compressed foam for sleeping mat?
My last walk i slept cold, as well as upgrading my sleeping bag (last wilderness mag makes that choice a little less daunting) i will be taking a mat with me. I scored a compressed foam mat about 8mm thick, have searched for an "R" rating on these but alas cannot find one. It is a little like a yoga mat but way way thicker and denser. Will be sleeping in huts this time but after this walk, will be tenting it. Has anyone ever tried these opposed to the pricey neoAir's etc which seem to have a low r rating?
60 comments
mm the balance bet sleeping bag and mat. QUESTION: Why has someone not invented a sleeping bag mat?. As in down sleeping bag on top, mat on bottom (sewn together). If Down looses its insulation with your body compressed on it why carry that extra weight when your just going to squish it to uslessness? And yes comfort and warmth is crucial for me, most of our walks are 5 days minimum, next one is 10 days, so base weight needs to be minimum, so there is a tug bet sleeping bag and mat weight/warmth.
thermarest have made a bag that lets their mats slot in underneath, i think there is atl least one other brand doing the same.
someone has done one with an integral sleeping mat, but if the mat punctures the common way to find the puncture is to immerse the mat in the bath,,,, if you can't seperate the two, thats a pain in the neck
Macpac neve, back in the 90s
Its already been discussed back there somewhere, Honoro summed it well, with the 800 loft power down bags that you can get now, its irrelevant.
They are so light and warm you can drop a few hundred gsm no problem.
Ray Jardin (well known US hiking personage) had one back in the 80's. If you can find a copy of his book Beyond Backpacking it explains all about it: it was a foam mat with zips that attached to his quilt. Basically the same idea as the Macpac Neve.
He eventually went away from it and just used a mat with the quilt tucked in around him as this seemed to work better.
I sleep hot so I always use my pit as a quilt, I just get too hot and sweaty otherwise.
Yeah, well Ray also used to walk in the blistering sun shirtless. His priniciples are sound, but I sometimes question the end result....
Tarzan was also shirtless and i have the utmost respect for him, he's my idol :)
Well, I've gotta say it; my new Klymit Insulated Static V inflatable mat is THE best, most comfortable sleeping mat I've ever used!
Makes no difference if I'm on my back, side, or tossing and turning, I stay on the mat, have no sore spots, and the insulation seems great. Haven't tested on snowpack yet, but give it a couple of months, and I'll let you know how that works out too. At any rate, definitely money well spent!
@Kreig Yep - they look like they tick all of my boxes too.
Consider reporting back on durability. I had two Expeds both of which eventually either developed an incurable leak or the down baffle broke down. And while they were definitely the best mats I've used so far - neither did I ever feel like I had a great nights sleep on them either.
So you recommendation for these Klymits gets my interest alright. Thanks
Checked it out: http://www.klymit.com/index.php/static-v.html This beastie weighs 514g. The insulated model is 709g. Of course it's a lot colder in the USA in their continental winters.
The Thermarest women's prolite is 480g. Wonder how the uninsulated Klymit compares for comfort and warmth? I'm really keen to try something a lot more comfortable than my Thermarest but not much heavier...
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| Forum | Beginners and newbies |
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| Started by | trooper |
| On | 24 March 2015 |
| Replies | 59 |
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