Ground cover / closed cell foam pad needed for winter hiking?

[CalebJ]

Just a quick observation: If you get an inflatable pad that used alone satisfies your insulation needs, remember that you now lose you "backup" insulator, however modest it is (the closed cell foam) should you have a significant leak in your inflatable. I sure like the redundancy of have an R1.5 closed cell with an R3.2 inflatable.

As noted below, whatever you do end up with, test it out before going too far afield, if you can. It's also really nice to have the CCF pad as a sit-pad in the winter, for around camp or if taking a break on trail. Nothing will chill you faster than sitting on the cold ground or snow while making dinner or whatever around camp.

Agreed - no matter how warm your inflatable pad is, it's R value goes to basically zero if it can't hold air. Even a 1/8" pad helps significantly compared to laying directly on the ground, and as you noted - it has other benefits like functioning as a sit pad.

[Tipi Walter]

Agreed - no matter how warm your inflatable pad is, it's R value goes to basically zero if it can't hold air. Even a 1/8" pad helps significantly compared to laying directly on the ground, and as you noted - it has other benefits like functioning as a sit pad.

When an inflatable pad dies on a winter trip, well, get ready for some howling. My Ridgerest Solar pad is rated at 3.5R and when doubled up offers 7R for stand alone warmth---if the inflatable dies. It won't be comfy but it'll keep me warm. Sadly Thermarest in their pad model shuffle dance discontinued the highest rated Rvalue pad they sold---the Solar.

One solution to a dead inflatable pad happening during a trip is to carry a spare (and so far never used) smallest NeoAir pad they make---it's tiny and offers inflatable comfort when in combo with the Solar pad---and used just to get you to the end of the trip.

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[Time Zone]

What you wrote:

Sadly Thermarest in their pad model shuffle dance discontinued the highest rated Rvalue pad they sold---the Solar.

What I read:

"Time Zone, you now have a collector's item!"

It's interesting that you can have a Ridgerest classic (regular length) that rolls up to say 7.6" diameter (assumes 1" center hole), but you can roll two of them up consecutively into a larger-but-not-doubled 10.75" diameter cylinder.

https://handymath.com/cgi-bin/roll4.cgi

A moment's reflection reveals why this is so, but it's still kind of cool from a packing perspective, if you need/want double CCF. OTOH you can go Space Shuttle and pack them individually. Here are the booster rockets:

IMG_2800.JPG



That's the collector's item on the right - these two combined get me an R-value over 6.

I'm a bit of an iconoclast - I prefer CCF. I also prefer firm mattresses at home, and that probably explains it. I also like the quiet and "can't deflate" quality of CCF. Much peace of mind. Got a thorn in one I carried the other day. Simply removed it. No harm done.

[saltysack]

Yes I have a BA Q Core SLX pad, I got because it is very comfortable with 4.25 inch thickness, but thicker is not warmer I guess. I have a neo air xlite also with a R-value of 3.2 so it may be slightly warmer than the Q Core, but a little less comfortable. with either I think I would need the zlite pad underneath in February. Xtherm with a 1/8 pad might work, but I don't have one of an xtherm. I could go with the zlite pad until it warms up and then switch to an 1/8th pad to save 11.5 oz.

How about reflectix? I used to use that on top of xlite before I bought the xtherm for cold temps...seemed to work fine I just hated having crap strapped to outside of my pack.


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[QiWiz]

Other times I have went hiking in November I have taken a zlite foam pad in addition to an inflatable mattress pad. Also I have taken a Tyvek ground sheet for used under my solong 6 tent.
I am starting my through hike on Feb 11th so colder than late November in PA. Would you keep both or leave one or both behind?

I would not take the Tyvek and I would take a NeoAir Xtherm as an inflatable pad without the zlite until I got warm enough to go to an even lighter inflatable. If you have a regular NeoAir, I would add the zlite until maybe April.

[SkeeterPee]

How about reflectix? I used to use that on top of xlite before I bought the xtherm for cold temps...seemed to work fine I just hated having crap strapped to outside of my pack.


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I do have reflectix so I can try that out. if I used a full pad length of reflectix this would be about 10 oz. if I did a 3 ft piece it would cover the torso and be 5.4 oz. I think it's r value would be about 1 from what I read. a GG 1/8 is only 2.5 oz so adding that below the inflatable and the reflectix above would be 8 oz vs the zlite being 14 oz. so that would be 6 oz savings if warm enough,

Though I just noticed reflectix is 24 inches wide and I could probably use only 19 or 20 inches wide? so that would only be 4 1/4 for reflectix and 2.5 for the 1/8 pad so 6.75 oz total. Worth trying out.