POE Thermo 6 sleeping pad r-value?

It appears to be a reasonable R value considering the pad is 2.5 inches thick. My reasoning is as follows:

R 7.8 / 2.5 = 3.10 R per inch
R 6.8 / 2.5 = 2.72 R per inch

Average recreational use insulation is 3.906 clo per inch or 3.432 R per inch. 2.72 – 3.10 is below the average and hence, not obvious misinformation.

Would this be the same for a pad that is mostly just full of air? Or would it have to be full of insulation?

Air pads without insulation are subject to convection currents and don't have very high R-values, regardless of their thickness.

Interestingly enough, the insulation in pads only serves to reduce these convection air currents — creating "dead air" space. It is really the air in a pad, not the insulating material that provides the R-value.

Cheers,

-Mike