Ultra Lite

By Jeremiah Rozario Ranked #41 - Lightweight Sleep Pads February 11, 2009

I keep an Ultra Lite pack in my vehicle. It doubles as an emergency pack should anything ever happen with the vehicle leaving me to walk to civilization. My brother and I recently went on a day pack. Once while it was snowing, we went for a hike for most of the day. When we stopped for food, We used our pads directly on the snow to have a place to set our packs and to sit while we boil water and eat. My Ridge Rest (3/4) kept me insulated from the ground better than expected and when I picked it up, there was no snow stuck to it. I used it again with my bivy sack and 50 degree rated down bag. Again it was snowing and the pad was more than enough insulation from the ground. I put my jacket folded flat under my feet just to keep things level. Even though it was 31 degrees, the 50 degree bag had enough help from the pad and the bivy to keep me warm. I have tried a similar arrangement without the pad and sleep was impossible because the ground sucks the heat right out of you. The pad is bulky when packed but it deploys in an instant. At nine ounces, the pad can be strapped to any part of your pack without causing a shift in weight distribution.
Note: A survival situation may go on for any duration of time and happen in any sort of terrain. Not only is it advisable that a survival pack has a pad but the pad should not be inflatable. Tow months in the mountains and it will surely fail if it has to hold air in order to work. With no pad, you may freeze to death even if you have all the other survival gear.

View Details: Therm-a-Rest Ridge Rest Sleeping Pad

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