Field Report

Field Report: InsulMat Women's Edition max-lite 1.0 Petite Sleeping Pad

My e-mail:bpskids@charter.net
Name: Jodi Cornelius
Age: 41
Height: 5'4"/1.6 m
Weight: 160 lb/73 kg
Gender: Female
City: Derrick City
State: PA
Country: USA
Date: February 12, 2004
My area of the country: Northwest Pennsylvania

My Background: I have been backpacking for 2 years now and before I camped quite a bit. I consider myself somewhat new to backpacking and am on my way towards becoming a lightweight packer. I have mostly been a 3-season backpacker but enjoy the winter months and am working toward doing more hiking during the cold weather.

Product Information:

Manufacturer: InsulMat http://www.pacoutdoor.com (note, make sure if you type the URL in, that you do NOT type pacoutdoors – it is a completely different website!)
Product: Women’s Edition max-lite 1.0 Sleeping Pad
MSRP: $54.00
Year of Manufacture: 2003
Size: 20 x 66 x 1.0 in / 51 x 168 x 2.5 cm
R-Value: 3.0 ~ 4.0
Weight: 26 oz / 725 g
Color: Wasabi / Larix (also known as pea green and steel gray)

Features from the Website: Designed and built for Women wanting the lightest, least bulky, gender specific, self-inflating pad money can buy. Die-cut Matrix foam provides outstanding insulation for minimum weight under the body, with high R-Value Basix foam under the feet and body supporting Dot foam under the hips.

Field Experience: I took this pad out and let it inflate a number of times before actually using it, per their instructions that came with the pad. Initially, it took much longer for the pad to inflate than the stated 30 minutes. I found that if I blew it up, it helped the pad get rid of the creases that must have kept it from self-inflating correctly. Now, when I unroll it and let it inflate, I find it is inflated within 10 minutes. I do need to blow it up a little more for the firmness that I prefer, which is not a problem. A couple of breaths and the pad is perfect. This definitely beats having to blow the sucker up each time I use it. The first time I put the pad in my hammock you would have thought that I was in there fighting for my life. The pad slid around the hammock squirting out from under me each time I tried to get on it. I was twisting and turning and thrashing about trying to get the pad under me and to STAY there. After about 15 minutes of fussing with the pad and getting all sweaty in the meantime, I finally got out of the hammock and pulled my sleeping bag out. Low and behold, my darling little grandson had somehow managed to dump his baby powder all over my bag (I had noticed that it smelled like his powder but didn't realize it was all over the place) and that the bag was slipping all over the place. It wasn't so much that the pad wouldn't stay in place, it was my sleeping bag! After I beat the stuffing out of my bag (not my grandson as he's only 3) and got the majority of the powder out, it stayed in place much better. I still notice that the pad doesn't like the sil-nylon of the hammock and does tend to slide but it does not slide any more than my Therm-a-Rest® Ultra-light 3/4 does. The Ultra-light is 20" wide x 47" long x 1" thick (51 x 119 x 2.5 cm). The R value is 1.7 - 2.6 (2.6 when fully inflated). I initially thought about putting the non-slip shower/bath grippers on the bottom of my pad but I think I'm going to hold off on that for a bit and see if use of the pad causes it to "roughen" up the hammock enough to hold its position. I do have a non-slip rug mat that you use to keep rugs from sliding around on the floor that I have cut down to a useable length that works somewhat, but is still not as helpful as I would like.

I have tested this pad in some bitterly cold weather. When we hit lows of -25 F/-32 C I braved the elements and hung out in my Hennessey Hammock. Needless to say, I didn't stay there very long. That was just too cold and not a good test of the pad. Next, I decided to try my bivy tent on the ground. Seeing as there was ground insulation, I was hoping I could successfully spend the night outside. Again, nope, too bitterly cold. This is not a reflection against the pad. It is more of a reflection of my "wussiness" in staying out in cold weather. Of course, I do realize that this is expedition cold Siberia insanity weather so I don't feel quite so bad about wussing out. I did notice, however, that the warmth factor (R Factor) is greater on the max-lit than my Therm-a-Rest® so I look forward to seeing how much better the max-lite works under cold conditions.

I have noticed that there is some good cushioning under my hips. The insulation thickness is not really noticeable compared to my Therm-a-Rest Ultra-light 3/4, but the warmth factor has been noticeable, especially under my feet.

I have slept on this pad in my hammock, in my North Star Bivy tent, and on the floor. The hammock and bivy have been used in 15 F/-7 C up to 35 F/2 C. In all the tests I have used my MountainSmith Roundtrip +35(2 C - the +35 is part of the name of the sleeping bag but decided in the interest of our standard to list what the temps would be in Celsius also). Sleeping bag, a fleece liner, wool socks, expedition weight long johns, and my Psolar Balaclava. Although I did feel the cold and didn't sleep as well as I normally do (I'm usually not out in the winter but am wanting to get into it more as I like snowshoeing) I didn't have any desire to go home and get warm. I tested both the Therm-a-Rest and the max-lite in the same temperatures on different nights and found that I do like the max-lite better. It being designed for women seems to make a difference as they have put denser padding in the hip area. I do know the hip area has the extra cushioning they have stated because in the bivy, on the ground, I didn't need to dig a hip scrape like I normally do. I like that because I am a side sleeper and I really don't want to have to scrape the ground as I am partial to LNT (Leave No Trace) when hiking. I am really looking forward to using this pad as the temperatures go up to see how well it supports without making me sweat.

One other thing I noticed. I am not usually a stomach sleeper. In fact, I, maybe, sleep on my stomach for a few minutes once every 6 to 8 months and only then if my back is bothering me in a certain manner. Otherwise, I'm on my side and sometimes on my back. But I decided to try to sleep on my stomach on the ground and it is VERY comfortable for stomach sleeping. I do like being able to wrap my arms under the mat and "cradle" my head on the mat. That was surprisingly comfortable. I caught myself sleeping a little more frequently on my stomach after that.

One thing I do NOT like, and it is nothing against the mat at all, is the inflation valve. I am a very restless sleeper and too many times I have moved and it digs into my head, or else I lay on it with my shoulder and it pains my arm. It would be a whole lot easier for me to sleep on it if the valve was by the feet rather than the head.

Things I like: It is VERY comfortable. I found I was able to sleep in freezing temperatures without much difficulty. I like the color ;-)

Things I dislike: The valve would be a lot better if it was at the foot of the mat and not at the head.

Read more reviews of Pacific Outdoor Equipment gear
Read more gear reviews by Jodi Cornelius

Reviews > Sleep Gear > Pads and Air Mattresses > Insul Mat Womens Max-Lite > Jodi Cornelius > Field Report

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