Speer SPE in a JRB James River and HT90º

[BillyBob58]

So, I dug my ancient Speer Segmented Pad Extender(SPE) out of the closet. I had been wanting to try that with some of my hammocks that work better with pads, bridges and 90º. Rather than using the pad pockets, or with a hammock that does not have a pad pocket, like my single layer 9 oz JRB James River bridge( I think 18 oz with spreader bars). So I loaded up the pack and headed for the woods on a slightly cold day.

First, I tried it with my Hammock Tent 90º(also a very light hammock). This would have worked better with a WM pad, or any pad that was stiffer than the 20" wide TR Ridgerest that I used, as this hammock gets it's support from the pad. This Ridgerest had a tendancy to fold or roll up in this hammock. Still, once I was settled in the hammock, it was plenty comfy and warm. Also, when going from my back to my side, I had no rouble keeping it in it's place. My TR All Season would have worked much better for this, as it does when down in the pad pocket, but at 25" wide it is too wide for my SPE. Still, it was doable. And the advantage to these CCF pads is that they do not raise the center of gravity noticeably.
One side:

The other side:

There is abundant coverage, and I can probably get by using just one section of the wings if weight and bulk were critical. Look close and you can tell that the insulated area is as wide as the hammock is, but you can't tell that these pads are much wider than the pad pocket:

Here I am on my side: I forgot to bring the WM blue pad cut outs for the lower 1/2, so you will just have to imagine them in there. Still, you can see there is plenty of coverage. Here you can see how much wider the SPE is compared to the pad pocket:

That worked good, but the flexible pad was a bit of a hassle. Here is the set up in a JRB James River bridge, which is very similar to the WBRR, but a bit deeper and wider in the middle( I think) and maybe not quite as wide on the ends. It was doable in the 90º, but much easier to work with in this bridge:

Still lots of coverage, warm and comfy:

On my side:

Again, no pads inserted in the lower wings, but obviously there would be plenty of coverage.



The advantage here compared to my NeoAir All Season, even when inserted below in the bridge pad pocket: center of gravity is not raised. I can lean back in the sides and feel secure and with plenty of insulation.

This worked very well.I can't swear it is as comfy as with an UQ, but it is still plenty comfy. So if I need to use a pad in a single layer hammock, this SPE really helps. And the shoulders are covered better than a 25" wide in a pad pocket.