[pct-l] Sleeping gear recommendations

Mon Apr 18 07:28:48 CDT 2011

Good morning, Moccasin,

Don't come unhinged:  Unless you are the principal character in *The
Princess and the Pea* tale you won’t feel the seams in a hinged foam pad.
When the taped pad is first folded, the tape on the outside of the fold is
forced to adhere to the double-thickness of the cut edges.  Fold the pad the
opposite way and both pieces of tape adhere between the edges.  The result
is – when unfolded flat – the gap substantially disappears.  The remaining
gap will then be perhaps 1/8”- 1/4” wide; about the width of the pea in the
story.  I never feel such a gap.

When I remodel a pad to install hinges I also cut it to whatever size I
want.  If I have any concerns about taping technique or how the resulting
hinge works I practice on some of the trimmed scraps.  A joint taped with
the ends abutting in contact will not fold flat: it acts like there is no
seam at all.  The hinge will work with the edges spaced one-thickness
apart.  The pad will fold mostly flat until the edges have bent and
compressed slightly in service.

I have used another taping method that does result in a near-zero gap.  It
is more functionally elegant but it is difficult to render and it creates a
hinge that bends only in one direction; meaning care must be taken to
stagger the hinges, top and bottom, to assure that the assembly will
accordion fold.  To make that style of hinge, align the pad segment edges
together in contact, and apply one strip of tape.  Next fold the pad at that
point with the tape in the inside.  The result is a double-thickness
edge.  Next
– and somewhat tricky – tape around this double-edge.  To do so I place a
strip of tape on the table, sticky-side up, and push the double-thickness
edge directly onto its center.  Finally, I fold the tape edges onto the
surface of the pad on both sides.

Sleep tight....

Steel-Eye

Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09
 <http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09>

On Sun, Apr 17, 2011 at 8:35 PM, Brandon McGinnity <bmcginnity at gmail.com>wrote:

