Also, are you able to DIY an SPE? The SPEs are normally for 20" wide pads. But since your TR XTherm is already 25" wide, if you made an SPE for it, the side wings would not have to be very wide. Just one set of wings on each side, just wide enough, in addition to your 25" wide pad, to cover your shoulders and elbows.
Last edited by BillyBob58; 02-19-2020 at 11:05.
Fair enough, thanks for clarifying. I have an underquilt for my RR and have only ever tried adding a Thermarest Z-Lite CCF pad. It's not a hammock I go to very often.Originally Posted by boatstall
My curiosity was based on this from the FAQ on the Ridgerunner page of Warbonnet's site (though I do think it's pasted there as more of a generic question than a RR specific one):
What is the largest pad that will fit in your hammocks?
Generally any standard-sized backpacking pad (20″ or 25″ width) will work regardless of thickness and length, but in general the largest commercial camping pad that will be appropriate will be the size of the Exped downmat 9 LW, which is aprox. 77″x25″x3.5″; Also keep in mind that in a hammock you need insulation only, no padding is needed so extra thick air mattresses are not necessary; R-value and warmth are what are really important. Also keep in mind that if you are considering buying a new pad to use with one of our end-gathered hammocks (like the Blackbird or XLC), that an underquilt will be much more comfortable and a lot less hassle so you should seriously consider putting that money towards an underquilt instead.
Yar... sorta depends how you define 'fit'.
I picked up that 30" Klymit pad as folks are always looking for a solution to this issue... and that's a fairly cheap pad. Not to mention that 30" wide options are limited. In general I am not a fan of Klymit pads and do not think they EVER live up to the temp rating. But I haven't had much of a chance to cold weather test this model, my initial impression sleeping on it at home is that I wouldn't trust it on it's own much past 40*.
I also slapped it into the RR to help a few customers visualize the differences.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!Apygyt54yYPwhM5t...BMVLw?e=QS9FU0
There is a link to the pictures, though for those who don't want to click them here are the highlights-30 in Kymit in RR.pdf
Can you severely deflate the pad and shove it in between the layers? It's a free country.
Are you better served by simply placing the pad in the bridge? I'd say so by a long shot.
Personally- I cannot use the ridgerunner without a pad. A semi-soft pad isn't much improvement. A fully inflated 30" pad placed in the bridge as shown though... and it's a relatively doable proposition. I could at least make it through the weekend this way- so in that sense I would call the Klymit pad a winner.
By trying to shove the pad into the pocket you'd lose most of the benefits of the pad. You wouldn't have it wrapping your shoulders or hips and it wouldn't give you the full value of it's already questionable insulating value. In addition the pad doesn't resolve some of the RR issues that some have (edge biting your knee/elbows or need for extra padding) if you cram it inside.
So bottom line from a bridge designer... it would make me cringe to see someone cramming a thick/wide pad into the pad sleeve of that bridge if I had made it. It's hard on the bridge and on the pad. There is always a fine line between what you can do and what you should do.
Slapping a nice wide pad onto a bridge is actually a very nice system- as Billy Bob pointed out- you can save a layer that way as well. There is more than one way to skin this cat, but if you can eat beef why bother with the cat.
You've got this issue diagnosed correctly-
If you're on the ground the pad is flat and even though you hang over it- your top quilt can cover your shoulders/triceps with no compression of the insulation- so effectively you don't care if you 'fit' on the pad or not.
In the bridge the pad is curved by the bridges shape so even if you wrap the top quilt over you- it will get pressed against the bridge and you'll be left with no insulation there.
Three options-
The SPE is the simple bet. As BillyBob hinted at; with a 26" pad you can get away with trimming a few sections of the Z-rest pad to do the job.
If you're pushing things on the weight about the only other trick is to side sleep, but also to flip the pad.
Just a Bridge- Pad.pdf
What you see there (top to bottom)- is me (5'10" and 230lbs) laying on a Medium Wide (26" exped) pad in 'Just a Bridge'.
The top shows how even though I'm 'on' the pad my shoulder and tricep is coming into contact with the sides of the bridge... or at least enough so that the top quilt would be crushed out.
The middle photo shows how side sleeping solves one problem, but usually creates another problem at the knees.
The bottom photo is the actual trick- flip the pad over. Both the Xtherm and Exped shown are mummy style pads with a foot taper. If you spin the pad over you'll be able to use the wider shoulder section to solve the cold knee/toe problems and ensure you stay on the pad well enough to eliminate compressed insulation in your top quilt.
The third trick- pick a side. If you don't want to do either of these or cannot side sleep then pick a side to 'sacrifice'. To be fair, I don't really see this working in a ridgerunner to be blunt. In my bridges the edge is softer so you can sleep on it more easily.
But what I do is slide the whole pad to one side of the bridge a few inches. This puts one shoulder 'outside' the bridge but allows you to wrap it with your top quilt. For the shoulder that is in the bridge- Then you use a puffy jacket/spare clothes or the sit pad you may already be carrying to insulate you. I prefer this option to the others because I didn't need to add anything to my system... that said I am a sleeper who changes position often. If I were committed to my back I'd probably go with an SPE system and figure out a use for those foam pads in my pack system somehow to reduce that impact of adding the SPE.
A side tip- some SUL hammock folks I know who do not want to deal with the SPE weight bring sections of foam and shove them into their wind shirt to solve this problem. Assuming you have a wind shirt or shell sized a little larger than you need this works well. Usually the folks doing this are using the Evazote foams that come with Gossamer Gear packs or similar. At night they simply take the foam pads from their pack (plus a few small supplements) and use their clothing to hold them in place. One guy I know puts his sit pad into his pants, the back pad into his shirt- then shoves two small pads into the arm sleeves. It's a bit extreme but for this guy he can push pretty far in summer with just 1/4" foam with a few 1/8" pieces to supplement.
Yar- an UQ does solve one problem- but it is NOT compatible with your going to ground desires. A bridge is probably the best 'do it all' solution for mixed trips where going to ground is required/desired. So while none of these options are perfect... they do represent a good balance of all the factors- comfort, warmth, bulk, weight, and location. My advice is to select the gear that fits your trip- not force your trip to work with your gear.
HEY! What an idea!
Bill, that's fantastic - and for at least part of my need, gives me a great solution. When I am canoe tripping halfway up Ontario, I usually have some sections of extra-wide foam pool noodles along to pad canoe thwarts & yoke...they can serve double-duty in this capacity. Love it - thank you!
Speer SPE in bridge and 90º hammocks:
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...and-HT90%C2%BA
Just a follow-up on this - the pool noodle extenders worked well last night (think it got down to freezing). I love gear that serves multiple purposes...
Per Bill's tip, I have also experimented stuffing some of the wing segments from my SPE into my sleeves. That certainly solves issues with my elbows/arms being off of the 25" wide pad I use sometimes in my bridge hammocks. Nice!
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