View Full Version : Will my tent pad work?
Noshtero
07-09-2008, 12:23
I'm very new to hanging, in fact, I've never done it and my first hammock is shipping right now. It is a Claytor Jungle Hammock
There's no way I can afford an underquilt at this moment, so I'm looking to a pad. I plan to have my sleeping bag with me in the hammock, it's a 30 degree down bag.
I have an REI litecore 1.5 self inflating pad. It is 20" at the shoulder, and then mummy cut at the feet. Will this be enough coverage? Should I instead be looking to a closed cell pad? I think the thermarest ridgerest is available in a wide version at 25" If I went with the ridgerest, would I want the standard or deluxe? I'm looking for summer camping for now, but I do tend to get cold at night.
Thanks!
IMO, get a very wide pad from oware or gossamer gear, or a SPE
http://shop.bivysack.com/category.sc;jsessionid=C07D93FAE4A7E6C342FB352FB3F 4645B.qscstrfrnt02?categoryId=3
http://www.speerhammocks.com/Products/SPE.htm
http://www.gossamergear.com/cgi-bin/gossamergear/thinlight.html
(wide one!)
I'm good to 45 or so (maybe less) with just the oware pad and some down on top (use your bag as a quilt)
angrysparrow
07-09-2008, 12:50
Your current pad should fit into the pad sleeve of the Claytor. Try that out first. If you find you need a wider pad, you can then look at a CCF.
im not a big guy and the skimpy 20" pad is too small for even me. Its better to have extra shoulder coverage IMO. GOssamer Gear sells a 40" pad that you can customize for your needs. Mine is cut 25" and that is monumentally more comfortable. YMMV.
The pad should be fine if you stay on it. If you have trouble rolling off of it, try getting an el cheapo Wally World blue foam pad, cut it in half, and lay the two pieces crosswise at the shoulders and hips below your pad (or maybe instead in the summer). The Claytor has a pad sleeve, so the pads themselves shouldn't move around much.
Little Weasel
07-09-2008, 15:16
Stick with the solid CCF pads. The voids in the Thermarest pads will decrease the insulating factor. The blue CCF pads from REI are 24" wide, weigh less than a Thermarest and cost less too. You can use this with your inflatable pad and a Speer Pad Extender but pads will have to be cut to 20".
The pad should be fine if you stay on it. If you have trouble rolling off of it, try getting an el cheapo Wally World blue foam pad, cut it in half, and lay the two pieces crosswise at the shoulders and hips below your pad (or maybe instead in the summer). The Claytor has a pad sleeve, so the pads themselves shouldn't move around much.
That's exactly what I did. They cover me shoulder to shoulder and though I do get a bit of a gap right in the center unless I over lap them before getting the hammock.
I bought a GG and cut it in half - one piece for me and one for my son - for the cool summer nights because I don't need the blue cfc in the summer.
goldbond
07-09-2008, 17:18
so with these extended DYI pads how hard is it to carry on a internal frame pack? I now have a Thermarest pro-lite 3 that fits inside my pack so with all these wider pads and the modifications does it present a problem with carrying them?
Roadtorque
07-11-2008, 19:21
Cant get my 3.5" thick 25" wide REI self inflating pad to sit right in my ENO doublenest. It will only fit if I lay it parallel the hammock which leaves me in a very unflat postion. Any suggestions? I am guessing I need a thinner pad
GrizzlyAdams
07-11-2008, 19:37
Cant get my 3.5" thick 25" wide REI self inflating pad to sit right in my ENO doublenest. It will only fit if I lay it parallel the hammock which leaves me in a very unflat postion. Any suggestions? I am guessing I need a thinner pad
Not all sure this will help, but you ought at least to try it with your pad only partially inflated.
That's a big mat!
Grizz
I'm very new to hanging, in fact, I've never done it and my first hammock is shipping right now. It is a Claytor Jungle Hammock
There's no way I can afford an underquilt at this moment, so I'm looking to a pad. I plan to have my sleeping bag with me in the hammock, it's a 30 degree down bag.
I have an REI litecore 1.5 self inflating pad. It is 20" at the shoulder, and then mummy cut at the feet. Will this be enough coverage? Should I instead be looking to a closed cell pad? I think the thermarest ridgerest is available in a wide version at 25" If I went with the ridgerest, would I want the standard or deluxe? I'm looking for summer camping for now, but I do tend to get cold at night.
Thanks!
any pad will work in a claytor:cool:no
Peter_pan
07-12-2008, 04:12
Cant get my 3.5" thick 25" wide REI self inflating pad to sit right in my ENO doublenest. It will only fit if I lay it parallel the hammock which leaves me in a very unflat postion. Any suggestions? I am guessing I need a thinner pad
Roadtorque,
That pad really is more suited for the ground.... The thickness is more for comfort than just insulation.... The hammock already provides for better comfort than the ground.... recommend seeking a more appropriate hammock pad/insulation.
Like Grizz suggested letting the air out will help .... try that first.
