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I generally camp early in the Spring or in the Fall, so it gets crispy overnight. Not ridiculously cold, but I'll have sometimes have overnights that are maybe 0 - 10 Celsius and that's plenty cold enough for me. for sleeping comfort, I take a Klymit V inflatable mattress and stick a closed cell foam pad on top of it. That way I get the "softness" of the Klymit and the warmth of the foam pad. The thing is, while the closed cell foam pad weighs nothing, it is bulky to deal with and a space vampire when I'm packing.
I am wondering if I could substitute an emergency blanket and use that in place of the closed cell foam pad. Those are pretty crushable, maybe it would provide the insulated barrier I'm after. I feel like there should be a two-in-one product out there that combines the foam pad and the inflatable mattress...
Any thoughts?
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Your sleeping pad has foam in it, which is what makes them "self-inflate," so you've already got some foam in there. Maybe try shopping around for a sleeping pad with a higher R-value. The R-value is a division of the thickness by thermal conductivity, so the higher the number the more it insulates.
From what I see the Klymit V only has a R-value of 1.3. The MEC Reactor is significantly heavier, but has 4x the insulation. A quick search shows that it would be a higher R-value than both the foam and Klymit together. Might be worth a look.
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HI Ian - thanks for the suggestion, I appreciate that very much. Just for clarification, maybe I put the wrong model number down for the Klymit, but that's not a self-inflating pad, I gotta blow that sucker up. 14 big puffs.
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What is your bag rated for Dave? Sea to Summit makes fleece bag liners that will add insulation to your sleeping bag. SOL makes an emergency bivy blanket that is supposed to be less crinkly than the standard emergency blankets.
Check the model of your Klymit V. R 1.3 is a warm weather pad, but you could get away with it with a decent sleeping bag.
Also, think about what clothing you're wearing to sleep in. Separate layers from daytime activities will help with moisture control. In the shoulder seasons I'll usually wear some light merino long johns with a micro fleece top, maybe a micro fleece beanie if we're getting down to 0 or below and a good set of socks.
My main hack is bringing a 65lb husky cross who acts as a portable furnace.
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Oh, okay. Yeah the website I looked at didn't show that there's an un-insulated version and an insulated one.
Looks like Klymit does make one's with significant R-value too. If you like the way it sleeps this one would be similar, but stuffed: Product · Gathr (gathroutdoors.com)
Their whole line is offered in "insulated" with different material weights and designs.
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Thanks very much, Ian, Tripper - I appreciate it. I realize I did lousy research. I was poking around looking at products thinking I'd see an exterior solution; an added surface to an inflatable. It never occurred to me that the solution might actually be inside the inflatable, so I just kept skipping over various products based on the images. I also never thought of using a survival blanket as a surface on top of my existing inflatable until I was writing the post....
Lastly, I don't have a 65-pound husky blast furnace I can take, but I do have a 6-pound cat. I don't think he'd portage very well though.
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You need to be careful with Klymit R-Values. The non-insulated Static V is R 1.3. The insulated version of the Static V was originally rated at R 4.4 but once the ASTM standard got adopted, it became R 1.9. On the Klymit website they show both ratings but on lots of third party websites they just show the R 4.4, which is very misleading.
If you're interested, I made this Sleeping Pad Comparison Table that can be searched and filtered:
I have always used the non-insulated Static V, and have used it in temperatures just below freezing, but I've learnt that other people would call me crazy for doing that. I do have a very warm sleeping bag though. I recently upgraded to the Insulated Sea to Summit Ether Light, though I haven't actually brought it out on a trip yet.
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The problem is you're still sleeping on the ground. Get off your wallet and buy yourself a quality hammock with a proper under quilt and a shoulder season bag (or over quilt)...and voila! Problem solved, and you'll thank me after your first incredibly comfortable warm sleep and wonder why you slept on the ground in the first place. The difference in uninterrupted restful sleep is remarkable.
Yes, I have an ultra-lite tent for specific areas that aren't conducive to hammock camping, or if I want to single portage. But 90% of my adventures are spent in the hammock. I have the Warbonnet Blackbird 11ft and it's bullet proof. My entire setup (good for spring and fall temps) compresses nicely and weighs under 3.5lb, that includes adjustable tree huggers.
Last edited by Swift Fifteen (7/20/2023 1:58 pm)
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