Curious who carries an extra ccf pad for winter trips in South east?

[saltysack]

I currently use an xterm large during colder weather, xlite in large the rest of the year. On paddle trips I tend to use a zlite. Do you supplement pads even with a high r value pad such as xtherm? Just curious....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jimmyjam]

I supplement my inflatable in the shoulder seasons with a 1/8" eva foam pad and it makes a huge difference. I don't spend nights out in the winter.

[Feral Bill]

In winter I use cheap blue foam pad under a short thermarest. It works well.

[MuddyWaters]

you dont need any supplementation to the xtherm

redundancy is a different consideration

one well known person here stashes extra pads ahead of time in case of failures

CCF is certainly more reliable, and a case can be made for CCF supplemented with lighter inflatable, as opposed to just single xtherm

I dont hesitate to just take xtherm for nights below 20 though.

[Tipi Walter]

I always take a backup solution on my long winter trips because there's no bail-out option when it's 0F and my sleeping pad dies.

** On Day 1 of a 19 day winter trip I had a fancy Exped downmat blow a baffle and had to pull a 12 mile detour to an emergency Thermarest cache I set up weeks before just for this very scenario. Sucked.

** Now my winter system plans for all types of problems and so I bring my regular Thermarest inflatable at 4R (Trail Pro)---durable and comfy. With me I have a Ridgerest Solar ccf pad at 3.5R so if my inflatable dies I can double up the Solar and get 7R in a pinch.

** I also carry a standard small and light NeoAir pad---never used so far---and it's part of my standard winter load---just keep it in my pack and carry it for the whole trip. It only offers comfort on a long trip and not warmth---the Solar ccf pad provides the warmth and would be placed on top of this NeoAir if needed in an emergency.

[Tipi Walter]

you dont need any supplementation to the xtherm

redundancy is a different consideration

one well known person here stashes extra pads ahead of time in case of failures

CCF is certainly more reliable, and a case can be made for CCF supplemented with lighter inflatable, as opposed to just single xtherm

I dont hesitate to just take xtherm for nights below 20 though.

When I'm pulling a long trip in a certain region and doing loops and all else, I can easily bury an emergency Thermarest cache and return to it in a pinch. And since the Xtherm is an inflatable, you DO need supplementation because inflatables can die at any moment---pinholes, delamination, the valve leaks etc.


Here's an emergency Thermarest I had stashed off a wilderness trail and went in after the trip for evac pickup and removal. I keep these pads wrapped in garbage bags and stuff sacks to keep dry. (Though they are not bear proof!!).


Here I was getting ready to pull a 19 day winter trip into the Snowbird backcountry and humped my emergency Thermarest a half mile into the woods past the trailhead to bury and have just in case. Cold uncomfortable sleeping will ruin a winter trip.


Another option is to use two inflatables and use a homemade elastic band to keep them together. If one inflatable dies you always have the other. This system is very comfy and decent.

[Ktaadn]

I have carried a ccf pad as backup/bonus in the winter but I don't always. I have had an air pad fail on a single digit night. That was easily the coldest night of my life. Mostly I rubbed my feet together while waiting for the sun to come up so that I could start hiking again.

[ScareBear]

It weighs little, costs little, is waterproof, can be cut for other uses(emergency medical situations), adds significant R value for winter camping, and is cheap insurance against inflatable pad failure.

It seems the real question should be "Who DOESN'T carry a CCF pad in winter, and why NOT?"

[Tipi Walter]

I have carried a ccf pad as backup/bonus in the winter but I don't always. I have had an air pad fail on a single digit night. That was easily the coldest night of my life. Mostly I rubbed my feet together while waiting for the sun to come up so that I could start hiking again.

I've had alot of cold nights this year---a year which is almost over---and can remember last January's trip in severe cold and February's 5 separate snowstorms but dangit all to living heck my most recent December trip really kicked my butt. I was on State Line Ridge on the BMT in a December cold snap and packing up on Day 9 of the trip really screwed up my mind. What's weird is it wasn't all that cold, maybe 15F, and yet the wind blew away all motivation to leave the tent and pack the tent and spend all day in the ridgetop wind.


See? It doesn't look all that bad. Maybe 12F as it was 16F off the mountain in Tellico Plains. But the wind changes everything and dropped the temps down to some minus numbers.

[saltysack]

you dont need any supplementation to the xtherm

redundancy is a different consideration

one well known person here stashes extra pads ahead of time in case of failures

CCF is certainly more reliable, and a case can be made for CCF supplemented with lighter inflatable, as opposed to just single xtherm

I dont hesitate to just take xtherm for nights below 20 though.