Pan
Roadtorque
07-12-2008, 11:19
I'm sure I will just have to get a new pad for my hammock which should not be a problem, just a cheap one is what most of you guys go with from what I read. You are right that pad is great on the ground. A bit heavy (5lbs) but I still backack with it. Comfort for me is #1 and it is worth its weight in gold on the ground. Very comfortable and I would highly recommend it for those of you who live in a desert and get forced to the ground like me.
> A bit heavy (5lbs) but I still backpack with it.
<Hack splutter> A bit heavy? You poor man! I'd kill a bear with my bare hands and make a bearskin rug out of it every night before I'd carry that.
Roadtorque
07-12-2008, 15:07
Like I said if I can have a good night sleep (comfort #1) its worth it. I have many comfortable nights on the ground with this pad and its heat rating can not be beat with is the real reason I got it. I do a lot of snow camping. You have to realize I'm also a big guy 6'3 and 210 so I can carry more than some and not feel it. Also the pad is 25" wide and was a must. My shoulders still hang over just a bit with this pad. A typical 20" pad is no good for me.
Big guy=heavy gear
Small guy=light gear
but in the end we are still probably carring the same percent pack weight when compared to our bodies weight/build so its not as bad as it might seem
FanaticFringer
07-12-2008, 16:36
Like I said if I can have a good night sleep (comfort #1) its worth it. I have many comfortable nights on the ground with this pad and its heat rating can not be beat with is the real reason I got it. I do a lot of snow camping. You have to realize I'm also a big guy 6'3 and 210 so I can carry more than some and not feel it. Also the pad is 25" wide and was a must. My shoulders still hang over just a bit with this pad. A typical 20" pad is no good for me.
Big guy=heavy gear
Small guy=light gear
but in the end we are still probably carring the same percent pack weight when compared to our bodies weight/build so its not as bad as it might seem
I'm with ya Roadtorque....god forbid I had to go back to the ground, I'd be carrying a pad like that also.
slowhike
07-12-2008, 20:26
Have you looked at the Down Air Mats (DAM) by Exped?
They are about 3" thick & are extremely warm for what they weigh. I love mine in the winter<G>.
http://www.exped.com/exped/web/exped_homepage.nsf/b43HomePageE?openframeset
On the left of their home page, click on products/sleeping mats/down mats.
Roadtorque
07-12-2008, 21:33
Specs look very simular to mine but a little over a pound lighter. Cost will keep me from trading mine out for this right not (if it aint broke dont fix it) mine was over $100 bucks cheaper and for me thats probably worth a pound heavier
slowhike
07-12-2008, 21:43
Specs look very simular to mine but a little over a pound lighter. Cost will keep me from trading mine out for this right not (if it aint broke dont fix it) mine was over $100 bucks cheaper and for me thats probably worth a pound heavier
I understand that. Cash flow is slow here too<G>.
Big guy=heavy gear
Small guy=light gear
but in the end we are still probably carring the same percent pack weight when compared to our bodies weight/build so its not as bad as it might seem.
200 pounds here, and my pad doesn't weigh two pounds. If I might have to go to ground, I carry a BA insulated air mattress (and if it's really cold, which is a relative term in the deep south, a CCF pad) and am still under three pounds. I'm no gram weenie, but it hurts just thinking about hauling a five pound pad around when there's any other alternative.
Roadtorque
07-12-2008, 22:27
200 pounds here, and my pad doesn't weigh two pounds. If I might have to go to ground, I carry a BA insulated air mattress (and if it's really cold, which is a relative term in the deep south, a CCF pad) and am still under three pounds. I'm no gram weenie, but it hurts just thinking about hauling a five pound pad around when there's any other alternative.
Yep thought about it. Thought about it a lot prior to getting this pad. I really didnt want to lug around the extra weight either but another guy I know from another forum has this and he swore by it. I went to the store looking to get a BA pad but figured it wouldnt hurt to look at this other pad...SOLD. I had the two on the ground side-by-side and there is no comparing it. I can sit/kneel on it without touching the ground. It was the only one my shoulders didnt hang way over. The material/build quality looked/felt by far superior to anything else in the store (and they had a large selection). I could feel the warmth of the pad more than others and as I mentioned the main reason for this pad is my cold weather campouts however I do use it year around. Call me crazy for carrying a heavy pad but it is way worth it to me. A goodnight sleep during a hard hike is just as important to me as having proper food and water. Most people carry luxury items anyway despite there weight; camera, Ipod, pillow, teadybear or whatever. For me my luxury items weight is part of the pads weight. I am built pretty strong and dont really notice the difference between a pound or two so I dont mind. Besides you all dread going to the ground and from the sounds of it I think some of you would be more than willing to pack a 100lbs hammock stand cross country on your back before you would hit the ground! Me I dont mind at all with this pad. Really to me it is just as comfortable on the ground with this pad as it is in my hammock. Some things are just worth their weight in gold. In my backpack that is two items. My pad and my jetboil stove
As a side note the jetboil stove with the hanging system is perfect for hammocks