BACKPACK GEAR TEST REPORT

ITEM:  Mt. Washington Sleeping Pad

Manufacturer: High Country Outdoor Products

Web Address: www.highcop.com

Telephone: 1.800.304.4442

  

Tester:  Larry Duke- Male, 165 lbs,  5'6" tall.  Moderate experience

Date:   Use Date:  September 8 through September 11

 

Equipment: Used with a full pack including tent, sleeping bag, ground cloth, and stove.

Location:  Frank Church-River Of No Return Wilderness, Welcome Lake, Idaho

Conditions:   Daytime cool 65 to 75 and nighttime cold, 25 to 35 degrees. Minimal snow and rain

Report Date: September 24, 2001

Report Number: 4th, Final-extended use.   

 

Final impression on test:  After having the Mt. Washington Pad for some months now, I feel I have some experience that  might help others.

We hiked n the Frank Church for about seven hours at the elevation of eight to nine thousand feet and were reasonably tired the first night.  I used the pad on the first night and I figured sleep would be easy.  I did sleep but moved around quite a bit to get comfortable.  The pad provided adequate comfort for sleep, but not totally restful sleep.  The reason, in my opinion, being the thickness of it or the lack of it.  I ended up with sore hips.  It did give adequate insulation from the ground cold. 

I tried it for a couple of more nights on both flat and rocky terrain.  The result was the same as far as rest.

My impression here is that it is a great pad for light weight backpacking or minimal weight carrying.  If I had my choice I would use a more comfortable pad for restful sleep.  It provides excellent comfort for it's size.  Meaning that for a thin pad it does great on flat  terrain and ok on rocky terrain.  If it were a little thicker it might provide more comfort but weight would be sacrificed.  It seems to be holding up well and it has been through some thick forested areas and hung on the outside of my pack.

 

Personal Comments:

I still would use the pad for lightweight backpacking if I were on an extended trip or a fast through hike.  For general use and subject to being able to carry the weight difference, I would use a Thermarest or a similar pad.  I am not comparing the two, just my preferences when sleeping.

To me, lightweight backpacking and general backpacking are two different sports.  You can benefit from both worlds by using your personal preferences to pick from both to come up with what suites you as an individual.

Thanks for the opportunity to have been part of this gear review.  I hope my review has been objective.

Larry Duke

traveler0101@hotmail.com