Winter sleeping pad system

You qualify for six different options, assuming that (given the temperature quoted) you will be looking at the Downmat 9.
6' 4" happens to be the size of the DLX. If you attach the pillow to the end of the std size (70") that also gets you to about 76". Or you can follow the advice of some here and get the short with or without pillow ( oh dear another two options…) and use the Ridgerest under it. Or just shove some spare clothing under the Ridgrest as well and pretend that is comfortable.( I would rather keep my feet warm too, but I am one of those wimps that likes to sleep at night)
The original six options I mentioned were because Exped is starting to sell the Downmats with the built in pump.
I think that if you include the pillow we are up to 12 choices.
Of course you can look at the Mini pump or the stuff sack/pump…
Franco

Hi Dave,
I am 6'3" and use the DM7 short on all my winter trips. For my legs, I use a GG 1/8" thinlight and place my backpack stuffed with any extra gear on top of it. Add a hot water bottle in my bag (by my feet) at night and I'm toasty all night. My buddy has the long version and while it is a nice luxury, he doesn't need to use his pack and extra gear under his legs for insulation, so IMO, he is not making the best use of his gear (gram-weenie wise ;)), but he is ALWAYS warm and comfy!

I use my down jacket stuffed in the DM7 pump sack (or any stuffsack) as a pillow. My versalite is so puffy, I don't need much for head support.

All that said, nothing sucks worse then being cold (or friggin' freezing) when sleeping, so make sure you can return the short version if you decide to go with it.

Steve

I should add that this is my full winter system.

Franco, any info on the new pads? Lighter? Availability?

Franco:

– I was actually leaning more towards the 7, not the 9. You think that's a mistake?

– What's the deal with the pillow? Is it just a pump, or is there insulation inside it? On the Exped/OR website they show a photo of the pillow on top of the mat, employed in such a way that it doesn't extend the length of the pad system. This makes me think the pillow doesn't have any insulative value of its own.

– What's up with the new version of the mats? The pump is attached? When will they be available in the US?

Steve:

– What temps have you taken your system down to? Do you get too cold if you don't use the hot water bottle? (By the way, what sort of water bottle do you use for this? I'm a little bit leary of using my Nalgenes for this…BPA and all.)

I'm really tempted to go with the short pad, but I just don't have enough experience to make an educated guess as to how much closed cell padding I'd need to bring for my legs. I wonder if a 3/8" GG pad and the Cilogear pad would be enough?

Hi Dave
Here is a link to the new mats:
http://www.bivouac.co.nz/Brands/Exped/EXPDOWNMATPUMP/Exped_DownMat_Pump%5B2%5D.html
it's in metric measurements so it's your turn to do some conversions here. When I first spotted the specs I did some quick calculations and if you add up the weight of the built in pump version plus stuff sack versus the old mat plus the stuff sack/pillow pump the new (from memory) is a touch lighter.
Of course I don't know the inventory of the US agents but Exped is shipping out the new version. I have noticed that the Melbourne retailers have the existing stock on sale right now so I am guessing the new ones will be here soon.
As a dedicated wimp I don't go out when the temperature is low enough for the Downmat 9 but the 7 keeps me warm down to -8/9 c (18-15f )
I have never seen anyone commenting the the Exped was too warm, but I have seen several comments about "I wish I had bought one sooner" (reminds me of people that say they started using poles when they got bad knees…)
I am by any means no expert, but it is my opinion that many use adequate and even too warm sleeping bags but lose too much heat because of laying on a too thin non insulated (enough) mat.

Pillow
The pillow pump/stuff sack does have a thin (about 1/3" ?) layer of foam, you can blow it up or stuff it with clothing.
The optional pillow/pump (I have the older version) has more insulation and is more comfortable. You can attach it to the mat and have it on top or at the end (you will need to put some clothing under it to have it above the mat level if you put it at the end) It makes no sense to me to have it on top because you lose some lenght by doing that.
Franco

To clarify:
The lowest measured temperature was -7c (once…and not planned) but I still had some room to go. ( WM Ultralite, merino top-bottom,coolmax socks, thick socks, thin wool hat and Montane puffy jacket)

I recently picked up an Exped Downmat 9 DLX. It's way heavy at 44 oz, but, oh man is it ever nice. At 26 inches wide, my arms won't hang off the sides which is great. So far I've only tried it out on the cold tile in my house, but hope to have it out on a trip in a few weeks.

I have used my Exped Downmat 7 down to 4* with no problems. If I know I am going to be sleeping on snow, I usually take a CC foam pad too, but I probably don't need it. The Downmat is very very warm, much warmer IMO than a BA Insulated Air Core. At this point you might as well check out the new version, put the old pump sack isnt as bad as some make it out to be.