March 1st NOBO, insulated air pad or not?

[ryjohnson09]

I'll be starting my AT thru on March 1st and I currently plan on bringing my Big Agnes air core sl sleeping pad. It's not insulated though. I will have a 20 degree down bag with a sea to summit thermolite liner. Is it worth purchasing a insulated air pad for the first month or so?

[Son Driven]

Things that hold air eventually fail. Be prepared to deal with that event.

[bigcranky]

Yes, it's cold in March -- sometimes very cold at night. For me, sleeping comfort requires insulation from the cold ground, and an uninsulated air mat would not be comfortable.

You might be ok with a thin closed cell foam pad, like some 1/4-inch Evazote. You have all winter to test it

[The Cleaner]

Uninsulated air pads are cold in cold weather period.Either get an insulated pad or pack a foam pad too.Contrary to what some think,March is still winter down in the Southern Appalachian mountains.There may be some "warm" days but the ground is still cold.

[RangerZ]

I added a piece of Reflectix to my Z-Lite Sol last winter and it helped.It’s not heavy/bulky and you could ship it home/hiker box it when it warms up.I got the end of a roll for like $2 at a home recycling place.

[johnnybgood]

Try testing your current Big Agnes in November when historically temperatures are similar to that of temps in March. My guess is you will decide that an insulated air pad is needed.

[Venchka]

Leave the liner at home. Add insulation between you and the ground. NeoAirs work and are light.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

[daddytwosticks]

All good advice. I'd go with a supplimental thin foam pad or even a car windshield shade as mentioned. Having a 1/4 inch foam torso-length pad would also act as a back-up if the air pad springs a leak. Either choice makes a great sit pad too.

[saltysack]

I froze my arse off a few winters ago at 15* in my neoair xlite...I already had a the zlite foam pad so now carry both from nov-end of March....helped a lot....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Wyoming]

Yes bring the liner as it does help. Once summer comes and it is really nice send the sleeping bag home and just sleep in the liner. That's what I do when it is really warm.

Re the pad issue. ALL pads at least provide 'some' insulation factor (you can usually look up how much in the specs section). What matters is how much R factor you need and that is hard to answer. It depends greatly on how your body works as some of us are warm sleepers and others are not. You need to experiment to figure out your specific needs. How warm you sleep is not just determined by the bags rating as the cold seeps in from the bottom due to your body crushing the bags insulation and making it less than perfect (thus the need for the insulating pad).

[Venchka]

I froze my arse off a few winters ago at 15* in my neoair xlite...I already had a the zlite foam pad so now carry both from nov-end of March....helped a lot....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

They also make the Xtherm at R-5.7.
I'm thinking that the weight of the liner would be better if moved into pad weight with a higher R value. Swap the winter system for the summer system when needed.
A quart bottle of tap water hot water (not boiling) in the bag with you at bedtime will do wonders for your sleep. No extra weight carried.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.