Klymit Inertia X Wave

[Brian Phillips]

Anybody have any experience with the Inertia X Wave? I like the thought of a 3/4 pad with 25" of width but wonder if it will be comfortable for a full time stomach sleeper. Any input would be appreciated.

[michael levi]

Weight?

[Brian Phillips]

195 lbs. I have been reading up on these pads and it seems the pockets were designed for sleeping bag use. I use a quilt and wonder if the cut outs would make me cold. Does anyone use this or any of the Klymit pads with a quilt?

[And E]

I don't have any experience with the one you're taking about, but I do use and love my static V. I think the x wave may be too thin for comfortable stomach sleeping. The static V is 2.5" thick, and very comfortable to sleep on in any position. I shortened mine a little by just running an iron over where I wanted the seams and cut the excess.

[Roger B]

@An-D I had been thinking of doing this as well. How much did you shorten yours? and do you have any other tips re shortening?

[Brian Phillips]

I might be missing something but the specs on the X Wave list the thickness at 2.5" as well. Are you using your Static V with a bag or quilt?

[Corbin Camp]

per Klymit's site it is 2.5". I have the full size Interia XL and it's 1.5". You can sleep anyway you want fairly well. Yes, it's built more for bags. A quilt would be a little cold to use without a CCF pad on top. I use a quilt with my Static V and it works great. Still wish Klymit would add a little R-value to it.

[Jake D]

I have a Static V but am looking to switch to a Neoair xlite for a bit more R value with my quilt (would trade if anyone was interested) I am a side sleeper and the neoair "holds" it's thickness better.

[Roger B]

I do not trust the Klymit site, they state the weight of their Insulated Static V as 709 gm, the one I weighed was 803 gms. According to their EU distributor the thickness of the X wave is 1.5" see (http://www.sce-consulting-equipment.com/onlineshop/camping-pads/inertia-wave-recon-detail.html) In my view the X wave is very similar to a cut down Inertia XL as shown in the video on how to shorten the Inertia XL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikipu5LAzHk

[Brian Phillips]

I just noticed on the Klymit site that they list the thickness for the Inertia X Wave as 2.5" or 3.8 cm. 3.8 cm is obviously the equivalent of 1.5". I noticed the same mistake on several retailer sites including campmor. I sent an email to Klymit product support so we will see what they come back with.

[Corbin Camp]

Looks like they have some sloppy updates to their site. I've seen that before with them. Not sure what the deal is. I haven't had any problems with my Static V. I never bottom out on it. I looked at the Xlite but couldn't justify the triple cost on a 2 oz difference for the large. Regular NeoAirs are too narrow IMO. They have a better R value but most of my trips don't need anything beyond the 1.3 the Static V has.

[Brian Phillips]

I agree that the regular Neo Airs are too narrow. I own a large Neo simply for the 25" width. I don't need the length which is what is driving me towards the Inertia X Wave. The thought of saving 8.1 oz for $79 got my attention right away.

[Gabriel Rhoads]

Sorry for the confusion folks,

We need to get that corrected on the Klymit site. The X Wave is 2 inches thick at the side rails and 1.5 inches thick in the body region. It is 10.5 oz.

On the retail floor, we typically sell 3/4 pads at a fractional rate when compared to our full size pads. It has been fantastic to see the through hiker response to the X Wave, however. The concept of a "luxury 3/4" at 26 inches wide and 10.5 oz seems to be appealing to the 50 plus nights a year crowd. At every trail festival we attended this year the X Wave sold out first. The tossing and turning room is unmatched. John Abela deserves credit as he requested this configuration first, and as we moved forward from the initial concept we added a very gradual taper, making the pad feel more like a full size pad with no ledge that your leg drops off like other 3/4 pads. We also added the wave sections as they give side sleepers a soft spot for their knees, which to fast hikers and bike packers translates to much less IT band soreness and thus less maintenance. There is simply no need to put things under your legs except on the coldest nights with the X Wave.

As far as sleeping on any of our body mapped Inertia Pads with a quilt you have Ryan Jordan of BPL (X lite with Nunatak), Shawn Forry, current CT record holder on an (X lite and quilt), Ron from Mountain Laurel uses this config, most of the Klymit guys use this config, and several other unsponsored outdoor athletes also use this config. All of our Inertia pads easily go down to below freezing with this setup. Most quilts cover the peripheral loft pockets that may see convective heat loss, and it takes a massive amount of movement on the pad to lose warmth from the centralized loft pockets. Below 20 F just use a 3/4 lenght 1/8 inch evazote(with the quilt system). That only adds 2.6 oz. Below zero we strongly recommend a sleeping bag. You get a pad that minimizes sweat back on hot nights but still goes down to 20 easily with a 20 degree quilt.

