>>1710166Do you sleep on your back or your side? I would recommend very different pads to a side-sleeper than I would to a back-sleeper. The majority of pads are designed for back-sleepers. Thermarest self-inflating, open cell foam pads are some of the best. If you want to go light, you can even get a 3/4 length pad and use your backpack for your feet, which a lot of people do. Some of the new self-inflating pads I've seen have raised edges or stronger material on the bottom than others, so shop around, as those are nice features to have.
But if you are a side-sleeper, check out Exped or Big Agnes. You're really going to want something in the 3" thickness range, and potentially with a little extra width too. The longitudinal air baffles can also help you from sliding off the side of the pad at night (although they don't help keep you from sliding off the end). You should also get an inflatable pillow. Stuffing your jacket or spare clothes into a stuff sack is never good enough if you plan to sleep on your side. Especially since, on really cold nights, you're going to want to wear your spare clothes and jacket, but then you'd have no pillow.
>>1710200>Pair it with some roll up mat to have underneath for insulation and you're golden.This is good advice. You can get a very basic 1/8" foam pad from somewhere like Gossamer Gear and pair that with an inflatable. This serves two purposes: 1) protects the bottom of your inflatable from sharp surfaces, 2) if you get a leak, at least you will have SOME form of backup. If it's a new pad, it may be defective from the factory and go flat very slowly the first night you use it, which has happened to me.
