awesome denis, thanks for the great info, will definitely have to invest in a stuff sack too.

one thing with having two foam pads, my pack just has straps for one pad at the bottom of the pack, the straps aren't long enough to roll two pads together so I'd either have to piggy-back it, or find somewhere else to attach it. any suggestions? Later, I may try to attach some pics of the setup we have so far and the (admittedly crappy but usable for now) packs we are using.

at any rate, if we can figure out how to attach 2 pads, we'll be closer to being set for winter camping, and as for spring/summer/fall camping a little extra padding to sleep on would be welcome as well

added: I should also note we are using internal frame packs that have straps and other attachment/lashing points on the outside of the pack