jazzmom
Trail Wise!
a.k.a. TigerFan
Posts: 3,139 
|
Post by jazzmom on Jun 21, 2024 9:06:27 GMT -8
I have an uninsulated air mattress for warm summer nights but haven't tried it in temps below low/mid-60's with a summer-weight down quilt. I'd like to take it on a hike next month where night time lows can possibly go down to 50. Unfortunately, it's unlikely that I'll have a chance to try it at those temps before the trip. I'll most likely have a sleeping bag instead of a quilt.
What do you think? Anyone with actual experience with uninsulated pads at 50-degF? (Or am I completely overthinking it?)
Edited to add: I'll be in double-wall tent
|
|
trinity
Trail Wise!
Posts: 3,012 
Member is Online
|
Post by trinity on Jun 21, 2024 10:53:41 GMT -8
Great question, and I look forward to hearing from those who have actual experience with this, which I do not. However, my suspicion is that an uninsulated air mattress will be pretty cold at 50 degrees. As you already know, there are a number of variables, including ground temperature, air movement around the pad, and your personal thermostat. The closest I've come to sleeping on an uninsulated pad is sleeping in a hammock without any padding or underquilt. I've gotten chilly in the 70s. An uninsulated air pad will be much warmer than a hammock with air circulating directly under my torso, so that may be a useless comparison. Section Hiker (who I have generally found to to a reliable source of information) has an article correlating R-value to temperature rating: link. According to this article, the minimum r-value rating for 50 degrees is 1, which would indicate that your pad should work, in theory. But I would take along a good midlayer fleece, just in case. |
|
BigLoad
Trail Wise!
Pancakes!
Posts: 13,372
|
Post by BigLoad on Jun 21, 2024 11:15:53 GMT -8
I don't think it qualifies as overthinking. You'll notice the cold by 50F. It might not be terrible, but you'll notice it. Using a sleeping bag instead of a quilt will help.
|
|
ErnieW
Trail Wise!
I want to backpack
Posts: 10,518
Member is Online
|
Post by ErnieW on Jun 21, 2024 21:10:42 GMT -8
We have a couple of queen size air mattresses we use in our Kingdom 8 car camping. I think about a foot tall. With just a sheet on them they are kind of cold at 60F. I think body heat drives convection inside actively sucking heat out of you. Maybe with smaller mats that doesn't happen as much.
We have wool toppers for them because they are so cold otherwise. Then they have been comfy down into the upper 40's.
|
|
zeke
Trail Wise!
Peekaboo slot 2023
Posts: 9,997
|
Post by zeke on Jun 22, 2024 4:03:19 GMT -8
I have never owned an insulated pad. I sleep warm, so I might not be the best source for how you will find it, and I also sleep in a clean base layer most nights. I've never been cold from the pad, even when my water bottles showed signs of freezing overnight temps on a Teton Crest trip.
Like all things related, YMMV
|
|
rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
Posts: 12,895
|
Post by rebeccad on Jun 22, 2024 13:14:28 GMT -8
zeke, don’t you use a NeoAir? They aren’t high R-value, but they are insulated. That’s what I use, and it can get chilly in temps below freezing.
|
|
|
|
Post by bluefish on Jun 22, 2024 14:28:33 GMT -8
I supplement the neo-air with Reflectix below 20. If memory serves, they are R-3.0 , the women's version , R-3.6. Uninsulated , for me , has been untenable below 40, sketchy at 50. Yes , the bag would help. I'd way rather do my neo-air and quilt.
|
|
zeke
Trail Wise!
Peekaboo slot 2023
Posts: 9,997
|
Post by zeke on Jun 22, 2024 15:22:58 GMT -8
don’t you use a NeoAir? They aren’t high R-value, but they are insulated Yes, I do use a NeoAir. Never thought of them as insulated. My mistake. |
|
ErnieW
Trail Wise!
I want to backpack
Posts: 10,518
Member is Online
|
Post by ErnieW on Jun 22, 2024 16:07:01 GMT -8
Yes, I do use a NeoAir. Never thought of them as insulated. My mistake. The original NeoAir was R 2.5. The new NeoAir Xlite is 4.5. The NeoAir Xtherm is 7.3. |
|
jazzmom
Trail Wise!
a.k.a. TigerFan
Posts: 3,139
|
Post by jazzmom on Jun 25, 2024 11:45:41 GMT -8
OK, going to play it safe. Taking the R3 unless they forecast something drastically out of the norm. Thanks for all the feedback.
|
|
|
|
Post by leadbelly on Jun 28, 2024 8:25:12 GMT -8
what is the weight savings for using an R value 1 or 2 uninsulated pad?
i use a neoair xtherm (regular, not widebody) year round; i think it weighs about a pound, R value between 5 and 6. I do use it in the winter, but what appealed to me was the cushioning it provided for a lighter pad. i used closed cell foam pads for a long time, two of them for winter, until i got older and felt the need for a more cushy sleeping experience.
|
|
ErnieW
Trail Wise!
I want to backpack
Posts: 10,518
Member is Online
|
Post by ErnieW on Jun 28, 2024 8:46:01 GMT -8
The newer Xtherm NXT is R7.3 but it is $240. I guess an argument could be made for an uninsulated pad keeping you cooler in hot weather but I have never found R in a pad an issue in hot weather but definitely one in unexpected cold.
|
|
jazzmom
Trail Wise!
a.k.a. TigerFan
Posts: 3,139
|
Post by jazzmom on Jun 28, 2024 10:14:32 GMT -8
what is the weight savings for using an R value 1 or 2 uninsulated pad? I'm looking at a 3oz difference between an R1 and an R3. Same brand and size, just an insulation difference. I might take a quilt instead of a bag, which ends being a net savings. I'll see what the forecast says. |
|
|
|
Post by High Sierra Fan on Jun 29, 2024 17:59:37 GMT -8
With an appropriate sleep system your pad should have a lot of backup to adapt to the temperature. If you find yourself a bit short then your sleeping bag is where you look.
Honestly I look to my pad simply for comfort, it’s my sleeping bag that’s going to keep me alive and warm.
|
|
rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
Posts: 12,895
|
Post by rebeccad on Jun 30, 2024 6:34:58 GMT -8
I don’t know, HSF. THe nights when I’ve been truly cold, it made a lot of difference to get more insulation under me—and those date back to the days when I used a bag. The insulation in a down bag is pretty useless when flattened under you. I now use a NeoAir, which is not something I’d expect to be comfortable down much below freezing.
|
|
