barjor Posted June 16, 2005 Posted June 16, 2005 (edited) So I am looking for a new sleeping pad to use in the winter on the Cascade Volcanoes. My criteria would be that it is Warm, not to heavy and that it roles up well. Is there a huge difference between different manufactures or are they all more or less the same? The pad I have now is 72 inch long but I been looking at a 60 inch long but I am not sure what the practical difference between 60 inch long and 72 inch long are. Are the dual foam (closed/open) pads worth the extra cost? Any one got any recommendations? EDIT inch (")messing up the text Edited June 16, 2005 by barjor Quote
thelawgoddess Posted June 16, 2005 Posted June 16, 2005 seriously, though, those numbers don't really tell us much. how about the actual name? Quote
barjor Posted June 16, 2005 Author Posted June 16, 2005 The inch sign (") messed up the post and real men don't use preview post. All fixed and I hope it makes more sense now. Quote
thelawgoddess Posted June 16, 2005 Posted June 16, 2005 72" is the normal length for pads. the shorter one is obviously going to be lighter. some people use even shorter 3/4 length ones and just use their packs or something under their feet if it gets too cold. the self-inflating thermarests are great but can be heavy compared to plain foam pads. the self-inflating pads tend to be warmer than foam pads, though, and disguise rocks and such that may be underneath you better as well. imho. don't have experience with other inflatable pads but after many nights of misery using a skinny foam pad for sleeping on glaciers i quickly went out and bought myself a self-inflating one. worth the weight to me. although i'm considering supplementing with a good thick foam pad for times when i need to really watch the total weight i'm lugging around ... Quote
TeleRoss Posted June 16, 2005 Posted June 16, 2005 So I am looking for a new sleeping pad to use in the winter on the Cascade Volcanoes. Why are you looking for something to use in winter when it's June Quote
tomtom Posted June 17, 2005 Posted June 17, 2005 The pad I have now is 72 inch long but I been looking at a 60 inch long but I am not sure what the practical difference between 60 inch long and 72 inch long are. About 12 inches in length. Quote
scot'teryx Posted June 17, 2005 Posted June 17, 2005 I like the Thermarest Pro Lite 3 Regualar. ProLite 3 Quote
barjor Posted June 17, 2005 Author Posted June 17, 2005 I like the Thermarest Pro Lite 3 Regualar. ProLite 3 Do you think the thermarest insulate enough when you sleep on snow? Quote
barjor Posted June 17, 2005 Author Posted June 17, 2005 So I am looking for a new sleeping pad to use in the winter on the Cascade Volcanoes. Why are you looking for something to use in winter when it's June Because I am cheap and winter equipment are cheaper in the summer. Unless you go to REI then you can't find it. Quote
thelawgoddess Posted June 17, 2005 Posted June 17, 2005 Do you think the thermarest insulate enough when you sleep on snow? the quick answer is yes. i use the old regular standard self-inflating one. and from what i've seen, i'd guess that's what quite a few people use. Quote
Camilo Posted June 17, 2005 Posted June 17, 2005 Do you think the thermarest insulate enough when you sleep on snow? the quick answer is yes. i use the old regular standard self-inflating one. and from what i've seen, i'd guess that's what quite a few people use. I actually got the prolite 4 a few weeks ago and I couldn't even tell I was sleeping on snow. A slightly cheaper option is the prolite 3 women's version. It's hot pink and has a higher insulation rating than the standard version. And it's a puny bit narrower. Quote
pc Posted June 17, 2005 Posted June 17, 2005 Use a 72" long (regular) ridgerest and a 47" long(short)prolite 3 pad in the winter. This combo is warm and comfortable. Yea the bulk sucks but if you sleep better it is worth it. In the summer use the short prolite 3 only and a pack under you feet. Quote
Bill_Simpkins Posted June 17, 2005 Posted June 17, 2005 I use a 1/2 length ridgerest, and the 1/2 length out of my 3000 ci frameless backpack. I double them up and use my pack with some clothes in it for my head and the rope for my feet. The ridge rest is wrapped around the inside of my pack so it adds frame support(a lot of support!) and keeps the pad inside. Sometimes I go with a 2200 cu framed pack and with that I just use the a 1/2 length blue pad rolled up on the outside and clothes/rope and stuff. To me the sleeping pad you bring depends on the pack you have. It's like a system. What kind of pack do you use? Quote
Bill_Simpkins Posted June 17, 2005 Posted June 17, 2005 An Arc Teryx Bora 65, 50, 80 ? Regardless, it is a framed pack. The back panel on these i believe has good insulating values. Take advantage of this. You can put your feet or upper body on the pack. Since it is framed you probably want to either put a sleeping pad on the outside or have an inflatable on the inside or both. I would reccomend and inflatable pad and a 1/3 to 1/2 length blue or yellow pad for snow sleeping. Put the extra pad on your hips through shoulders and use your pack for whatever else, if you even need to. depending on the infatable pad though, you may not want anything else. There are some pretty lightweight swanky ones out there. This one is pretty swanky, no need for additional pads. very comfy. My friend has one, he loves it, and its easy to infalte. The stuf sack doubles as the air pump. Swanky pad Quote
BreezyD Posted June 17, 2005 Posted June 17, 2005 I just upgraded from a Prolite 4 to the only slightly heavier Exped Downmat 7 because I was getting cold with the Prolite 4 and felt like I may as well have been sleeping straight on the snow. The downmat is an air baffle mat insulated with down in the baffles. Highlights include: -7 cm of pillowy downy thickness -Twice the R-value of my Polite 4 -Stuff sack is air tight so it can be used as a pillow Sound alpine sleep, here I come. Brianna Quote
barjor Posted June 17, 2005 Author Posted June 17, 2005 How thick is the fabric on that thing, does it look like it can take some pooking from rocks and other pointy things? Quote
BreezyD Posted June 17, 2005 Posted June 17, 2005 It feels pretty burly. It is some sort of laminated polyester and then has a slip-proof and more comfortable top layer for next to your bag. One of the reasons I bought it was this quote I saw on the Exped site: “We always slept right on the rocky ground, and for weight reasons we took only the Venus outer tent. But with the Down Air Mattress, we slept in fantastic comfort and warmth! And, we never experienced any puncture as we had with other mats!” August 2002 - Mountain Guides Sebastien and Claude-Allain after 50 days and 250 summits on a 400 km trip along the border of the Swiss state, Wallis I'll let you know how it turns out as I am heading out tomorrow for 10 days of varying terrain. B Quote
BreezyD Posted June 27, 2005 Posted June 27, 2005 Yeah, it's official. My new Exped Downmat rocked. Insulated amazingly well on snow at 9000' this last week ... far better than my Thermarest ever has ... and weathered all sorts of jolts from various terrain, rocks, bad pack jobs, etc. If you are still in the market ... check this one out. It's worth every penny. Quote
barjor Posted June 27, 2005 Author Posted June 27, 2005 I am glad to hear that. I just bought a new Exped on E Bay, can't wait to try it out. Quote
BreezyD Posted June 27, 2005 Posted June 27, 2005 Awesome! The pump sack can be a little tedious at first - but you master it after a few times inflating it. B Quote
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