Thermorest z-lite sol

[Bubblehead]

I'm hiking the AT this year from Wind Gap to Katahdin. I have an equipment question...I've hiked Springer Approach to Southern Mass. with an Osprey rain cover for my Exos 58. I'm planning this year to ditch the backpack rain cover and just use an industrial garbage bag inside of my Exos 58 to keep my gear dry.
Without the backpack rain cover, is the thermorest z-lite sol sleeping pad ok if it gets wet? I've read where it's not, and I've read where all you have to do after a day in the rain is wipe it off with a camp cloth and it's good to go....
Any inputs would be appreciated!

[Venchka]

Hose yours down. See how much wiping off it takes.
Wayne

[Venchka]

The Common Sense Solution:
Find a plastic bag suitable to cover the foam pad. Don't allow it to get wet in the first place.
It pays to be old sometimes.
Wayne

[MuddyWaters]

As far as I know it'll be okay.
But,
Things that get wet in warm dry weather dry out
Things that get wet and cold rainy weather stay wet.
I keep a CCF pads rolled up on top of my pack
I don't care if it gets wet. It's only use is a sit pad and for my lower legs. I wipe it off with a bandana and it's still damp but it doesn't matter too much.

My inflatable pad on the other hand stays inside the liner bag inside my pack. when I go to go to sleep I want it to be dry .

[Zalman]

I've never used a z-lite sol specifically, but I've used plenty of other CCF pads for decades, as a far as I know they only get wet on the outside. That's what the "closed" part of "Closed Cell Foam" is for. I've used CCF cushions on boats for years as well, where they are often fully and repeatedly submerged in seawater for days at a time. In all cases, they just wipe off. Your pad won't get soaked, or any heavier, etc., for being exposed to water.

That said, the little ridges in a Ridgerest (and I presume the little egg-crate depressions in a z-lite) can be kind of a pain to "just wipe off", since they provide a lot of little crannies in the surface area to be wiped. If you carry a ground sheet of any kind, it can be useful to wrap it around the pad to prevent rain from hitting it directly, but I've never done more than that.

[Miner]

They can be wiped off, but they may remain feeling slightly damp until your body heat finished the job. Not a big deal in warmer weather. I would rethink it in cooler weather.

[Lynnette]

Yes, it gets wet. You are not going to like it wet. Sew a simple loose fit water proof bag for it. You can get your waterproof sil from the arm of a mens large light weight emphasis rain coat at a thrift shop for a couple of $. Bring it home - put it in a large bowl single layer. Fill the fabric 3/4 full of water. Come back in 20 min lift it see if water came thru or just beads. There is your water proof bag material. I wouldnt worry with seam sealing unless you think you might use it for something different.

[nsherry61]

1) Backpack with a poncho and it will stay dry.
2) Put your ground cloth or tent OVER the pad so it being wet doesn't get your bag wet.
3) You can actually shake off the z-rest pads pretty well and what dampness is left isn't generally a significant issue. I've never covered my z-rests to keep them dry and never found them being wet a problem. HOWEVER, my son forgot to shake his out during a cold wet storm in Washington last summer on the PCT. He unpacked his sleeping bag onto the pad as usual, oops, and soggy down bag that night provided what was maybe the only truly cold night he spent on the whole PCT.