"Yellow Pad" vs. RidgeRest

[Rafael_H]

The Evazote yellow pads are mentioned quite often here.

Because the RidgeRest has been around for a while I am going to assume that quite a few of you have switched from it to the "yellow pad".

Why?

 

Thank you!

[Dru]

Green Z-rest!!!

[Rafael_H]

Well, I might be mistaken, it just seems that there is some sort of trend in usage of the Evazote pads. I like both RidgeRest, and Z-Rest which packs compact, and is quick(-er) to deal with.

I've never seen the yellow pad, perhaps pluses are apparent once you fondle it...

[Dru]

The main advantage of the yellow pad is that it makes you look like a hardman. When you see a picture of some sponsored alpine hero having sex with death on the Longdik Face of Snaffu Parbat in Alpinist Mag he's always got a yellow hardman pad strapped on the outside of his pack. Mostly because it's light, I believe. You can get those yellow pads a lot thinner and lighter than Ridge Rest, like 5mm.

[layton]

Ahhh, the ol' "yellow hardman pad" !

 

hard to find a photo of someone with a ridge rest strapped to the side of their pack. i like it cuz 1st, i can pretend to be a hardman, 2nd its much lower in profile, especially the ultra thin bivy pad.

 

basically if you are bivying en route, then they are the pad of choice for alpinists. if you're not bivying on route, get an ultralight thermarest. the other pads are just way too bulk to lash on the side of your pack....although they are cheaper and lighter.

Edited March 22, 2005 by michael_layton

[Bill_Simpkins]

Wrap a 1/2 of any pad inside your pack. That with removable bivi pad that comes with most packs is more than enough. = no pad on outside. This works with many packs. If the pack is too small for this, the hardman pad on the outside is the way to go because of less bulk and less weight.

I have a "blue hardman pad". Does that count?

[olyclimber]

Wrap a 1/2 of any pad inside your pack. That with removable bivi pad that comes with most packs is more than enough. = no pad on outside. This works with many packs. If the pack is too small for this, the hardman pad on the outside is the way to go because of less bulk and less weight.

I have a "blue hardman pad". Does that count?

 

I think that qualifies you as a dirtbag hardman, because they're less expensive than the yellow pads. The blue Evasote outweighs the yellow Bivy Evasote by 45 grams though! Thats like 1/4 of a windshirt!

[Ade]

Snow doesn't stick to the yellow pad half as badly as it does to a ridge rest. Snow gets trapped in the ridges and melts.

[Marko]

Snow doesn't stick to the yellow pad half as badly as it does to a ridge rest. Snow gets trapped in the ridges and melts.

 

This is exactly the reason smooth pads are WAY better than corrugated pads for your typical sufferfest. When you crawl into your tent during a storm you're going to bring in some snow that ends up sitting on your pad and melting there. The smooth pads make it easier to brush the snow off before it melts.

 

Evazotes also seem to absorb less water on their exposed surfaces than the blue pads. I'm thinking maybe the cells are smaller.

[willstrickland]

hard to find a photo of someone with a ridge rest strapped to the side of their pack.

 

Not really. Page 40, Alpinist X. Julian Cartwright - RIP.

[mattp]

I think the yellow pads are supposed to be higher density than blue foam - as in smaller cells, not as in heavier.

 

I think this is supposed to render them less likely to compress to a thinner dimension under a hip or shoulder, thus providing slightly better insulation for a given thickness.

[John Frieh]

Ridge rest packs smaller.

 

Yellow pad has better R value.

[layton]

hard to find a photo of someone with a ridge rest strapped to the side of their pack.

 

Not really. Page 40, Alpinist X. Julian Cartwright - RIP.

 

well there ya go, definately not using a ridgerest now

[Rafael_H]

Great, thank you all!

 

Ade and Marko: makes total sense, yes brushing snow (or crumbs) off blue pad is frustrating as it just bounces around. Same for Z-Rest. Thanks

 

NOLSe:

Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest 183 x 51 x 1.5 R=2.6 W=400g

Zotefoams Evazote Winter 150 x 50 x 1.5 R=2.06 W=525g

according to MEC site

 

Yes, seems like the thin one would be great along with the pack's pad, I now think mine is Evazote, although white.

