BACKPACKGEARTEST REPORT

Report #4 for "Mt. Washington" sleeping pad

Cory Lampert

cory_crosscountry@yahoo.com

Date: September 14, 2001

 

Field Report No. 3

Length: Week-long

Location: Wyoming and Montana

Date: August 9-18th, 2001

Day by Day Reports Follow

 

Performance Synopsis:

DAY 1: August 9, 2001

Location: Grand Teton National Park, backcountry site near Gros Ventre

Nighttime Temp: 37 degrees

Weather Conditions: (During Test) Cloudy, with humidity. Signifigant rain had fallen earlier in the day and the temperture was falling as night fell. Isolated showers, no lightning or thunder, wind calm. Moist forest floor, camp situated on deep bed of pine needles. Elevation: 2,324 ft.

Excellent nights sleep, partially due to a 12 hour car trip from Colorado. Pad thrown into tent, sleeping bag unopened, but collapsed upon. Woke up feeling refreshed and despite the lack of a groundsheet under our Sierra Designs Tiros tent, there was minor moisture, none of which remotely reached me on the Mt. Washington pad.

Performance Synopsis:

DAY 2: August 10, 2001

Location: Benbow National Forest, near Dean Montana

Nightime Temp: 46 degrees

Weather Conditions: (During Test) Clear and cool. Site was in an undeveloped forest service campground with rough dirt tent area. Severely down-hill slant and rocky ground was all that we had to choose from. Elevation 4,000 ft.

Terrible, horrible night's sleep. Yes, perhaps some of it was the fear of grizzlies in the area, but this was a night I can not honestly say I slept a wink. I could not get comfortable, I was constantly moving the pad around to avoid rocks and slanting ground and I was cursing the Mt. Washington pad, as my fiance had a super heavy air mattress and laughed at me all night.

Performance Synopsis

DAYS 3,4, and 5: August 11, 12, and 13th

Location: Beartooth-Absorka Wilderness, Slide Lake

Nightime Temp: 35-45 degrees each night

Weather Conditions: Periodic light rain showers, cloudy and cool. Campsite atop rocky plateau with exposure and very little vegetation. Elevation: 9,324 feet.

A short backpack in and I was seriously weighing the compromise in comfort for weight in the Mt. Washington pad. I was tired and grumpy from the previous night and was fearing for the moment when it was time to retire. The three nights spent camping in the backcountry and hiking during the day proved quite nice and despite the roacky terrain I slept much better these subsequent nights than the night at Benbow. I found that the pad was better, doubled up at the top and then shortened (not full-length when folded). I appreciated the extra padding under my shoulders and ribs (I sleep on my side). I still felt that the pad was lacking in comfort, but I was able to sleep adequately.

Performance Synopsis

DAY 6: August 14th, 2001

Location: Dean, MT Backyard of relative

Nighttime Temp: 45 degrees

WeatherConditions: Clear,beautiful. Site in pasture with grass and soft ground. A few cocktails after dinner also added to a relaxed and sleepy atmosphere. Elevation 4,560.

Slept out behind my cousin's restaurant after a full day of fly-fishing on the Stillwater and eating big steaks at the restaurant after the backpack trip. Slept like a baby--if only grassy field were everywhere.

Performance Synopsis

DAYS 7& 8: August 15 and 16th, 2001

Location: Stillwater Canyon Forest Service Campground

Weather Conditions: Clear and beautiful. Spent two nights at a developed campground with RVers as neighbors. Sites were cleared dirt and the noise was the biggest negative issue to deal with. Still no bear sign in our 8th night out. Elevation: 4,500.

Two nights spent with noisy neighbors and mediocre ground to sleep on. Fishing was good, mood was better, had no major complaints about the pad, although I felt a growing suspicion that I may be the only person in the world that would sleep on such a thin pad while car camping.

Performance Synopsis:

DAY 9: August 17, 2001

Location: Yellowstone National Park, Bridge Bay Campground

Nightime Temp: 25 degrees

Weather Conditions: (During Test) Cold and frosty, though clear. Site at developed campground, flat and cleared dirt. Very crowded, full to capacity campground. Elevation: 7,000 ft.

Finally a test of the pad as an insulator. Though the thickness is minimal, this pad provided serious insulation. I did not feel cold through the pad the entire night. (I must add my fiance and I sleep directly on our pads with our sleeping bags thrown over the top of us so that we can be close- we do not have mating bags). The dog was found curled tightly into a ball at the foot of the pad in the morning, he must have found it insulating as well.

Performance Synopsis

EXTRA BONUS REPORT DAY: September 7, 2001

Location: White River National Forest Campground near Vail, CO

Nighttime Temp: 20 degrees

Weather Conditions: Rainy, wet, turning to snow. Campsite on forested area, lots of duff. Elevation 8, 500 ft.

Surprisingly good night's sleep that I attribute to a nice flat campsite and the insulating capacity of the pad. What a neat thing to wake up in 6 inches of snow in September! But I did remain toasty and comfortable in my tent with this pad.

OVERALL ANALYSIS:

There is no reason in the world to use this pad while car camping. In fact you may feel extremely stupid if you do. But, it serves its purpose well in a backpacking situation if you are picky about your campsite and really tire yourself out. It is never going to be super-comfortable, but it certainly does the job in the cold and is a decent pad for backpackers.

 

Test Plan

·        Maybe a night in a shelter/hut to test it without a tent on a hard surface.

Next on the board:

Hard surface test on slickrock in Moab or in a hut/cabin.

Respectfully Submitted,

Cory Lampert

cory_crosscountry@yahoo.com

9/14/01