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  1. #1
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    Default good sleeping pads for a down sleeping bag

    so i just bought a down sleeping bag. i am planning on buying an inertia x frame sleeping pad. is this a good idea with all the empty spaces in the inertia x frame pad? should i be getting a pad without the free spaces in it to keep the bag completely off the ground? i dont want the bag to get wet (from touching the floor of my tent)

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    Registered User The Cleaner's Avatar
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    I've never seen or heard of this pad so I googled it&read a little.IMO this is a POS for 3 season ULers.I'd go with a Thermarest Prolite 4 and you're good to go all year.Also the way the Inertia X is made looks like it would be hard to get a leak fixed.There are a few things that,even if they weigh a few ounces more,the extra weight is worth carrying....

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    I bought a new pad before going out on the NC portion of AT in October as I anticipate dsome coller weather. We were surprised one night with 2 inches of snow. I loved the pad (New Thermarest three season which is 3 inhces thick and has a R value of 5.0 ) Only one I know of that would have kept me warm enough. Actually the down quilt that is rated for 40 degress did not handle the 20 degree temperature as well as the TR did. I found myself rolling over on stomach as thermosrest kept my body warmer than the down quilt.

    As for moisture it will come from tent sides, not floor. ( take a super absorbant towel and use it couple times per night.

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    p.s.
    actually called a "NeoAir all season".

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    That pad has been getting decent reviews, so it should work fine. The free spaces will actually be the warmest places since that's where you'll have a space filled with down instead of only air.

    Why would it get wet? I suppose mild dampness is possible from sweat condensating, but probably not much more than the rest of your bag will get just from touching the air. At some point you're likely to warm the ground somewhat, so any condensation down there would evaporate again.

  6. #6
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    Your bag is going to touch the floor of your tent. The pad is only 20 inches wide. Don't worry about it. Not a big deal unless you choose an exceptionally bad camp site and have standing water inside your tent.
    Ken B
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    Our Long Trail journal

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    I am guessing that you will get a lot of (conflicting) opinions on this subject. I have read reviews of the "Inertia x frame pad"--and even users of that particular pad have differing opinions regarding the pluses/minuses of the open spaces.

    In colder temperatures--you will probably need a different (or a second) pad underneath you in order to increase the "warmth" (R-Factor). Probably a "closed cell foam" (CCF) pad in cold weather--combined with the Inertia X Frame would be the perfect duo in really cold weather.

    Getting some moisture on your sleeping bag is virtually unavoidable--no matter what pad you use. Condensation is a fact of life in the Eastern U.S. and (as we move around in our sleep) sleeping bags are prone to "hanging over" the edge of a sleeping pad and sometimes touching tent floors and walls. Also, condensation can "rain down" inside your tent--especially without proper ventilation in the tent. In certain weather conditions, even the best pitched tent will sometimes allow rain water to seep in someplace--or condensation to form. When we are outdoors--"moisture happens"

    If you are worried that your sleeping bag will actually "get wet" (as opposed to damp) from touching the floor of your tent--even though you are sleeping on the "Inertia x frame" pad--then there are two things for you to consider: 1) Perhaps you need to do more research and have more actual practice regarding how and where to pitch a tent (because having a tent floor that is THAT wet should not be a common occurrence). 2) You may need to reconsider whether you should use a down sleeping bag. You may want to get a synthetic bag instead. Synthetic bags tend to be a bit "cooler" and "heavier" than down bags of a similar size--but they are also more forgiving when they become damp.
    "A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world." - Paul Dudley White

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    Quote Originally Posted by prain4u View Post
    In colder temperatures--you will probably need a different (or a second) pad underneath you in order to increase the "warmth" (R-Factor). Probably a "closed cell foam" (CCF) pad in cold weather--combined with the Inertia X Frame would be the perfect duo in really cold weather.
    This is not an insulated pad, and any uninsulated air pad is going to require more insulation like a foam pad in cold weather. Even so, I wouldn't use an uninsulated pad in the winter. Only for 3 season hiking.

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