Other than the R value, does the thickness and design of a air mattress make any difference in a bridge hammock?
Other than the R value, does the thickness and design of a air mattress make any difference in a bridge hammock?
I believe a 25” wide rectangle shape is recommended. I have used a mummy shaped pad and it worked ok.
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From Warbonnet website
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.
I’ve tried both 20 and 25 inch wide pads and preferred the 25. Also prefer the baffles horizontal vs vertical, gives it a flatter lay.
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The advantage of a pad in the RR (for me) is mainly for widening out the sleeping area to be more like a cot and less like a narrow ditch. So I use my Lynx underquilt (when its needed) along with the pad more than instead of it. A few people are bothered by the "tippiness" of the RR; obviously, this is exacerbated by a thicker pad filled up more, since the pad raises you higher up in the RR. Since I don't find the RR tippy, and like to play around with lying close to one edge or the other sometimes just for fun, I can't really speak to this concern from my experience. I also prefer a 25" pad, about 2.5" thickness, inflated halfway or less. I agree that horizontal baffles should give an advantage as well.
Back in the day when I owned a RR I preferred to use the Exped 25" inflatables with the vertical tubes. The Synmats or Downmats work fine depending on your intended temperature range use. Alternately, you might consider the Arrowhead synthetic Ridgecreek 3/4 UQ if cost is a factor. Or a HG Phoenix 3/4. I have both of these left over from my RR days and now use it with a 90 degree Hammocktent hammocks.
Is stomach sleeping possible with a pad? I am stomach/side sleeper at home, so I am interested in switching from a gathered end
Side sleeping's easy; stomach sleeping is doable, but less comfortable than at home (in my experience).
Just got my own RR, and I'm thinking along the same lines, so thanks for the post OP! I haven't gotten to test it out yet, but I wonder if something as big as my Thermarest Basecamp XL (77"x30") will fit? If not, I've also got a Basecamp R (72"x20"), though I imagine something that narrow is probably not going to provide very good coverage in the cold.
I use a klymit static v luxe pad ( 76 x 30 x 3 in ) about 2/3rds inflated. It fills up the pocket completely and definitely flattens out the lay a bit more. The regular version works fine for me into the 50's, lower temps than that I just add a underquilt.
That's great news. Thanks so much for sharing V!
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