Smallest most compact pad?

[sbmcghee]

I just got in to ultralight backpacking (newbie alert). Figured out that carrying a tarp and hammock sheds a lot of weight and is more compact than the alternative for 3 seasons. However, my first time out with the hammock, I found out the hard way that your backside can get pretty cold since you have no insulation. I've been trying to figure out what will give me the most compact and lightweight pad. I've figured out that the Therm-a-rest Prolite 3 or the Bozeman Mountain Works Torsolite is about as compact as you get without getting too expensive. I'm wanting something that will be able to be packed up and put in to a pouch. Have any ideas about the Gossamer Gear 1/4 Thinlite? It looks pretty flexible but don't know if I can fold in half as well and get it down around the size of one of the self inflating pads. Any input would be appreciated.

[angrysparrow]

The GG Thinlite is a good choice, and can be gotten in a width that is suitable for a hammock. However, the wider ones won't pack down to the same size as the smaller inflatable pads.

You said you were interested in 'lightweight backpacking', not 'low bulk' backpacking, though. With pads, there is often a compromise between the two.

In consideration of your desire for low bulk, and low weight, have you considered an underquilt?

BTW, welcome to the forum.

[te-wa]

Reflectix
a slight bit heavier than 1/4 CCF but will fold in half lengthwise (lets say 12" would be half) and then rolled up. I have one that is a half length at 30" and 25" wide that I use (or will use later in the year) that rolls up to 13x5 or so. You might look into down underquilts as well, as they can weigh less than a Prolite 3. (JrB Hudson River, 19oz)
hope this helps

[Narwhalin]

Since you are new, perhaps you should read this:

http://tothewoods.net/HammockCampingWarm.html

Then, you can navigate through that tutorial to get answers to some other questions you may have.

Welcome! :)

[ame]

MontBell AirPad. Don't know if it's available in the US yet, but it is like a beach air matress. Rolls up smaller than the same sized self-inflating mat:

http://en.montbell.jp/products/goods/list.php?category=229000

HTH,

A

[bry961]

I would check into an underquilt. you can save space with about the same weight as a pad.

I've been working on one of these for a couple weeks just havent had the drive to finish it.

http://www.kickassquilts.com/Make1.html

[Take-a-knee]

You can fold evazote in half and lash it to the back of your pack. Speer Hammocks and Oware sell it in wide widths. I trimmed my Oware 40 x 60in pads down to 28in wide. I carried on a summer AT section and it worked fine. Nothing is lighter. A Speer SPE with a Prolite 3 would be more comfortable though. The evazote is so flexible it can bunch up sometimes getting on top of it in the hammock. If you are looking for comfort in a Hennessy though, nothing beats a JRB Nest.

[jaiden]

I like the extra wide evazote.. I carry it outside my pack strapped on vertically. I can carry one pad by folding in thirds lengthwise and then rolling it. For two pads, I fold them both in half and roll them lengthwise, resulting in a slightly more annoying arrangement when there are overhanging branches. Either way, I like it a lot despite the bulk. If I could afford to do so, I'd use an underquilt in all conditions, but evazote pads are lightweight, easy to use and versatile as sit pads (though they do tear easily) on ground or snow. I have lately considered making an extra long stuff sack to protect from snagging on branches.

[HappyCamper]

I have been through a bunch of pads for ground and hammock. My favorite for my hammock is my Oware 40 x 60. I'm more concerned with weight than bulk. The Oware is wide and light. You can cut it down to the width that you want and carry on outside of pack. I don't have the GGThinlite but this would be excellent choice as well in the wider width.

[amac]

Reflectix works very well as an insulator. I recently used it on a 2-night Boy Scout outing. It is nice and lightweight, and rolls up smaller than other pads. However, it slides around ALOT!!

[te-wa]

sorry, AMAC is right about the slippery properties of reflectix. What I left out was that I use a Bridge hammock and it has a pad sleeve. Even inside the hammock I found that it stays put. That is one reason Im making a bridge style, single layer hammock DIY.
Another thing, reflectix is very cheap. 24" x 10' roll was $16 thats enough to make 2 pads

[Lone Wolf]

I have a Big Agnes Insulated Air Core mattress that you have to manually inflate. Very comfortable and its uninflated size is a little bigger than a Nalgene bottle. You can also fold it based on your pack set up.

