Experience with new PeaPod?

[BillyBob58]

Jeff, I saw this post from you over on the pad thread, and I started to ask you a question over there, but decided I better start a new thread. I hope it's okay for me to use your quote from that thread and move it over here?

On freezing nights when I have wet shoes, I've put them inside a sil bag, then hung the sil bag inside the PeaPod or TravelPod. Keeps them above freezing and much more tolerable when I put them on in the morning. Not sure I'd do this on a long trip, but it's ok on the 2-3 day trips I usually take.

Jeff, have you been using the peapod much? If so, how do you like it? I've been on the verge of switching to that for a while, but I can't quite commit. The new version, at 35 oz. and a 20* rating(5" loft 900 fill), seems to be so close to the ultimate in efficiency, since it takes care of your bottom insulation plus top (to 20*) in one 35 oz package. I also love the idea of velcro rather than zippers. The fly in the ointment is the space between your top and the top layer of the peapod. As I understand it, that keeps it from actually reaching its 20° rating when used with a hammock. Though the 20° is the actual rating for the bottom, the gap on the top keeps it from being 20° unless you use some other kind of bag on top of you. Even though, 5 inches of loft would make it a 20° bag by ground standards, according to the way most manufacturers rate bags. So close but no cigar. So adding some kind of top blanket in order to reach the 20° rating ends up adding to both weight and cost and bulk. But that's also going by Ed Speers rating and feelings about it, and he calls himself a very cold sleeper.

So I'm hoping there's somebody that reads on this forum who has a good bit of experience with the new Peapod with overfill rated at 20°. Or for that matter the lighter one rated at 30°.( or an older 750 fill rated not as warm) Because they only thing I'd really be interested in finding out is how close does the average sleeper come to being able to reach the rating of the Peapod without the use of some other kind of top blanket? How far off is the rating? Or are there are people for whom the rating is good to go without a top blanket? I can't help but think of Neo here! It sounds like he could sleep naked in the thing and take it to 10°, based on what he has used so far to keep warm! Or if you add a thick top blanket, do you then exceed the PeaPod rating? These are the sorts of questions only experience can answer.

Bottom line, what are the thoughts on the Peapod, whether on the older ones or the new ones? I hope there are one or two people available who have tried out the newer one, or know someone who has. Because it seems really weight efficient, or at least it would be if you can get even pretty close to the 20° rating on top as well as on bottom, without need of a top bag. Or, if the use of the top bag actually took some folks elow 20.