BackpackGearTest.org - Mt. Washington Foam Pad Gerry Gladu

Impressions and Concerns

My first impression was that the pad was very light and similar to a standard blue foam sleeping pad except that one side is molded in an egg crate configuration. Due to its size, I was concerned about it's packability and due to it's material, I was also concerned about it's durability.

Home Testing

Since I only received this yesterday with a trip planned for today, I could only do some brief testing and comparisons. I compared it to two similar pads, the 3/4 length Ridge Rest and 3/4 length Z-Rest in the categories outlined below.

Packability:

I found that the slightly longer Mt. Washington pad was a bit less packable than both the Ridge Rest and Z-Rest and it took up the most room in all categories - rolled up tight, folded flat as a an internal pack frame, folded in a "C" as an internal pack frame and also as as cylindrical internal pack frame (Z-Rest excluded from the test).

1 2 3

Rolled: ZR RR MW

Folded: ZR RR MW

Cylinder: RR MW

"C" Shape: ZR RR MW

Sleeping Comfort:

I tested the sleeping comfort of all three pads on the hardwood floor of my apartment. Like other testers, I felt that the Mt. Washington was noticeably more comfortable with the egg crate side down. The pad was significantly longer than both the Z-Rest and the Ridge Rest.

The Z-rest was the most comfortable of the three pads with the Mt. Washington pad winning in the other categories. The Z-Rest and Ridge Rest felt clammy in the New England humidity while the Mt. Washington pad was not - particularly with the egg crate side facing up. The Mt. Washington pad had the most friction of the three pads.

1 2 3

Comfort: ZR RR MW

Humidity: MW ZR RR

Floor Friction: MW ZR RR

Sleeping Bag Friction: MW RR ZR

ThermaRestr Chair:

I tried all 3 pads in a ThermaRestr chair and found it to be the most comfortable of the three pads and having a better fit and more easily stuffed than the Ridge Rest but the Ridge Rest was the more laterally stable of the three. The Z-Rest was the easiest to fit into the chair.

1 2 3

Comfort: MW ZR RR

Stability: RR MW ZR

Fit: ZR MW RR

Test Strategy

I plan to test the Mt. Washington pad in the White Mountains in New Hampshire from over the next three and a half days. I will use it on the ground and in a Hennessey Hammock. I do not intend to use it in a shelter or on a tent platform on this particular trip. I will also use it in a ThermaRester chair. The first obstacle will be to find a place to put it on my pack.

Note:

I had a difficult time getting the pad to fit both inside and outside a 45 liter pack - the Kelty Vapor 45. It takes up quite a bit of room - maybe 1/3+ of the internal volume of the pack. Outside, I could not get it to fit under my rain cover when strapped horizontally to the bottom and I'm expecting 4 days of rain during the field test.

I cannot lash it vertically without interfering with the single vertical lid tie down on the Vapor. So, if it rains, I will have lash it in a garbage bag somehow outside of the rain cover like a rookie. If I owned it, I would've cut 10-12" off of it to make it more useable and packable. I could have used my larger pack - Dana Teraplane, but I could not justify using a 6.5 lb pack just to carry a 7.7 oz sleeping pad. The remainder of my gear on this trip weighs just over 13 lbs so I thought I could easily fit the pad inside my pack but I can't without trimming the pad.

Reviews > Sleep Gear > Pads and Air Mattresses > Mt. Washington Foam Pad > Gerry Gladu > 1st and 2nd Report

Reviews > Sleep Gear > Pads and Air Mattresses > Mt. Washington Foam Pad > Gerry Gladu > 1st and 2nd Report