Lightest 2.5″ Insulated Pad with Pillow

[Casey Bowden]

I'm a restless side-sleeper and still haven't found a good sleep system but am considering the following:

15 oz: 20"x72"x2.5" Big Agnes Clearview Air Mattress
2 oz: 19.5"x59"x1/8" Gossamer Gear Foam Pad
2 oz: MontBell Pillow

19 oz total

I would add some sort of straps to hold the foam on the air mattress and toggle the pillow directly to the foam pad.

Comments? Has anyone used a BA Clearview?

[Joshua Billings]

This is funny. I just got the same set up except I bought the 66" mummy clear view pad. If you inflate the Monte bell pillow pretty full(90% or so ) it is tall enough to be taller than the air pad.This way I can put the pillow on the ground in front of the pad and my legs don't hang off the end of my pad. I put my pillow in the hood of my western mountaineering bag so the pillow doesn't move and the clear view pad feels kind of sticky so it won't slide off the 1/8" thin light pad. I put the thin light under the clear pad to protect it from getting holes as it feels delicate. I don't think any other straps are needed. With this set up the weight is down to 16 ozs with the mummy pad at 11 ozs. The other thing is that the clear view pad doesn't come with a repair kit so pick up a McNett seam grip field repair kit sold here. It was recommended by the big angess rep.
Hope you enjoy this combo. It works good for me in warmer conditions.I need a comfortable set up and it fits the bill.
Josh

[Jay Wilkerson]

Hey Josh, BPL makes great blow-up pillow that is around 1 oz. I used it for the past two seasons. A good pillow is a MUST for me.

[Joshua Billings]

We will have to compare pillows on one our future trips. The monte bell has baffles to keep your head from rolling off and it seems very durable.
Josh

[Jay Wilkerson]

Look forward to it. I go under the knife {HERNYA}this friday. 2-3 weeks of rehab. I should be fine by July. I will keep you updated. Take care JAY

[Joshua Billings]

Hope all goes well with your opp.
Josh

[Yoyo]

To what temperature does this system work for you?

Last year for my summer Colorado mountains trip I brought a Big Agnes Insulated Air Core in conjunction with a Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32 bag. The Insulated Air Core is rated for 15 degrees, while the Clearview is rated for 35 degrees.

What do you suspect the REAL temp rating is for the Clearview pad with and without the Gossamer Gear pad?

I also NEED a pillow to be comfortable. Last year, I used a down pillow, but it was rather heavy (8 oz!). If there are other lightweight pillow options, please let me know.

David

[Casey Bowden]

Josh,

Small world. I grew up in the Santa Cruz mountains and was there last weekend visiting my parents. Thanks for your input regarding the sleep setup.

Jay,

Smaller world. I live in the Berkeley hills. The MontBell pillow is light years beyond the BPL pillows. Good luck with your operation. I may be a late addition to your trip, if spots are still open. Not sure if I can tear myself away from our first baby, currently 5-months old.

Casey

[Tony Fleming]

Hi Casey,

I'm also a side sleeper. In my quest for a great nights sleep, after giving up on Thermarest, I bought an Insulmat(6 tubes)20"x72"x2.5". Then a BA air core mummy pad (8 tubes)20"x72"x2.5", which should sleep the same as the BA clearview, and neither did the trick.

I suspect your putting the 1/8" GG foam pad on top of the clearview for both warmth and comfort. I have the 1/8" GG pad and use it for my HH hammock. It is hard to move around on and can get pretty sticky. I have used it in conjunction with the BA pad, and did not find it really comfortable. My wife has tried both the GG 1/8" and GG 3/4" night light pads on top of the BA pad and still did not sleep well. She almost refused to go backpacking with me anymore.

The answer for her and I, is a Stephensons Warmlite down air mattress (D.A.M.)24"x70"x3"-4" coupled with an Expid pillow pump, also used to blow up the air mattress. You will not believe the difference in comfort between the Stephensons D.A.M. and the BA pad. It's wonderful! She is now very willing to go backpacking with me.

20oz D.A.M size 60"=24"x70"x3"-4" (advertised weight 19oz)
5oz Expid Pillow pump (advertised weight 4.2oz)
25oz total weight for a good nights sleep

Yes,it's heavier, but a much more comfortable option.
I hope this helps.

Tony

For the big guys (I'm 230lbs), you might want to go with the next size up 64"=25oz. We have both sizes and I can sleep on the size 60" comfortably, but the 64" is better.

[Michael Davis]

My wife and I have P.O.E. max thermo 3/4 inflatable pads with synthetic insulation inside, 15 oz. each. Alone, they will get us down to the 30's then we add a 1/8" foam pad and then a 3/8" foam pad when planning for the teens. A 3/8" thick egg crate foam pad cut to 24" long is used under our legs always.

My wife uses a Montbell pillow and loves it. It's flat, baffled construction keeps her head on the pillow. She is short (5'2") so she puts the pillow on top of the inflatable pad and still has room for her torso on the pad.

I am 6'2" and need the pillow off the sleeping pad, so I need a thicker pillow (side sleeper). I use a P.O.E. pneumo Ltw (lightweight) dry bag to carry our quilt or sleeping bags in so, I inflate that for my pillow and tie a strip of cloth around the center to make it have a "bow-tie" look, to cradle my head. Dual use equipment, yeah baby!

As an earlier post stated, the Stevenson's D.A.M.s are touted in all forums as being the height of comfort, but at a price of both weight and the pocketbook. All-in-all, I am personally very happy with my setup as a nice compromise between comfort, weight and price.

BTW; At the time of my purchase of the sleeping pads, about 3 years ago, there were sporatic reports of leaks in B.A. inflatable pads, more than I was comfortable with. While their customer service was reported to be excellent, that wouldn't help me in the field, so I went with P.O.E. Recently, I haven't seen any negative comments about the B.A. pads, but then again, I haven't been actively researching either. Just FYI, I do have faith in B.A. as a good company as I just ordered a Seedhouse SL 3.

[Jay Wilkerson]

Hey Casey, more the better, i am recooping right now because of operation- i should be fine buy July- lets stay in touch.

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