The non insulated version may be smaller.

I dont have experience with the other pads listed so I cant say if the BA Aircore is the most compact.

[DougTheElder]

Anyone getting into hammock camping is bound to suffer by a trial and error trip along the learning curve. One of the big disappointments is spending good money on something that doesn't work...it wastes good money and usually wastes at least a night in the back yard, if not a trip down the trail. In addition to wasting time in the hammock, which should be revered, at the very least, as a time for spititual renewal, it sometimes results in an extremely unpleasant experience which could have been avoided by making a better choice for the trial and error experiment. Therefore, I submit the following: many people avoid dishing out the loot for good down underquilts in the beginning because they cost some pretty serious bucks. But, read the posts about insulation...the vast majority waver back and forth about one pad or another, or, how to use some alternative-purpose item (like a windshield reflector), or how to get by with some make-do arrangement using leaves, or inflated zip-locks, or, maybe, and I'm waiting for this one, a plug-in methane powered hammock heater (:rolleyes::eek::D), but the bottom line is that a good quality, down filled underquilt is the item of choice for comfort, safety, light weight, and, in a nutshell, get-the-job-done way to go. And I submit it is as low-cost if done as a first effort, as wasting money on a bunch of errors in the trial and error process. I will agree that there are many people that are as comfortable as they need to be slipping and sliding on a pad bunched up under their precisely poised bodies...heck, there is even a sub-human species that sleep on the ground on a cloth or under a poncho that doubles as rain gear, that usually keeps them mostly dry as long as they have no biological needs during a night-time rainstorm, that are as comfortable as they need to be....[B]BUT[B]...if you want to be as comfortable as you [B]CAN[B] be...get the down to start with. If, once embraced by the luxury of down, you should try and succeed at improving on the system with some low-cost, low-percentage-chance-of-success alternative, you can always find a ready buyer for your little used down underquilt. They don't last long in the "For Sale" section. But, on the other hand, there's not much of a robust market for even slightly used windshield reflectors. Just my humble opinion.

[Take-a-knee]

Anyone getting into hammock camping is bound to suffer by a trial and error trip along the learning curve. One of the big disappointments is spending good money on something that doesn't work...it wastes good money and usually wastes at least a night in the back yard, if not a trip down the trail. In addition to wasting time in the hammock, which should be revered, at the very least, as a time for spititual renewal, it sometimes results in an extremely unpleasant experience which could have been avoided by making a better choice for the trial and error experiment. Therefore, I submit the following: many people avoid dishing out the loot for good down underquilts in the beginning because they cost some pretty serious bucks. But, read the posts about insulation...the vast majority waver back and forth about one pad or another, or, how to use some alternative-purpose item (like a windshield reflector), or how to get by with some make-do arrangement using leaves, or inflated zip-locks, or, maybe, and I'm waiting for this one, a plug-in methane powered hammock heater (:rolleyes::eek::D), but the bottom line is that a good quality, down filled underquilt is the item of choice for comfort, safety, light weight, and, in a nutshell, get-the-job-done way to go. And I submit it is as low-cost if done as a first effort, as wasting money on a bunch of errors in the trial and error process. I will agree that there are many people that are as comfortable as they need to be slipping and sliding on a pad bunched up under their precisely poised bodies...heck, there is even a sub-human species that sleep on the ground on a cloth or under a poncho that doubles as rain gear, that usually keeps them mostly dry as long as they have no biological needs during a night-time rainstorm, that are as comfortable as they need to be....[B]BUT[B]...if you want to be as comfortable as you [B]CAN[B] be...get the down to start with. If, once embraced by the luxury of down, you should try and succeed at improving on the system with some low-cost, low-percentage-chance-of-success alternative, you can always find a ready buyer for your little used down underquilt. They don't last long in the "For Sale" section. But, on the other hand, there's not much of a robust market for even slightly used windshield reflectors. Just my humble opinion.

Heed this man's advice, there is a JRB Nest for sale on this site right now.

[sbmcghee]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I will probably go with the underquilt in spite of the price tag. It's expensive but there is tons of experience out there that proves it works. Even just starting out I've got some gear that I thought would do a good job but ended up being a bust.

[JPC]

Reflectix is very good.

[*HangMan*]

Heed this man's advice, there is a JRB Nest for sale on this site right now.

