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Reviews > Shelters > Shelter Accessories > Speer Hammocks Segmented Pad Extender > Christine Korhonen > Field ReportSpeer Segmented Pad Extender (SPE) Field ReportPersonal Information:Name: Christine Korhonen Age: 31 Gender: female Height: 5'4" (1.6 m) Weight: 150 lb (68 kg) Shoulder girth: 40" (100 cm) E-mail: chris@wormguy.com Location: Western Montana Date: September 6, 2005 Backpacking Background: I'm in Montana where I'm enjoying the summers and becoming re-acquainted with winter. Now that I'm back above the snow line, I'm attempting some winter camping and snowshoeing. I'm a lightweight backpacker mentally, if not always in practice. My summer pack weight is around 17 lb (9 kg) with hammock. My winter pack weight hovers around 25 lb (11 kg). Product Information: Manufacturer: Speer Hammocks URL: www.SpeerHammocks.com Item: Segmented Pad Extender (SPE) Model: 4 x 4 MSRP: US $45
Accessory: Wing Insert MSRP: US $8 (set of 4)
Segmented Pad Extender Description: The Segmented Pad Extender (SPE) is similar to a pad coupler, holding extra padding in place along the sides of a sleeping pad. The SPE is made from ripstop nylon and was designed to be used in a hammock. I am testing the 4 x 4 model, which has spots for eight Wing Inserts, four on each side. Altogether, padding in the side wings can extend the insulating width of a sleeping pad by 20" (50 cm). I am testing four closed-cell foam Speer Wing Inserts along with the SPE. Field Conditions: I used the SPE in my Hennessey Hammock Extreme Ultralight Backpacker Asym hammock. I camped in forested areas throughout Montana and Yellowstone National Park on four backpacking trips and as many car camping excursions. Elevations ranged from 5000' to 8000' (1500 m to 2400 m) while the nighttime low temperatures were between 27 F and 53 F (-3 C and 12 C). Use: On most trips, I used an Insul-Mat Max Mtn Women's 1½" (3.8 cm) pad in the main compartment of the SPE with four Wing Inserts in the four compartments closest to the pad. I put the sleeping pad and Wing Inserts in their places before I brought the whole system into the hammock. Both the sleeping pad and the inserts fit easily in the SPE. Once I was in the hammock, lying on the pad, I put my extra clothes in the remaining four wing compartments. I'm new to hammocking, and using a sleeping pad in a hammock is difficult. The SPE doesn't cover the entire sleeping pad, just the center two-thirds, but it is quite slippery. When lying on the pad, I found myself sliding toward the edge, where the wings begin. Since the hammock is curved, I fell into the V formed between the sleeping pad and the wings. The hammock wall continued to curve around and came to a rest on my arm. When lying on my back, the wings of the SPE protected my side, but there always seemed to be a body part, such as the top of my knee, that was past the wings' protection. Lying on my side, the wings shielded my bottom knee and most of my leg, but my top knee was higher than the wings and came to rest on the hammock wall. I will continue to try different combinations of the foam Wing Inserts and clothes in the SPE wings to see if I can find one that catches all of my cold spots. Using the Wing Inserts: The closed-cell foam Wing Inserts worked fine in the SPE, but I found them difficult to pack in my backpack Since they're long (20" [50 cm]), they extend from the bottom of the pack to the top closure. Inside my pack, there isn't much room at the bottom. I found it difficult to wedge the Inserts in because they're so flexible. In future testing, I will see if there's some way for me to attach the Inserts to the outside of my pack. Using Clothes: I like the organizational qualities of the SPE. I was able to put my rain jacket/vapor layer in one wing, my dirty hiking clothes in another, and remember where they were. I experienced some pretty cold conditions, so ended up wearing most all of my clothes. When I did have extra clothes, I wanted to keep them in my sleeping bag or put them directly under my knees, shoulders, or other cold spots instead of putting them in the wings. Since the wings are open on either end, I found myself pushing the clothes in one side only to come out the other. Items of clothing would also leave the tubes during the night. Often the wings weren't where my cold spots were, so filling them with clothes wasn't solving my problems. Packing: Originally I expected to leave the SPE on my sleeping pad and pack the two as one. This was feasible, but didn't go as smoothly as I had expected. The Insul-Mat Max Mtn is a tapered pad. It folds in half down the middle, and the edges have to be aligned for it to be packed compactly. This requires a bit of adjusting while the pad is being rolled up. Since the SPE has a rectangular opening for the sleeping pad and has extra fabric to for the wings, the sleeping pad's edges are obscured and more difficult to get aligned. The nylon of the SPE is quite slippery, and I had to be sure it didn't bunch too much as the pad was rolled up. In the end, I found it was easier to remove the SPE, pack the pad, and stow the SPE in an extra stuff sack. Like: Place to organize my clothes in the hammock. Dislike: Easier to stuff clothes under my cold spots than use the wings. Test Plan: I will continue to test the Segmented Pad Extender along the trails of Montana and Wyoming, but as the weather cools down and snow starts to fly, I may have to abandon my hammock for a warmer tent. I will see how well other sleeping pads fit in the main body of the SPE and will find out which combinations of the Wing Inserts and extra clothes provides the best insulation for my cold spots. Read more reviews of Speer Hammocks gear Read more gear reviews by Christine Korhonen Reviews > Shelters > Shelter Accessories > Speer Hammocks Segmented Pad Extender > Christine Korhonen > Field Report | |||||||||||||||||||||||||