Sitting on your sleeping mat

[ChrisJHC]

I've seen a lot of commentary on forums in the US about carrying a specific sitting pad.
These can be either inflatable or foam.
My question is why not just pull out your sleeping mat and sit on that?
You're already carrying it so don't see why you need another piece of gear.

You'd obviously need to be careful about where you put it as you don't want to put holes in the sleeping mat, but that seems like a simpler solution to me rather than carrying extra weight.

Any thoughts?

[north-north-west]

Takes too long to dig git out. Plus the need to inflate with a lot of mats.
I don't bother. If I'm sitting, I sit on whatever's there - logs, boulders, ground, buttongrass tussocks - and it's seldom for more than a few minutes unless I'm at camp.

[Zapruda]

I guess the danger is puncture to your main mat. A small bit of foam underneath you while sitting on some granite, limestone or fallen tree is luxurious.

This is why I love CCF pads for sleeping when the weather is right. You pull them out and lay down anywhere. No worries about punctures.

[Orion]

The darn things puncture so easily that it's not worth the risk. After numerous punctures I now carry a thin foam mat to protect the expensive inflatable one, as well as to reduce slipperiness in silnylon floored tents. It's silly in a way to buy a really lightweight mat and then carry something else as well since it's so lightweight that it isn't that durable. Even with the foam it's possible for some detritus to get in between the foam and the inflatable mat and pop it.

Anyway, the thin foam rolls or folds up so small I can stick it just about anywhere, like in an outside pocket, so that's quick to access.

[ChrisJHC]

I have an old Thermarest 3/4 length sleeping mat that is just about bombproof.
I reckon that would be okay but would be careful about where I put it.
Can't really bring myself to bring another piece of kit just to sit on but that may change as I get even older.

Wow - just realised that next year that sleeping mat will be 30 years old!

[photohiker]

I use one of these tiny and light pad:



https://www.trailspace.com/gear/therm-a-rest/lite-seat/

Pros

Ultralight
Can be used in multiple places
Folds up very small
Dries quickly
Comfortable
Inexpensive

Cons:

No back support

Have had one for years now, and hasn't been damaged on our trips on rough ground. About 85g weight.

[norts]

I use my sit mat to kneel on as I get in tent, to stand one when getting changed, under my elbow when cooking in vestibule and to sit on when stopping for lunch .
I can get by without it but it makes life a little more comfortable and I couldnt use my inflatable mat for most of the above uses.

[Lamont]

Yes, me too, fearful of a puncture. The seppos always seem to have a town nearby, so I think they may worry less?
Very different to here I would think in most cases no mat, lousy night.
I actually bought the klymit inflatable sit pad app 70 grams-the long and narrow one packs down to about size of a deck of cards-cannot kill it -70D bottom from memory. I have even lay on it a couple of times. Squirmed around on it on rocks, everything. Super robust-3 breathes to fill it. Space, weight and especially comfort are really agreeable for me.

[Orion]

My lightweight pack has a removable backing foam. It's in an external pocket, so right against my back. This makes it very easy to pop in/out for use as a sit mat. Kind of a nice feature and not something I've seen in other packs.

By the way, I'm always interested in Aussie slang. What is a seppo? I saw this word recently in another thread and it appears to be some sort of pejorative. Is it like a "bogan"?

[ILUVSWTAS]

By the way, I'm always interested in Aussie slang. What is a seppo? I saw this word recently in another thread and it appears to be some sort of pejorative. Is it like a "bogan"?

Septic Tank = Yank.

It's a term to describe Americans.

[Lamont]

It's a term to name Americans not describe. Good old English rhyming slang There is no implication that Americans are like septic tanks. Smell or anything. Orion I still use Joe blake for snake and I don't use the word bogan.Don't need the stereotype.

[GPSGuided]

Using the sleeping mat for sitting is like using a spring mattress as the lounge sofa, completely different purpose and inconvenient. The purpose of a sitting mat is for use on any rough or sharp surface out there and foam pads are most popular for the purpose. Whilst I have a $1 sitting foam pad off AliExpress but have never bothered. Just sit on whatever suits. A few times the irregular log surface did make my bottom rather uncomfortable.

[norts]

When I use it for sitting on, it is usually more for insulation/ keeping my bum dry than smoothing out the bumps.

[Mark F]

I wouldn't ever use my inflatable sleeping mat as sit pad, only a cc foam pad - keeps the bum dry and protects against cold and pointy things. If you use a frameless pack then you may be using a section of ccf to give it some structure. Many ul packs have provision for the foam to be on the outside against the back and able to be easily removed to get double use as a sit pad. 2 or 4 folds of Thermarest Z-Lite pad work well with my Laufbursche Huckepack providing a sit mat at lunchtime and in camp as well as going under my feet if using a short inflatable sleeping mat.

[wildwanderer]

Same. I never take my inflatable mat out of the tent. Considering Ive had dry brittle grass puncture a tent floor , Id expect a unprotected mat to last about 10 seconds on the ground in areas I typically venture into.

[warnabrother]

I love my Z-seat sit pad.. it has many uses for me..
Sit pad obviously - especially when its wet
Knee pad
Windscreen for stove
I also use it under my sleeping mat to raise my pillow height (side sleeper)
Also handy for keeping the toilet paper off the mud when doing "the squat"

[GPSGuided]

So many to choose from and dirt cheap. Or just head to Clark Rubber and cut a piece of high density foam to suit one's bum.

https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?ca ... xt=sit+pad

[warnabrother]

We tried the AliExpress ones and they fell apart pretty quickly.. ended up just spending the money on the real deal

[GPSGuided]

What’s the real deal? One of those UL folding camp chair?

[Mongoose]

I just ordered a Helinox Chair One, looks pretty comfy and relatively light. I can also sit on my cot bed if needed.

[bernieq]

I use my sit mat to kneel on as I get in tent, to stand one when getting changed, under my elbow when cooking in vestibule and to sit on when stopping for lunch .
I can get by without it but it makes life a little more comfortable and I couldnt use my inflatable mat for most of the above uses.

Exactly !

... and, if you carry a foam mat/pad on the outside of your pack, have it in a bag - bits of ccf don't degrade - ever! It's a rare walk where I don't pick up lots of the stuff. My sit pad (40g) is sewn into a simple tyvec envelope (or rip-stop nylon would do).

[Neo]

A bit risky sitting on the main mattress.
Like Norts, if I take a small piece of foamie it's also used as a door mat.

For back issues I usually carry the Ground Chair because sitting on low logs/rock/the ground is a bad angle for me.

I actually carry both a cut down foamie and a thick air mat! Use the foam under the tent floor where I pivot, so adds some protection for both the tent and the air mat.

Still my base weight is at 10-11kg with these luxuries.