Radiant Bubble Pad?

**jdripley** · 10-20-2015, 20:05

For warm weather camping - I'm thinking late spring through early fall - with a 30* bag - is there any reason I should invest in Hennessey's Radiant Double Bubble Pad over simply placing an SOL space blanket under my bag, in the hammock with me?

$5 for the SOL blanket... $40 and shipping for the Bubble pad...

**kev138** · 10-20-2015, 20:45

It seems to me the down side on the space blanket would be the longevity. Sure it's cheap but how long will it last?
You can always use a car windshield sun shade as a pad they are the same material as the hh pad, or order some reflectix from Dutch at Dutchware for $1.25 a foot. With a little duct tape you could make your own pad for much cheaper.

**DustHunter** · 10-20-2015, 21:41

Theres a guy on youtube, RevHiker, im not sure if he's here on HF, but he swears by his SOL bivvy. Hes been using it for almost 2 years. He actually got the Escape Bivvy ($50) and put a mod in it, but hes beat the tar out of it with hardley any wear. Recently, however hes been saying good things about the 2go trinity blanket thing. I guess what im getting at is that the right type of reflective blanket should last plenty long for you.
Personally, I've been using a windshield reflector for the cooler (but not cold) nights.

**DuctTape** · 10-21-2015, 06:25

I have been using a supersized windshield reflector as part of my system since I started. It is so beat up, it conforms nicely so as to not be noticeable. They wirk surprisingly well. Like all gear, one should test in many different conditions and combinations to best understand the benefits and limitations.

**Sunny Bear** · 10-21-2015, 11:21

I have both the hennesey reflectix pad and a DIY that I made from a roll from home depot. The only thing that sets the hennesey apart from the DIY is grommet holes that match up and attach inside of the hammock so your pad won't slip around. You can do the same thing with a $2 grommet kit and a $20 roll. Plus you dont have to worry about thrashing the pad because you spent so little on it. I am in the process of trying to move away from the reflectix pad because of condensation, but they do work until you can afford a proper UQ. The SOL escape bivy is AWESOME! The bivy is a little tight and RevHiker has an awesome mod video to help with that. The bivy and a reflectix pad is what I use in the summer for my UL sleep system.

**trekkingnut** · 10-21-2015, 17:36

i use a thermarest or a german army roll mat depending on the type of insulation needed.... never had an issue with either of them to be honest...

**kentley** · 11-06-2015, 03:29

I have the Double Bubble and used it once. I got a Thermarest and never looked back.

**elgecko** · 11-07-2015, 22:40

I've been using a the womans version of the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite for 2 years now. It has a slightly higher R rating then the mens version.
http://www.rei.com/product/881598/th...ing-pad-womens

I'm 2" taller then the womans size. It works perfect for me since I use pillow which makes up the difference.
http://www.rei.com/product/866772/se...ralight-pillow

**brianb** · 11-08-2015, 07:28

I still bring a piece of reflectix with me on every trip. It's saved my butt more than once. It's multi use for me also.

I have the bivvy as well and have modded mine to more of a TQ format. https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...d.php?t=110569

Not sure if I'm just naive or lucky, but condensation hasn't been a problem for me when using either.

**Ragabash** · 11-16-2015, 05:35

Before I got a bottom quilt, I used to put a windshield reflector inside one of those fleece sleeping bag liners as a pad. Worked great. But you asked about warmer weather, right? On a trip to the Porkies I had a scout leave all of his stuff at home, so I donated mine and ended up with an emergency blanket inside my Hennesy with me, and nothing else. It worked well, but it kept shifting around and made a god-awful lot of noise.