Big Agnes Clearview Air Pad

[johnnybgood]

Give me the scoop on the durability of this Big Agnes pad that touts its 14 ounces of lightweight polyurethane shell material with a 35* rating.

Looks to be $30 cheaper than BA AirCore with a 15* rating and it's reputation of puncturing easily along with being difficult to inflate.

Is the CV pad more or less the same with a lower insulator rating ?

[Tinker]

I have a BA air core mummy that's at least 4 years old. No leaks. I wouldn't be too quick to trust something made entirely out of polyurethane, and doubt that it's comfortable down to 35 degrees. My pad is comfortable down to about 45 - that's it! It has no insulation. I use a blue foam pad on top of it if I need to stay warm below 45 degrees. The blue foam is also a backup in case the Air Core MIGHT spring a leak. In all honesty, though, I probably have less than two dozen nights on the pad.

[verber]

Give me the scoop on the durability of this Big Agnes pad that touts its 14 ounces of lightweight polyurethane shell material with a 35* rating.

Looks to be $30 cheaper than BA AirCore with a 15* rating and it's reputation of puncturing easily along with being difficult to inflate.

Is the CV pad more or less the same with a lower insulator rating ?

I used the clearview somewhere between 10-30 nights nights. Didn't see any durability issues, but I have been really careful with it. I got a neoair as a xmas gift so I am selling it (http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=28422&skip_to_post=236639). I would say rating for 35F is optimistic. If you are on top of soft plant materials (pine needles, leaves, etc) that it can be used to 35F. If you are on top of cold hard pack I think you will fill cold coming up from the ground.

I have used an Insulated Air Core for 5+ years. One easily patch hole in it's lifetime that I got last year. I would say it's great to 20F, around 15F I can tell the ground below me is cold. The non Insulated Air Core is about as warm as the Clearview.

--Mark

[rpenczek]

I have about 20 nights on my clearview, all in the summer. I am 300lbs, so I take care to do nothing but sleep on this pad and I am careful when I roll over. I get off of it when changing cloths, etc... Also, I carry a torso length ridge rest for a situpon and put it under my clearview at night.

I am still concerned that I will get a hole in the clearview given its material. Most of my backpacking is in Indiana and on the AT, so having a nice soft spot to set up has not been an issue. However, this summer, I will be backpacking in NM, so for the additional pease of mind (and a little weight), I plan to purchase a BA aircore. I beleive the aircore is made of the same material as the insulated aircore (I have one as well), which seems to be fairly indestructable.

[Jester2000]

It's worth what it costs. Light, cheap, relatively disposeable. We sell a lot of them to thru-hikers that aren't as interested in insulation once they get to Harpers Ferry.

It has a reputation for puncturing when used by people who aren't particularly careful with their gear. Which is a lot of thru-hikers.

[mateozzz]

I have one and can attest that you will feel cold on it if it gets in the 40's. I slept on a tent platform one night in the 40's and ended up putting my jacket between it and my sleeping bag, which helped a lot. I have been looking around for a durable, aluminized ground cloth that might help without adding any weight. For colder weather I'll stick with my Exped Synmat, but it is 1lb more.

It feels very tough, kind of rubbery, so I'm not worried about getting a hole in it. It is kind of a pain to get all the air out in the morning due to the baffle design.

[Chance09]

i'm debating using a aircore once i get out of the desert on the PCT. I was planning on using a GG 1/8th inch pad to keep warm. weighs next to nothing