I realize there has been a huge amount of conjecture here. I support it, and empathize. The loft pockets started out as cutouts, and these cutouts were made under the primary volition of weight savings. The realization of their warmth was not without a huge amount of surprise and excitement. It seems intuitively accurate that the loft pockets would not capture heat without insulation, but after many testing nights TRYING to get cold, I can only say that the real world use verdict is in: We have yet to have someone report that they were too cold on a properly functioning X Frame, XL, or X lite above 10 Fahrenheit (with a sleeping bag or quilt rated to the conditions). We have scoured the world for a review of someone saying they had frozen, or packed up early, or had a suffer night. The only negatives are if someone does not fit the strike zone dimensions and has a body part come in direct contact with the cold ground. In fact, if someone has an experience that they did get cold on an Inertia pad we want to hear all about it…we look at negative feedback as the opportunity to make our products better.

In August we MIGHT just have a camping pad coming out that combines the comfort and strike profile of the Static V and the versatility of loft pockets…at 21 inches wide…with a built in 4 inch pillow…in a 11 oz full size pad….Maybe ;)

Sorry again for having the wrong specs up on the X Wave,

Happy Trails,

Bodhi

[Brian Phillips]

Thank you for the response. I just placed an order for an X Wave and am anxious to see how it works. Regardless of outcome I am thrilled that someone offers a 3/4 length pad in a wide width. Thanks again!

Brian

[And E]

The x-wave is just a shortened inertia XL, so it's 1.5" I use my klymit with a quilt, and if it's cold, i use a 1/8" ccf pad with it down close to freezing.

To shorten: Deflate and keep the valve open. Mark out where you want to shorten and cut it… remember, it'll be shorter when you inflate it, so cut it a section longer. I shortened mine by a few V sections, as I'm only 5'6" and didn't need the full 72" This brought it down to 14 oz. For shorter ones, just continue to "Weld" the V secion where you want it cut. I'll post pictures later.

[michael levi]

I'm considering getting one to use with a 1/8th pad, and my backpack at the feet. It seems better than ccf and les bulk. It's the ten ounce stayed weight before the hand pump? Also will I be able to use this pad with my head hanging off the top resting on a Klymit Cush pillow?

Or will the built in pillow get in the way?

[Jennifer Mitol]

So am I to assume that this has pretty much no R-value? And in at least the summer/shoulder seasons, is that really adequate? Or is it intended to be used with a foam pad?

[Tom Lyons]

It has some R value, but I have seen no testing on what the exact amount is for that particular pad variant.

BPL did some scientific testing on the Klymit X-Frame pad variant, and found that it varied from about R2 on the inflatable sections, to about R2.8 on the "holes" between the inflatable sections, proving that the "holes" actually do work. The BPL testing also showed that the "holes" also had the effect of making the pad VERY specific about what size people can fit on it for best results. Not everyone fits on this pad properly.
However, the X-Wave has much more inflated area and seemingly fewer "holes", so it would seem likely to be able to fit a wider range of people because of that.

I personally use the small Klymit X-Lite variant, and I happen to have a body size which fits it well, and I think it's an awesome pad that is comfortable and warm and very light and packs really tiny.

In winter conditions it can be paired with a thin CCF pad, and I use a GG Thinlite CCF 3/16" pad with mine in winter temps, under my WM Alpinlite.
I'd also like to point out that in winter temps you can put the Klymit X-Lite or X-Frame pads INSIDE your sleeping bag, and this virtually eliminates the conductive heat losses to the outside air, because your pad is inside the bag with you, staying warm. That makes a big difference in how "warm" the pad feels. And the "loft pockets"(holes) allow your sleeping bag to loft up a bit inside the loft pockets, so you get the benefit of your down bag underneath you to some extent, which also helps a lot.
I use the 3/16" CCF pad outside the sleeping bag, underneath the bottom, as an extra layer between me and the ground, and I put a HeetSheets reflective ground sheet under it all.

