

    Are you going solo? If so, definitely bring a large caliber hand gun if you can, unless you're coming from Canada. We came across a lot of fresh bear scat, tracks, jacked up trees...plus, we also came across a lot of wolf poop in one area. Didn't hear them, but there was a lot of poop with fur. Bunch of moose and caribou bones, some with some sinew and gristle on it. Not fresh kills, but still...Mother Nature, you scary. We saw one huge mama grizzly that had 3 cubs with her. She was up on a ridge maybe half a mile away, and the wind was blowing her way...she could definitely smell us. She would rise up on her hindquarters and sniff around. She herded her brood over the ridge away from us, thankfully.

  8. #8
    Senior Member
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    I still carry a pad for hammocking. I like to cowboy camp or stay in shelters on occasion, and an UQ won't work for those circumstances. ThermaRest ProLite or Prolite plus pads work fine in the hammock and well enough on the ground, and they're pretty durable. For summer hiking in the Northeast, the short pad works great.

  9. #9
    New Member
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    Yes, I will be bringing an underquilt as well! Do you have a full length pad you like?

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by deadeye View Post
    I still carry a pad for hammocking. I like to cowboy camp or stay in shelters on occasion, and an UQ won't work for those circumstances. ThermaRest ProLite or Prolite plus pads work fine in the hammock and well enough on the ground, and they're pretty durable. For summer hiking in the Northeast, the short pad works great.
    Thanks!

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