....I wish my trips were as long as his!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[saltysack]

I always take a backup solution on my long winter trips because there's no bail-out option when it's 0F and my sleeping pad dies.

** On Day 1 of a 19 day winter trip I had a fancy Exped downmat blow a baffle and had to pull a 12 mile detour to an emergency Thermarest cache I set up weeks before just for this very scenario. Sucked.

** Now my winter system plans for all types of problems and so I bring my regular Thermarest inflatable at 4R (Trail Pro)---durable and comfy. With me I have a Ridgerest Solar ccf pad at 3.5R so if my inflatable dies I can double up the Solar and get 7R in a pinch.

** I also carry a standard small and light NeoAir pad---never used so far---and it's part of my standard winter load---just keep it in my pack and carry it for the whole trip. It only offers comfort on a long trip and not warmth---the Solar ccf pad provides the warmth and would be placed on top of this NeoAir if needed in an emergency.

Tipi I dream that one day I'll be able to go out for a month at a time! These days I'm lucky to get out 3-4 days at a time...currently I'm stuck in the fast and light camp as like walking more than camping....though I'll likely try carrying a partial zlite to see how much warmth it adds....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[saltysack]

Food for thought....Would the 14-18oz penalty be more beneficial underneath or on top....a second quilt on top or second pad underneath???


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Tipi Walter]

Tipi I dream that one day I'll be able to go out for a month at a time! These days I'm lucky to get out 3-4 days at a time...currently I'm stuck in the fast and light camp as like walking more than camping....though I'll likely try carrying a partial zlite to see how much warmth it adds....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Long trips do have their own logistics and their own psychological details usually not discovered until a person pulls such long trips without interruption. There are many strange perceptions on a long trip missing from short weekend trips. As in: Day 1 on a 21 day trip REALLY feels special---that first step away from the car and onto the trail is fantastic because you know you have everything you need for 21 days and can take whatever possible weather conditions Miss Nature decides to unleash.

And Day 10 unfolds more of the human onion as you discover other solitary parts of yourself Etc.

[rocketsocks]

I don't know about extra, but I thought a blow up in winter and a closed cell foam pad were standard fare...at least they are for me.

[saltysack]

Long trips do have their own logistics and their own psychological details usually not discovered until a person pulls such long trips without interruption. There are many strange perceptions on a long trip missing from short weekend trips. As in: Day 1 on a 21 day trip REALLY feels special---that first step away from the car and onto the trail is fantastic because you know you have everything you need for 21 days and can take whatever possible weather conditions Miss Nature decides to unleash.

And Day 10 unfolds more of the human onion as you discover other solitary parts of yourself Etc.

I'm sure the longest stretch without a resupply for me was under a week on Jmt from MTR to lone pine....can't imagine 3 weeks.....one day...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jimmyjam]

Food for thought....Would the 14-18oz penalty be more beneficial underneath or on top....a second quilt on top or second pad underneath???


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The 1/8" gossamer gear pad weighs just 2.4 ozs. I like it on top of my inflatable.

[Malto]

you dont need any supplementation to the xtherm

redundancy is a different consideration

one well known person here stashes extra pads ahead of time in case of failures

CCF is certainly more reliable, and a case can be made for CCF supplemented with lighter inflatable, as opposed to just single xtherm

I dont hesitate to just take xtherm for nights below 20 though.

agree with this ^

[garlic08]

If you know a heating contractor, try to salvage a piece of Reflectix duct insulation. Or buy a roll at Home Depot to use around the house. A full-length piece 24" wide makes a cheap, effective, light supplemental pad on snow and other cold surfaces.

[saltysack]

If you know a heating contractor, try to salvage a piece of Reflectix duct insulation. Or buy a roll at Home Depot to use around the house. A full-length piece 24" wide makes a cheap, effective, light supplemental pad on snow and other cold surfaces.

Assume it's the same as the thin sunshade for a car windshield? Actually snagged one last year out of neighbors trash but have never used it.....probably would also make a good frame for my frameless pack...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[garlic08]

Assume it's the same as the thin sunshade for a car windshield? Actually snagged one last year out of neighbors trash but have never used it.....probably would also make a good frame for my frameless pack...

I've heard of people using sunshades, but I think Reflectix has a little more insulation, like a fraction of R. It may be lighter, too, since it's not made to support itself. But it's harder to come by for most. I happen to have a scrap from a home project and it's a permanent part of my snow camping kit.