Weekend Camping Trip: Sleeping pads are a must

So I have a Cub Scout and we went on a weekend camping trip last week.  I typically try to pack light so that there is not much equipment to lug back and forth to the campsite and making sure set up and break down of the equipment is quick.  Especially, the breakdown of camp because usually by Sunday we are both pretty worn out from all of the hiking, heat, and the other activities we do throughout the weekend. The one thing that I need to rethink is the sleeping pads we use for camping.



I am 40 now and sleeping on the ground is pretty rough on the back and hips anyway.  I have purchased the cheap foam sleeping pad at Walmart for about six bucks.  Its a 3/4 inch pad that unrolls to lay under my sleeping bag.  I might as well be sleeping on the ground.  My dilemma is that I want to again keep the equipment down to a minimum and the extreme would be to get a blow up air mattress with an inflation pump.  The problem with this is that one, its more gear to load, and two, breakdown would take a while to deflate fold and pack.

I am considering this Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Mattress.  Its on the less expensive side of the sleeping pad line, its light and touts a soft comfortable feel on top.

I have found that just about all camping equipment is not cheap, this pad fits into a modest budget for a small comfort of home.

But while this would do the job I'm looking for; I am also considering an inflatable model.  Something about air between my back and the hard ground sounds like a better option.

I found this model, ALPS Mountaineering Comfort Air Pad that looks to be a tad more money but you get a quick inflation and deflation feature that meets both of my requirements.  It also has a non-slip feature on the bottom of the pad to prevent sliding around the tent floor.  This is especially nice when you are forced to pitch your tent on uneven ground.