Tenting and backpacking sleeping pads have R-values that measure how a lot insulation they supply in opposition to the chilly floor. Sleeping pads designed for chilly climate use have excessive R-values whereas ones designed for hotter climate have low ones. That is illustrated on this desk which reveals the R-values beneficial for various nighttime air temperatures.
| Air Temperature (F): | 50 | 30 | 25 | 10 | 0 | -15 | -25 | -40 |
| Minimal R-Worth | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Air Temperature (C): | 10 | -1 | -4 | -12 | -18 | -26 | -32 | -40 |
| Minimal R-Worth | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
For those who solely camp in temperatures above freezing, a sleeping pad with an R-value of two or 3 might be ample. However what occurs if you happen to purchase a sleeping pad with a better R-value for winter tenting, like a Thermarest NeoAir XTherm which has an R-value of 6.9. Might you employ it in hotter temperatures and with out overheating and sweating all evening?
To reply this query (initially posed by a reader), I reached out to my technical contacts at Thermarest as a result of they’ve an elaborate in-house temperature testing facility for sleeping pads and sleeping luggage. I knew they’d present me with a solution based mostly on knowledge, not conjecture as a result of they’re all engineering nerds. Obtained to like out of doors nerds.
I requested Brandon Bowers, who’s the class supervisor for sleeping pads, whether or not you possibly can use an XTherm for tenting in sizzling climate. He advised me “Utilizing a excessive r-value pad in summer season is a technique some folks use to allow them to get rid of the necessity for a number of sleep pads. I might not suggest this if nighttime temps are above 75 levels, however this can be a private desire.”
Whereas there are certain to be particular person variations with that threshold, it supplies baseline to assist decrease the sum of money you spend on sleeping pads if you happen to plan to camp in summer season and winter. Take me, for instance: I keep away from winter tenting in temperatures under zero as a result of it’s simply no enjoyable freezing your ass off outdoors under that when melting snow for consuming water, which might take some time. Zero levels, no drawback. However I’m over tenting in actually excessive chilly.
For those who’re like me and 0 levels is the coldest winter climate you need to gear up for, fairly than shopping for a NeoAir XTherm (R=6.9), you’d be higher off shopping for a Thermarest NeoAir XLite (R=4.2) for three-season use and stacking it with a cheap Thermarest Zlite Sol foam pad (R=2), for winter use (4.2+2=R6.2), since R-values are additive. You may even use an inflatable sleeping pad with an R=3 ranking and a foam pad. You at all times need to carry a foam pad in winter anyway, so you could have insulation to take a seat on when you’re cooking and melting snow or for an emergency.
In sizzling summer season climate, you’ll most likely be advantageous with the XLite as much as nighttime temps of 85 levels (F) or so. For those who do mix the XLite and ZLite for winter, you wouldn’t have to purchase an XTherm in any respect as a result of it’s actually solely good for very chilly climate use and never for summer season temperatures.
I assume that’s form of a nerdy evaluation. I’ll most likely be promoting my XTherm quickly.
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