Backpacking Gear Talk - Wild Texas Forums: Parks, Travel & Recreation

ploddinTod · 01-29-2004, 02:29 PM

Cell Foam Pad Versus Self Inflatable Pad
I thought I'd restate the gear question over here in the appropriate forum. Pros and cons?

ploddinTod · 01-29-2004, 02:35 PM

Mark, When you use your 3/4 length self-inflatable, do you stuff extra clothes or gear under your calves and feet to compensate for the drop-off at the end of the pad? How does this work for you?

lost_but_found · 01-29-2004, 04:14 PM

I personally take a pack towel and just use it, or my precip jacket. But I started out on the cell foam, then UPGRADED to the thermarest and it made quite a difference. They make the 2inch thick LE series, thinking about upgrading to that sometime in the future. But I recommend thermarest! I sometimes even put my pack under the bend in my knees to elevate them to compensate for that missing 1/4. That's my two cents.

copuswalker · 01-30-2004, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ploddinTod

Mark, When you use your 3/4 length self-inflatable, do you stuff extra clothes or gear under your calves and feet to compensate for the drop-off at the end of the pad? How does this work for you?

In cooler weather i may put clothes or my pack under my feet. In our quest for lighter pack weight we tend to throw the comfort out. I sometimes think about carrying 2 more pounds, getting a thick pad and being able to carry the extra weight because your well rested. That being said the pad I am using is not bad its just not great.

toejam · 01-31-2004, 07:29 AM

I posted my answer on the wrong thread. :rolleyes: My feet and calves have never noticed the ground being hard, but did notice the ground being cold once. A jacket under the end of your bag works good.

ploddinTod · 01-31-2004, 06:10 PM

Toejam,
I've got that same problem with the same brand of inflatable pad (Slumberjack). I have to roll off the pad early in the morning to re-inflate. Talk about slumber interruptus.

That's what led me to ask the question in the first place--I'm just about at the point of replacing "the jack" with something more reliable. I have supposed that I made a gear purchasing mistake, thinking that the Slumberjack was possibly more suited for car camping than backpacking. I've heard nothing but good things about Thermarest. Thanks for the reply.

Wingman · 01-31-2004, 07:45 PM

I've used the inflatable 3/4 Thermarest's but have gone to the Z-Rest 3/4 pad mainly because of weight... around 10 oz. versus 16 oz. +. When I use it with my tent I find it's much more comfortable if I pitch the tent on softer ground like pine needles, leaves, duff, etc. Anyplace but where a few hundred other hikers have pitched their tents before which by now is hard ground. Makes a big difference.

Shannon · 02-02-2004, 09:24 AM

Justin and I love our Thermarests. As we haven't done the backpacking thing yet (see "The Next Step" thread!

), we both have the full-length, self-inflating (not foam cell) model. Bought them after one too many sleepless nights on rocky or hard-packed ground, the latter being a frequent problem when state park camping and thus confined to the designated tent pad at one's campsite.

Ours have a somewhat course feel to them, which is enough to keep our sleeping bags from sliding off or down them too much. At Hill Country SNA in May, I ditched my sleeping bag and slept only on my Thermarest, due to the heat and humidity; I slept comfortably, with a stuffsack wrapped in a t-shirt as my pillow.

At a short 5'5", I'll consider getting a 3/4 length Thermarest in the future, to lighten the load... since we're always carrying camera gear, as well as camping and hiking gear.

ploddinTod · 06-15-2004, 10:09 AM

A discussion was started in another area of the forum about tarptents. I went to a website to have a look. Interesting concept. Ventilation looks good, perhaps too good when a full blown storm hits. That, to me, would be my biggest concern--blowing rain entering the tent. Anyone else have experience with these tents, especially in bad weather?

Alchemist2000 · 06-15-2004, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ploddinTod

A discussion was started in another area of the forum about tarptents. I went to a website to have a look. Interesting concept. Ventilation looks good, perhaps too good when a full blown storm hits. That, to me, would be my biggest concern--blowing rain entering the tent. Anyone else have experience with these tents, especially in bad weather?

I was initially worried about that, too. However, the reviewers of the Squall on backpackgeartest.org/ didn't have a problem unless the main opening of the tent was pointed into the wind (expect, of course, for the general problem of it being a single-wall tent). Maybe someone here with first hand experience can tell us more.

Alchemist2000 · 06-20-2004, 10:07 AM

Well, we took the plunge and ordered a tarptent. There is about a 4 week turn around, but the owner assured my husband that it would be in our hands by about the third week in July. Hopefully that will give us enough time to check it out briefly before a possible trip to Big Bend and the Chisos Mountains in mid-August. We decided to go with the larger (and, yes, heavier

) Rainshadow. I think the Squall would probably have worked pretty well, but the larger area of the Rainshadow should provide better protection for my husband's camera gear in inclement weather (without requiring him to kick me out of the tent

) Thanks to those of you here that suggested the tarptent. We will let you know how it works out.

ploddinTod · 12-03-2004, 02:36 PM

Right now I have a down bag but it's a little heavy. What do ya'll use? Down or snythetic fill? What about the weight of your bag?

lost_but_found · 12-03-2004, 04:26 PM

i use to bags - North Face (don't remember which make though) summer bag that weighs a little over a pound - synthetic 45deg. And I have a REI Sub-Kilo 20deg down bag that weighs a little over 2lbs. I like how small the down stuffs - it is almost twice as small as my old winter synthetic bag, and it weighs about 1lb less too.

Shannon · 12-04-2004, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lost_but_found

i use to bags - North Face (don't remember which make though) summer bag that weighs a little over a pound - synthetic 45deg. And I have a REI Sub-Kilo 20deg down bag that weighs a little over 2lbs. I like how small the down stuffs - it is almost twice as small as my old winter synthetic bag, and it weighs about 1lb less too.

We have synthetic, mummy-style bags from Sierra Designs. Mine's the Dreamweaver and Justin's is the Sandman; both are 20 degree bags. Weighs more than a down bag but packs plenty small in its compression sack. And we sleep like a ... well... dream in it. We've used 'em in winter when frost/ice formed on everything outside our tent for two nights in a row -- we were toasty in lightweight sleep clothes.

We bought them after freezing our tailfeathers off at Bastrop State Park several years ago when a "freak" (everything weather-related in Texas is a little freaky) ice storm moved in while we camped there for two nights. We had el CHEAPO bags and had to wear our daytime clothing in double layers AND boil water on the stove and fill our Nalegene water bottles to use as hand-held heaters, and we still were freakishly cold. We also didn't have sleeping pads back then, so we were losing a lot of body heat to the cold ground. Those were our truly neophyte/haven't-got-a-clue-but-love-this-stuff days!

JasonL · 12-14-2004, 07:24 PM

Over this past chill of a weekend, I noted that there is a nice long line of sufferage between winter and summer gear. I mean when it comes to sleeping, I'm one of those that comfort is a must. My choice was the therma rest self inflate sleeping pad, light standard sleeping bag. Since this weekend I was thinking heater, but instead went with the more managable mummy fleece liner. My tent is more for the summer, I could even feel the cold air flowing in from the walls of my tent - I'm thinking I'll just go with this tent season round. I can handle the cold, especially the South Texas cold. Maybe it was my hurry to dash out the door with only some shorts and a T-shirt. I'm guessing I was a little excited about the trip and the weather or weather channel didn't come to mind.