Saturday, September 12, 2009

Thursday, September 10, 2009

the Wake Up Call (part 6)

The sleeping quilt keeps a person warm on the top, but what keeps him/her warm on the bottom? The answer is an insulated sleeping mat. A closed cell foam mat can be used, such as Z-rest or Ridge Rest, or an inflatable air mattress with insulation. Here is another area where I gained significant weight savings in my pack weight. I used to carry a twin-sized inflatable blow up mattress which weighed about 6 pounds. Now I carry an REI 48"x20" inflatable insulated mat which weighs about 1 pound. Various sizes and shape configurations are available. The closed cell foam mats tend to be bulkier in size but very light to carry. Next time I will discuss the process of reducing my tent weight.