[michael levi]

Would anyone recommend against getting a pillow and using the pillow directly on the ground, this will increase pad length for body.

will the built in get in the way and be uncomfortable?

[michael levi]

Bump, I wonder how the comfort is compared to a foam Ridgerest too.

[Brian Phillips]

Okay so my Inertia X Wave arrived in the mail the other day. While I won't have a chance to trail test it until this weekend I do have a few backyard observations.

Things I like

1. I can blow this thing up in 4 breaths. I won't miss the euphoria/nausea caused by blowing up my Neo Air Large at the end of a strenuous day.

2. I can leave the hand pump at home. I find four breaths provides just the right amount of inflation. Soft but not bottoming out.

3. I have tried a 3/4 length Neo Air but could not get comfortable. The pad was so thick that I couldn't seem to find enough gear to stuff at my feet to get them up enough to where I didn't feel pressure on my knees. The X Wave has tapers that allow your legs to gradually drop off the pad. As a full time stomach sleeper I find that a sit lite pad under my knees is all I need to get comfortable.

4. 25" of width. This is way more important to me than any other factor and it seems other manufacturers only offer this width with a full length pad….until now of course.

Things that are less than ideal

1. This is not a huge deal but the advertised weight is 10.5 oz and on my scale I get 10.9 oz without the stuffsack and 11.2 with the stuffsack. All in all still a nice weight savings over my Neo Air large.

2. The built in pillow is a bit awkward for a stomach sleeper. It is actually quite comfortable when lying on my back but unfortunately this is not a sleep option for me. It is not a deal breaker because the width affords the option of laying my head off to one side which is still comfortable. I think someone could get away with sleeping on a pillow placed off the pad so long as the pillow has a fair amount of loft and the pad is not inflated to its firmest setting.

All things considered I think this is a great product and will probably become my go to pad for 3 season outings. It looks like my wife will inherit my Neo Air as I now have a comfortable alternative and a 7.7 oz saving.

[Randy Thornton]

Thanks for the first look review. Mine is on order and looking forward to getting it outside.

I'm glad someone has finally made a wide & short air pad. For years I've asked salespeople for one, to no avail. Seems like the only two groups of people in the world who sleep on their backs, arms at sides, without moving all night are vampires and sleeping pad designers.

As a side sleeper, I use a 25" wide 48" long CFC pad from JRB for insulation but at my age really need more comfort. Glad to hear about the taper at the legs. The 'leg cliff' on short thick air pads feels awkward. This sounds like a good design.

One thing though: I wish it were not red.

I really dislike glaring colors on equipment; it's a blot on the landscape. It seems the khaki Recon model – which was out of stock all the time anyway – is no longer on the Klymit site. Klymit, how about some appropriate natural colors in green, brown, grey?

[Corbin Camp]

Can I sign up to be a tester for the new pad? I have both an Inertia and a Static V. Still not sure which one I like better. I will admit though, I have not tried the Inertia with my quilt. Guess I'll have to see how it does with some cooler temps. Hard to do now with the lows around here in the 70's. Really don't need anything beyond a liner bag.

[Brian Phillips]

I was able to test the X Wave this past weekend during a quick overnight. Temps were in the 70's all night long so I can't comment on how the pad insulates. I purposely set up on some pretty hard and bumpy ground and found that this pad was sufficiently comfortable for such a scenario. As previously mentioned, I am a stomach sleeper and use a Sit Light pad under my knees and a clothing stuff sack for a pillow. I will say that I did find the built in pillow a distraction for stomach sleeping and had a hard time getting fully comfortable. I tried to place my pillow off of the pad but the built in was then putting pressure on my neck. After tossing and turning for a few hours, I had an epiphany. I rotated the pad 180 degrees (built in pillow towards the bottom) and problem solved. I ended up with a flat surface to rest my pillow and I was out like a light.

the next morning I experimented with placing my pillow just above the pad and found it to be very comfortable. This allowed me to have my knees on the pad which freed up the Sit Light pad for use under my feet. This is the configuration I will be using from here on out.

[michael levi]

Thanks for the review Brian. it seems like for stomach sleeping the built in pillow would be annoying, but for back and side it might actually be helpful. Ask in all I think this setup would be pretty bomber paired with a 1/8 ccf pad.

A Ridgerest weighs 9 ounces and is the same length, but not as wide. This wave packs smaller and is probably more comfortable.

[Author]

Posts