Skurka using Ridge Rest Solar as only winter sleeping pad?

1) I've used the Ridge Rest Deluxe, which is the non-reflective R3.1 predecessor to the RRS down to zero degrees on snow. The "on snow" part is important, because snow has an r-value of about R1 per inch. So, on deep snow pack, you eventually reach an equilibrium where the surface of the snow is 32F. If you've ever melted a depression in the snow where you sleep, then you have experienced this — the top layer of snow is 32F. The "eventually" part is important too, as you might freeze some parts off before it occurs. ;)

2) Andy is not human. He is a machine.

YMMV, but my personal guidelines for Winter pads *on snow* are as follows:

15-32F R3.1

0-15F R4

<0F R5.5

Hey, I use one piece of gear that is lighter than Skurka's :)

My old (20 years?) Karrimor Karrimat Extreme is lighter than that Ridgerest (under 500g vs. 540g of the solar) and it's perfectly ok for Finnish winter. I did not feel cold from below when sleeping at -30C in two walled tent. Used it this winter in -16C, so it still performs at least somehow. However, I do prefer having two pads during the winter, frozen snow is so hard to sleep on.

So I say, that Ridgerest might actually be ok – but I would try it first before actually going to longer trip just to see if it's enough or not. I personally do not like the ridge-form in the winter, it collects snow.

The simplest explanation: Skurka is not human.

Baloney. I get cold just like everybody else.

I was able to get away with the RidgeRest Deluxe Solar (or whatever they are calling it) in temperatures down to -20F. In the past I've used 1.5 pads (RRD + a torso-length pad) and wanted to see what I could get away with on this trip. It worked fine. I kept my pack under my legs for added insulation.

Skurka has a special call he does. Bears come from miles around, bow before him, and lay down next to him, keeping him warm.

And they bring him pic-a-nik baskets. Ranger Smith doesn't like it, but that's just tough ;)

I only use a single CCF pad in winter a ridge rest deluxe. But i may be able to deal with the cold better than some. Its -30 today and -35 yesterday with wind chill. supposed to be cold like this for us up here till april.

Ummm…

I spent the last 20 years sleeping with bivy bags in snow (mountaineering conditions) using pads as zrest,GG nighliht, and eva pads from different brands (artiach) with no problems.

Nothing special.. a good down bag… any bivy (gore, epic, event, pertex…) an that´s it …..

And I still feeling quite human ;-)

One of the things Andrew does very well is build his system around his own physiology and style. What he wears and carries is very much dependent on his plans for the trip. This includes not only the expected conditions, but how he will spend his time.

Ex. On our WT3 trip, Andrew was much more used to a style of wake up, break camp, go all day, turn in versus the more leisurely group style we fell in to. We spent some quality time hanging out in camp in the mornings and evenings. As a result, Andrew would hang out in his bag/quilt until we had breakfast ready. It's not that he wasn't prepared for the trip, he definitely was, it just wasn't his usual style and he had to make some adjustments on the fly. I came in to the trip as one of the few with a group background, so I was set for hanging out in camp. If anything, I was over prepared for sleeping, and wound up carrying some insulation I never used. Andrew, on the other hand, slept just right as far as I can recall. You likely won't see him on here asking what item is best for what situation either. He's either tested it, and knows what works best for him, or he's out there testing it. He also doesn't eagerly jump to the newest gear just because it's new. I'm pretty sure he's still using a GoLite parka from several generations back.

Andrew, could you please share some more details about the training Chuck Norris gave you on fighting cold weather and angry bears before your Alaska trip? =)

Andrew, thanks for responding! Thanks to the several other very insightful responders also.

I think this might work for me. As I teenager, I slept in a crappy "30F-rated" rectangular synthetic bag on snow without any ground pad at all at 15F (with all clothes on). I shivered myself to sleep, but I did actually sleep. I've added some "natural body insulation" since then, so I'm going to have to test the Ridge Rest Solar myself. If it doesn't work out, it'll still make a very cushy foam pad for car camping.

I can tend to sleep cold so this might not matter to the more hot-blooded beings out there, but I noticed a big difference backpacking last winter with my Neoair in temps from 0 – 15 degrees and using an Exped Downmat 9 this year. I could literally feel the heat dropping out from my bag during the Neoair winter and though I was technically fine and having good backpacking experiences, I'm pretty glad I upgraded for this winter. I think, in the end, the downmat was probably too much, but the purchase and weight splurge reflected my desire not to have the same experience. Adding a closed cell thin pad under the Neoair is probably all that is necessary for comfort.

SO . . . pushing your pad is very possible for those who sleep warm or who generally don't care about being a little cold. But for those who don't fit in those categories, the Ridge Rest Solar, Neoair, or other decent (but not thoroughly up to spec R rated) mats might not equate to comfortable winter backpacking.