Printable View
I have a 10 degree EE quilt and a silk liner and a Nemo insulated Tensor pad. And I'm cold!
Are there any options for a LIGHT pad thing that I could put under my pad? I have heard that there might be a thing pad thing I could put under my pad that Garage Grown Gear sells, but I can't figure out what it might be.
Thanks for any and all suggestions!
A generic 1/2" closed cell foam pad will help. The only down side is the bulk which can make it difficult to attach to some packs.
At what temp are you cold and what are you wearing for sleep clothes?
Nemo advertise that mat as R3.5. That is a value that would be OK for me down to around 35f but not lower. At 10 F I would not use anything lower than R 5 and in fact given that an R5 mat is what I used at 20f I would probably use a foam mat as well. For me the Tensor PLUS a 1/2 mat would not work at around 10f no matter how warm the SB or quilt is.
Ridgerest SoLite would do what you're asking and it's cheap. You could probably cut reflectix to size too.
Are you cold all over?
Need more pad R value!
Did a few winter hikes recently and always carried two Thermarest. A single Thermarest and a CCF would be even better in some aspects, but are bulkier.
I just hate it to feel cold from the bottom.
Plus, as Tipi Walter pointed out several times, when you're out in the winter and the one inflatable you're carrying fails, it can easily get life threatening.
So the second pad, especially if its a CCF, is kind of a life insurance as well.
See if you can find a piece of Reflectix duct insulation. It comes in 20" wide rolls, 25' long, available at hardware and plumbing/heating stores. Ideally you know a tradesperson who can cut 5' off a roll for you. I find it perfect to augment my summer pad for snow camping. You can use the same stuff for pot cozies (and for home heating projects).
+1 on the Reflectix. I would also look at what you are wearing to sleep. When I started out, I would wear several layers of clothes to bed yet I would still be cold. Once I started shedding layers, it allowed my down quilt to work much better. I don't even sleep in socks anymore and it was near 25 degrees last weekend when I was out.Quote:
Originally Posted by garlic08
Another small pad underneath will definitely help, but also make sure your head/neck insulation is adequate. It becomes an important consideration when you're getting into lower temps and have a quilt.Quote:
Originally Posted by Haggis the Hiker
Not a fan of quilts for really cold conditions.
I looked at a lot of these options and ended up buying a xtherm max from Moosejaw, the square model with old style valve. they are 30% off right now. reflectix does not add much R value. A zlite pad would get you to about 5 with your pad, but adds 14 oz. my bag/quilt already weigh nearly 4lbs so I did not want to add almost another pound to my sleep system.
:clap. + 1 for the xtherm!!
Thanks all! I will definitely think about getting an xtherm or some other pad with a much higher R value.Again, I appreciate your help!
I definitely think you need two pads in deep winter, and at least one of them has to be foam. With a single inflatable pad, you're in a survival situation if it leaks. I carry my ProLite plus a Z-Rest in deep winter. If I'm really pushing my system (using a 0 °F bag down to rated temperature or slightly beyond, for instance), I may also put a six-foot length of Reflectix inside the bag. It's most effective if it can reflect the heat without many layers of insulation between it and you.
It sounds weird, but if you use an inflatable plus a foam pad, the foam goes on top. It's warmer that way, and I really don't have time to get into the physics.
More layers of warm clothing can help too.
And if you already own appropriate clothes it's cheaper than buying more gear.
How cold are the conditions you are talking about?
I don’t usually do real cold ( towards 0* ) but I was warm at 17* with my Thermorest, Zlite, reflectix and 23* bag. Just had on UA base layer and balaclava, and socks. I didn’t have my puffy on but it may have been over the bag.
The proper pad combination was well discussed in a earlier thread. Now I have to wonder about the right place for my reflectix. :banana
At least it will be an early spring.
As Another Kevin pointed out above:Quote:
Originally Posted by RangerZ
Any reflecting material has to go as close to your body as possible.
Was never mentioned whether you were sleeping in a shelter or a tent - there's a significant difference