View Full Version : MH Superlight pad
Has anyone used the Mountain Hardware Superlight sleeping pad? 60 or 72 inch? Tell me what you liked or didn't like about it.
I'm looking for a good pad to put under me in late feb in GA. I don't think my z-rest will keep the ground from stealing my body's heat.
MedicineMan
10-26-2003, 23:21
ground-hugging aaaarrrrrg! get off the ground man and hang with us hammockers :)
sdoownek
10-26-2003, 23:46
Not everybody can hammock.
Miss Janet
10-27-2003, 00:12
just use a ridge rest
When I winter backpack, I bring both a ridgerest and a thermarest pad for ground insulation. This combination has always worked for me. I've never tried anything diferent in February.
Can I have a good night's sleep sleeping on a ridgerest in late feb/early march? I can always send a heavier pad home and swap in a lighter one as the temps rise.
Youngblood
10-27-2003, 09:00
Originally posted by Dharma
When I winter backpack, I bring both a ridgerest and a thermarest pad for ground insulation. This combination has always worked for me. I've never tried anything diferent in February.
Can I have a good night's sleep sleeping on a ridgerest in late feb/early march? I can always send a heavier pad home and swap in a lighter one as the temps rise.
Dharma,
From your comments, I assume you are planning on thru-hiking. I can't answer your question for you but I can offer some comments that might help you find your answer. If you are planning on staying in shelters at times, you might want the cushioning of your thermarest... don't forget how long the winter nights are. What I guess I am trying to say is that most(?) thru-hikers pick their pad primarily based on comfort and that usually provides enough warmth, but like you, I would be a little worried about a zRest in february. As you are aware of, not all closed cell pads provide the same warmth or cushioning just as all thermarests do not provide the same warmth or cushioning.
Shelter floors compare with tent floors in the following ways:
1- Shelter floors are much harder and most people need more cushioning.
2- Shelter floors are above the ground with circulating air underneath them. Usually they have gaps between the boards and some of them literally let blasts of cold air come through them. So, sleeping on shelter floors requires more insulation than when sleeping on the ground in a tent. If you are using a Ridgerest, zRest and any other closed cell foam pad that is not solid (has open surface cells) it is important to place a piece of plastic, or some other vapor barrier between the pad and the shelter floor to make it more difficult for circulating air to rob you of the heat you are trying to trap in the open surface cells.
Youngblood
Get some 3/8 inch blue closed cell foam, cut it to the length and width you want, and put it under your Thermarest or Z-rest. Can find these pads at Target or REI for $10. The pad weighs about 10 oz, but it's bulky and you'll have to strap it to the outside of your pack.