Not any more :D

Definitely take heed to his advice!

[fin]

mikeinfhaz, what type of reflectix did you buy? I found their website, and would love to get a hold of the pallet cover material for a UQ/Pad - I've seen it in use before and didn't save the material. I doubt they carry that at the local hardware stores, or even the A/B box liners, which looked like they could work well also.

[Tobit]

mikeinfhaz, what type of reflectix did you buy?
FF, just a heads up. Mikey is traveling in Illinois until Aug. 2nd. so don't expect a timely reply if he's not able to get online whilst traveling. ;)

[jonno]

Thermarest Z-Lite
Weight 15 oz. (440g)
11 oz. (310g)
Rolled Size 20x5x5.5in. (51x13x14cm)
R-Value 2.2
Thickness 0.75 in. (2 cm)
Suggested
Price (U.S.) $34.95

Is that good? I dunno, but the pad folds in an 'accordian' manner, so folds flat. They claim it is the most compact. Anyone got any experience of this?

[eugeneius]

Thermarest Z-Lite
Weight 15 oz. (440g)
11 oz. (310g)
Rolled Size 20x5x5.5in. (51x13x14cm)
R-Value 2.2
Thickness 0.75 in. (2 cm)
Suggested
Price (U.S.) $34.95

Is that good? I dunno, but the pad folds in an 'accordian' manner, so folds flat. They claim it is the most compact. Anyone got any experience of this?

I would probably avoid a Z-Lite pad for hammock use, if you were going to use a pad at all, a thinner closed cell pad would be preferred I would think, like an Oware pad or Riderest by Thermarest would even be better as they are more conformable to the hammock body and yours. The Z-Lite by Thermarest is pretty cumbersome for a hammock, it is segmented into rectangles and folds up into a brick shaped pad when not in use, it also has large egg crate shaped nodules and depressions in its padding design which helps circulate and keep a cushion of air underneath your body for ground sleeping, I don't think the design of the Z-Lite would benefit you much in the hammock . They are light but better utilized on the ground. After hammocking with only pads, I'm definitely ready to move onto an underquilt when the money is available which seems like never these days. :D

[jonno]

Thanks for the heads up eugenius!

[te-wa]

mikeinfhaz, what type of reflectix did you buy? I found their website, and would love to get a hold of the pallet cover material for a UQ/Pad - I've seen it in use before and didn't save the material. I doubt they carry that at the local hardware stores, or even the A/B box liners, which looked like they could work well also.

missed this post, but I did find the reflectix at my local ACE hardware. They have rolls that vary in size from 12" to 48" or so.. HomeDepot and Lowe's should also carry it. And while youre at lowes, buy some latex tubing :)

one question: how low do you guys think you can take a single layer of reflectix, for use under the legs? I have heard stories of the teens but that seems a bit of a stretch. I would love to hear that it works to 20°! (i could live w/ that :D)
I just overstuffed my green 1/2 quilt with 3 more ounces of down and the baffles look like they might explode with 4.5" loft. I figure even with some compression under my bridge, it will still be close to a 20° rating?

[koaloha05]

The Thermarest Neo in regular size packs down to 9 x4". Size and weight are attractive. Thinking it should work nice in a SPE. But, price is too high for me to experiment with this pad.

[amac]

I'm more convinced now that Reflectix is an excellent choice. My only issue with it, until now, has been its slipperyness. I've avoided the underquilt method simply due to cost, and I would prefer not having to carry another quilt in my pack. I was on the Wapack Trail this past weekend with my Byer Moskito. As I was setting up camp, I realized there weren't any flying insects and decided to not use the netting so I flipped the net under. Then I realized I could use the netting as a sleeve to hold my Reflectix, Claytor-style. That worked wonderfully. The temp went to the low 40's, and my bottom-side stayed cozy. I plan to keep my Reflectix and upgrade to a Claytor Expedition.

[sbmcghee]

How well does a person's length of reflectix compact down? I would be looking to put inside my pack (not hang it on the outside).

[whitefoot_hp]

MontBell AirPad. Don't know if it's available in the US yet, but it is like a beach air matress. Rolls up smaller than the same sized self-inflating mat:

http://en.montbell.jp/products/goods/list.php?category=229000

HTH,

A

good product, probably offers little in the way of insulation.