> Thanks for the info man. One concern: If I space the pads a bit before
> taping them together, won't I feel the gaps when I sleep on it?
>
> On Sun, Apr 17, 2011 at 2:16 PM, CHUCK CHELIN <steeleye at wildblue.net>wrote:
>
>> Good afternoon, Moccasin,
>>
>> I’ve never had one of the duct tape hinges fail.  Always the foam has
>> ripped or become compressed before the tape failed.
>>
>> My first two foam pads were purchased in the ‘60s when they became popular
>> and readily available.  They were made of a product called Ensolite which
>> was great insulation, and it didn’t seem to compress, but it was rather soft
>> and became damaged easily.  One of them I wore completely out -- meaning
>> to a rag -- while the other stayed in the gear locker.  That second one
>> was eventually converted with duct tape hinges, and that exact pad is shown
>> as the light-green item, center right in the TrailJournal photo.
>>
>> The light-blue pad at lower-right was the next step.  It also is closed
>> cell foam but since it has seen quite a few trail nights it has become
>> semi-retired.  The dark-blue pads shown are what I’ve been using
>> recently.  They are a different kind of foam, with much larger
>> entrained-air cells.  The cells are much more like micro-bubble wrap than
>> fine-grain foam.  It works fine, but it seems to compress after about 100
>> nights.  I’ll probably replace that style of foam if I can find something
>> better.
>>
>> A leading retailer in my area has some foam pads which I may try, but I’m
>> leery.  Instead of being thickness-formed during manufacture leaving a
>> smooth top and bottom surface, these pads have been sliced from a large
>> block of foam with a knife or saw.  The result is the top and bottom
>> surface of each pad is rather fuzzy from the cutting.  It looks as if it
>> would be difficult to wipe dry should it become wet – which can happen – and
>> it may be more difficult to get the duct tape to stick to such a surface.
>>
>> One tip for hinge-making:  Before applying the duct tape, top and bottom,
>> space the sections apart by about two pad-thicknesses.  That will allow
>> the resulting hinge to bend either way without crushing the foam or
>> over-stressing the tape during a fold.
>>
>> Steel-Eye
>>
>> Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965
>>
>> http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
>>
>> http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09
>>
>>
>>   On Sun, Apr 17, 2011 at 9:11 AM, Brandon McGinnity <
>> bmcginnity at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Steel Eye, that is a great idea, to convert the foam pad to an accordian
>>> style pad. How well does it work? Does the tape hold up well?
>>>
>>> By the way, I have the same sleeping bag, as yet untested. Good to know
>>> others are using it out there :)
>>>
>>>   On Sun, Apr 17, 2011 at 11:02 AM, CHUCK CHELIN <steeleye at wildblue.net>wrote:
>>>
>>>> Good morning, all,
>>>>
>>>> For me, the change from sleeping on a thin, closed-cell foam pad to
>>>> sleeping
>>>> on one of the air mattress cousins would be costly and would add weight
>>>> --
>>>> all to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.  That’s my opinion –
>>>> obviously
>>>> your experience, needs, results, and wallet will vary.
>>>>
>>>> I expect the air mattress items would be fine to sleep upon, but I sleep
>>>> very well on the trail and I wouldn’t compromise much to make a small
>>>> improvement – and I certainly wouldn’t trade-off my ration of Peanut
>>>> M&Ms in
>>>> the process.
>>>>
>>>> The cost increase isn’t my biggest concern:  I usually get – or probably
>>>> already have – whatever gear I think I would like to use, or at least
>>>> try to
>>>> use.
>>>>
>>>> I’m not tough, I’m lazy.  The tough people are easy to spot – they keep
>>>> their socks up with thumbtacks.  Being lazy I’m most concerned about
>>>> weight:
>>>> My cheap-o foam pads, modified to accordion-fold,
>>>> http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=264203  provide some padding
>>>> and
>>>> structure to my little 13-ounce pack.  A rolled up air mattress wouldn’t
>>>> perform that function, so I would likely have use a different pack – one
>>>> with some padding and/or structure -- adding a pound or so to the base
>>>> weight in the process.  I could pack differently to spread my sleeping
>>>> bag
>>>> against my back instead of the pad, but without the pad’s modest
>>>> structure
>>>> everything in the pack will shift around on while I hike.  Also, the pad
>>>> keeps the sweat of my back from soaking the sleeping bag better than can
>>>> be
>>>> done with the slick, shifty ground cloth.
>>>>
>>>> I also like to simplify the process of hiking/camping on the long
>>>> trails.  With
>>>> my foam pad I don’t have to scrutinize a prospective bed-site for small
>>>> sharps; I only inspect for things that might make me uncomfortable –
>>>> something I would also have to do with an air mattress.  Neither do I
>>>> worry
>>>> about being let-down on the cold ground in the middle of the night, or
>>>> finding and patching the probable leak(s).
>>>>
>>>> Steel-Eye
>>>>
>>>> Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965
>>>>
>>>> http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
>>>>
>>>> http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Sun, Apr 17, 2011 at 7:58 AM, Scott Williams <baidarker at gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> > Just a plug for the neo.  I carried one all last year, and just took
>>>> it
>>>> > into
>>>> > a very chaparral covered area for a 3 day backpack trip this past
>>>> week.  I
>>>> > cowboy camped on a chunk of tyvek for most of last year's thru hike,
>>>> so no
>>>> > double layer, and still have not had it get punctured or loose any
>>>> air.  I
>>>> > think they're reasonably tough.  Cactus thorns will puncture them, so
>>>> I was
>>>> > careful in the deserts, but slept many nights on prickly pine needles,
>>>> > rocks
>>>> > and twigs, and didn't have it get a puncture, and have never slept on
>>>> a
>>>> > more
>>>> > comfortable mat.  I met many folks using them on trail last year, and
>>>> > punctures were not what they talked about, the great sleep they got
>>>> was.
>>>> >  For some of the younger folks I traveled with, who were on little
>>>> foam
>>>> > mats, I used to tease them by offering them 10 minutes on my neo for a
>>>> bite
>>>> > of their snickers.  No one ever killed me for it, but after they took
>>>> a lay
>>>> > down on it, pretty much everyone of them swore they'd have one next
>>>> hike.
>>>> >
>>>> > For young folks, you can all pretty much sleep on rocks and be just
>>>> fine,
>>>> > but for the elders on trail, those of us not as absolutely trail tough
>>>> as
>>>> > Steel-Eye or Switchback and a few others, I highly recommend the neo.
>>>>  It
>>>> > works well on a crowded motel floor too.
>>>> >
>>>> > Shroomer
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>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> ~ Moccasin
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>
> --
> ~ Moccasin
>
>