(I still like the RidgeRest but it is bulky which so far has been more pain than extra ounces)

[Dru]

NOLSe:

Ridge rest packs smaller.

 

Yellow pad has better R value.

 

Rafael:

Ridge rest is bulkier

Ridge Rest has better R value

 

LOL

[John Frieh]

NOLSe:

Ridge rest packs smaller.

 

Yellow pad has better R value.

 

Rafael:

Ridge rest is bulkier

Ridge Rest has better R value

 

LOL

 

Good info RH! I was always told the yellow hard man pad had a better R value... guess not. Not that anyone cares but I use a 3/4 ridge rest in winter in combo with the foam out of my wild things backpack and in the summer just the foam out of my wild things backpack.

[Jopa]

Who sells the yellow pad in the seattle area?

[Bill_Simpkins]

If my calculations are currect, the Ridge Rest wins for comfort times density. Blue comes in second. So if you take a Ridge Rest and cut off what you don't need ... plus a warmer pad = lighter sleeping bag ...

 

COMFORT and Density.

From MEC web site:

Blue:

50 cm x190 cm x 1cm = 9500 cm^3

275 g

implies 0.0289 g/cm^3

R=1.36

1.36 x 0.0289 = 0.034

 

Yellow BIVY:

50 cm x 150 cm x0.5cm = 3750 cm^3

175 g

175/3750 = 0.047

R=0.66

0.66 x 0.047 = 0.031

 

Ridge Rest Short:

51 cm x 119 cm x 1.5 cm = 9103 cm^3

260 g

260/9103 = 0.029g/cm^3

R=2.6

2.6 x 0.029 = 0.075

 

Basically, you have to more than triple the yellow pad to get the comfort of the ridge rest. However, the yellow is warm enough for rock. My advice, yellow for rock, blue for don't know, ridge rest for snow.

 

Comfort and thickness:

Blue is 1 cm thick with R=1.36

1.36/1 = 1.36

Yellow is 0.5 cm thick with R=0.66

0.66/0.5 = 1.32

Ridge Rest is 1.5 cm thick with R=2.6

2.6/1.5=1.73

 

Who knows, I'm just blabbing.

[layton]

fuck that noise. it's all about the yellow hardman pad. yellow hardmen don't need no calculations...just yellow pad.

[Bill_Simpkins]

.. if your a hardman, that is.

[Jedi]

Yeah, I've done the whole "shiver all night long" thing to save a few ounces on my sleeping pad. My pad & synthetic bag weighed 29oz. My body heat nearly melted a bowl, in the snow and under the tent. Call me a sissy but I like my RidgeRest. I like the fact the ridges make the pad a little more "breathable" letting moisture escape.

 

The heat reflective abilities of those foil emergency bivy bags have been used in boots & clothing. I wonder if your pad had the same light weight foil attached to one side, if this would be a benefit.

I mention this to Cascade Designs a couple years ago but just got the ole' "hmmmm that is an interesting idea".

 

Jedi

[tomtom]

Interesting, but useless.

[chucK]

re: foil lining on sleeping pads

 

It would be like those little slime-pads attached to razor cartridges. They help out a bit, but they're only good for the first application since they wear off right away.

 

Oh, and with respect to compactibility, I've got this really old beat-up 3/4 length ridge rest. It folds up just fine for putting inside my pack. Works well for protecting my back from those evil sharp cams and such. Don't know about it's r-value, but, for me, it r enough .

[forrest_m]

i think the issue with the stats is that the ridgerest has a higher R value when brand new and in laboratory conditions, but my experience is that the evazote winter pad is significantly warmer once the edges of all the ridgerest cells start to break down and fold over. the thin parts of the RR are thinner, and thus more prone to damage when you are cooking inside the tend and what have you.

 

at least, my partner in AK the last two years was always ending up migrating onto from his RR to my EW in the middle of the night...

[layton]

was that cuz you were on the hardman mat?