Under insulation thoughts: poking holes in a air pad...

[johnnumbers]

While i use an under-quilt most of the time, i'm toying with the idea of using a sleeping pads to allow for flexibility while camping (might need to go to ground for various reasons). One of the bigger issues with using a sleeping pad is that it doesn't breath and condensation forms (long ago i'd wake up to little cups of water in my zpad...)

Has anyone tried to allow a sleeping pad to breath some? I look at some of the newer designs like the sea to summit with their air pockets and i see circles of fabric laminated together and wonder if a hole could be punched in these spots...

[dakotaross]

I wouldn't do that to an air pad - just thinking it may become a weak spot to delaminate. However, you could take ccf pad, or maybe even reflectix, and punch holes in it to give it some breathability and direct access to the loft underneath. Hadn't thought of that before, may have to try it next time.

Klymit has some pads with holes in them, you might try one of those. I have the Inertia Xlite and its perfect for that application, and its not terrible on the ground. And not much xtra in the pack, as it most often just stays at the bottom and never makes it out.

[Othello]

Given the cost of those sea to summits, I would not even think of it.

[Otter1]

Yeah Klymit already does what you propose with a few of their pads. Not exactly, but the same principal.

Their thinner pads aren't comfortable on the ground, to me, and their thicker, more hammock-appropriate, pads are heavier than I want to pack.

[johnnumbers]

looking at the klymit stuff, the inertia ozone seems like it has some promise. Dont think it will be nearly warm enough while hanging (low r-value, relying on sleeping bag loft) but its kinda the idea i'm going with (was thinking less open space tho.

[Danalex]

a few years ago I searched for perforated CCF to make a pad out of thinking that would reduce condensation but still have some R-value. Couldn't find anything that I thought would work but there was thin perforated neoprene .. too thin I thought.

If I was brave I might try the idea you propose ... maybe use a soldering iron's tip to melt a hole in between the cells of those Sea to Summit pads. I was out shopping today and seriously thought about buying one as it was on sale but got scared off by the thought of condensation.

I modified an Exped air mattress by cutting the shape I wanted and then using a steam iron on 'no steam' setting and it bonded the pads seams back together no problem, that's how they make them in the first place.

Hmmmmm ....

[MikekiM]

I have an old blue Wally World CCF pad, I modified with shoulder wings, but no longer use. Looking at last night I can't see a reason you couldn't vent it with some holes but frankly I think the number of holes needed to effectively combat condensation would render the pad useless for anything else.

Cheap enough to try.

What about the air pad that is a skeleton design.. don't recall the name of it. Found it.. Klymit Inertia. Mentioned above.

[Danalex]

to me if the small holes one would have to make in a CCF pad to reduce condensation render it poor for insulation then the Klymit pad would be useless

[cmoulder]

to me if the small holes one would have to make in a CCF pad to reduce condensation render it poor for insulation then the Klymit pad would be useless

The Klymit skeleton air mat theory assumes that you're using a sleeping bag and that the down in the underside of your sleeping bag will fill in the gaps and provide insulation. I don't know how well this works in reality, and I can't see it working well (or at all) in a hammock with a TQ.

I have the Inertia Xlite and have used it on a few SUL-ish trips as a ground dweller. Without the little bulb pressure top-off thingy (which I don't need) it weighs 6.1oz and folds down very small. As an air mat, to me it is better than nothing, but not much! I have an older (1st generation, I believe) rectangle NeoAir 25"x47" that weighs 10.4oz that I take when I know I'll have to GtG. I carry this in addition to UQ because I simply cannot stand to use a CCF or air mat in a hammock.

[TominMN]

How about an open-cell pad? Ground sleepers don't use them because they absorbs water. You'd want to be sure you can protect it from rain both at night and when it is packed but it would breathe...

But then, it wouldn't be a very good pad on the ground unless you can keep it dry.