Reviews > Sleep Gear > Pads and Air Mattresses > Mt. Washington Foam Pad > Emily Durrell > Field Test

I decided the that ideal way to carry my new sleeping pad was to strap it to the outside of my backpack.  I carry a Gregory Palisade Plus pack.  Instead of using the straps that were included with the pad, I just used the straps on the outside of my pack to lash it to the bottom of the pack.  Immediately I noticed two things I liked about the pad.  First of all, I felt safe strapping it to my pack (unlike my Therma-rest that I am worried about getting a puncture) which freed up a bit of space on the inside of my pack.  Second, the pad helped stabilize my pack so that it would stand up on its own even if I did not balance my pack well when loading my gear.

As we climbed Barren Mountain I noticed the pad brushing up again trees and other things.  I wasn't really worried about what that would do to the pad but when we reached our campsite I did notice a few nicks in the pad.  These were nothing that would inhibit the use of the pad but I am not sure how the pad would stand up to a long-distance hike on a trail that wasn't very wide or well maintained.  I also noticed that the compression straps I used to attach the pad to my pack with left indentations in the bumps of the pad.  I rolled the pad up and attached it the way it was rolled when I received it (egg crate side out).  I am not sure if it would even roll well the other way or if that would make a difference in the durability of the pad.

Any issues I had when I first got the pad about it not flattening out properly were gone by the time I got to camp.  The pad flattened out almost immediately and stayed that way.  After setting up our tent on the beautiful campsite, I used the pad to sit on when cooking and eating dinner.  This is a luxury I didn't have with my Therma-rest and I really enjoyed it.  When I finally went to sleep, I had some immediate observations about the pad.  It was actually more comfortable than I expected when sleeping on my back or my stomach.  However, when laying on either side, my bruised hips (from carrying my pack) were too sore to withstand it.  Also, the pad provided excellent traction.  I tossed and turned all night long (I will get to that part) and my sleeping bad did not move with me, nor did the pad slip out from underneath me.  This was a very nice feature.  I am used to waking up in the night and not being able to find the zipper in my sleeping bag because my bag has twisted so much during the night.  I also noticed that I had no trouble staying warm.  Of course it is the month of July and I was using a warm sleeping bag so I would like to have a chance to test the pad on a cold night to see if the insulation is a effective.

Finally, how did I sleep on the pad.  Well I actually had a rotten night of sleep.  I think this was due to a few factors...  First, I was too hot with my husband and I in our little tent with the rainfly on and our warm sleeping bags I was sweating all night long.  Second, it was our first night tenting with our puppy and while he was tied up I was worried about him getting out of the rainfly all night.  Third,  I never sleeping well my first night in the woods on a trip ( I need to take this pad out for more than one night).  Fourth, I was sleeping on a new pad and thinking too much about how I was sleeping so I didn't sleep at all.  The pad was less comfortable the my Therma-rest but I expected that.  With ideal tenting areas like we found, I think I could definitely use this pad.  I loved the traction I got with it and the light weight.  I am looking forward to trying it out some more as the summer wears on and into the fall.

Emily Durrell

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Reviews > Sleep Gear > Pads and Air Mattresses > Mt. Washington Foam Pad > Emily Durrell > Field Test