MLD 1/4 and 1/8 Evazote Pads

Fantastic, and in usable sizes at reasonable prices.

Thanks for the head’s up.

Are these significantly different from the ones sold by Gossamer Gear?

The different length options are nice.

Very NiCE! Variable range of lengths, all good. Price isn’t too bad in general, could be better. Shipping costs? Flat rate of $6 and Priority $20. OUCH! Gouging us all there. Compare it with Oware’s Plastizote (only)1/2″ pricing $40 for a 20×80 and free shipping. He’s asking too much. Overall durability is better on Evazote. I guess if your looking for these thicknesses he’s offering a great selection. Pricing with shipping is suspect

Gouging? – Maybe not.
Having sold many, many stoves to BPL members, I now realise that the cost of PACKING plus the cost of getting the package to the PO is equal to or greater than the cost of the postage – at least in Western countries.

Cheers

By the way, there is now a source for a 3mm Evazote pad in Europe. The price is pretty painful (I got a quote for a group buy, so know the markup he’s taking). But it’s a useful bit of kit and re-importing a UK product from the US is uneconomic, so it’s nice to have the option:

https://backpackinglight.dk/sleeping-mats/sarek-gear-eva-pad-3mm-light-and-durable

Oware used to sell a 3/16″ pad and I found that to be the perfect thickness. Haven’t seen them in quite awhile.

MLD’s shipping prices don’t seem bad when you consider the time and materials involved. USPS rates also took a considerable jump over the past couple of years.

Shipping costs? Flat rate of $6 and Priority $20. OUCH! Gouging us all there.

Gouging? That’s harsh.

You couldn’t ship a 20″ wide pad for $6 because of it’s shape.

One more victim of the “Amazoning of America” apparently…

Let’s see…

Get in the car and fight traffic to drive to the store I *think* may have what I want (for simplicity let’s assume it does): 20 minutes. Wander around trying to find it: 10 min.  Stand in line at the register waiting to pay for it: 5 min. Fight traffic back to the house: 20 minutes.

Cost: an hour of my time and 1-2 gallons of gasoline @ $3 a gallon.  Or…Sit on my arse in front of the computer and click a button, pay $6 and the object of my desire arrives at my doorstep in a couple days.

Yeah. Doesn’t sound like gouging to me, sounds like a heckuva sweet deal!

American consumers are spoiled for sure… live in Europe for a bit (as I have), you’ll gain a new appreciation for how good we have it, including $6 shipping.

Aside, my favoriite local BP store, Prolite, used to stock Evazote in usable sizes, but they’re now defunct… I wonder what cutthroat online competition put them out of business? I always tell my subcontractors to charge me enough to make the living they need, so that when I need them next time they’re there for me. Not everything is about beating the last dollar out of someone…

Kudo’s to MLD for seeing the need and sticking their necks out to meet it… we should support them by ordering one, including $6 shipping.

Re: the now defunct Prolite store. I am still using all sorts of gear including pads, crampons, pots, etc that I bought at ProLite via their website. Great store. Great service. I was sorry to see them close.

BTW Oware is selling 1/2 inch pads, which are called “Plastazote Foam.”

In Ron’s video, I don’t think the times on the AT, PCT, and CDT clocks make sense.

Glad to see another option for these useful and thin pads. I think the 1/8” pads offer a lot for the weight – puncture protection, a little extra warmth, help prevent your pad from sliding around, and an emergency backup in case of air pad failure.

YES! Kudos to the few who spotted the clock settings. They were set to Reverse Thru-Hiker Time  (RTHT) to signify the range of sureal sensory time warps that occur on the trail after months of walking in one direction and the hard won disconnect from reality savored after re-entry. Future videos may feature real time settings.

Bruce, Evazote and Plastazote are two products by Zotefoams PLC here in the UK.

Evazote is the denser of the two and extremely resilient – I have a prototype of the first Evazote mat from the early 70s and it’s still perfectly functional. This strength means that even a very thin 1/8in / 3mm mat should last well. The flip side is that it’s relatively heavy for the insulation and padding it provides.

Plastazote is lighter but weaker – the thinnest practical mat is around 0.3in/8mm – anything thinner will fall to bits. So Plastazote mats are bulky. You get more insulation and padding for the weight, but it compresses quite quickly in use and won’t last nearly as long. Having said that, I have a Plastazote mat that’s done around 80 days in the field as a sitpad and under my mat at night. It’s lost about 2mm of “loft” but is still perfectly usable.

As always with UL gear, it’s about making the right compromises for your specific needs.

He did say “Gooberlight,” didn’t he?

In Europe, Extremtextil also has Evazote: 1×2 metres of 4 mm for 17.90 € before shipping (a little less than 15 € to the rest of Western Europe) for instance.

I have to rejoice Europeans in this thread. Custom taxes for us are absolutely insane, for example my Hyperlite Windrider 4400 cost me $500 (€110 just for the taxes) with just some extra straps and a repair kit . So don’t complain too much Americans.

:) wow. I really sparked some conversation here. My “gouging” comment was in reference to the $20 charge not the $6 charge, just to clarify. What Ron is offering is a GREAT selection, which I specified in my original statement and I hope he continues to offer this lineup. I myself have an 1/8″ EVA pad from Gossamer and LOVE it other than the fact that my lower legs get cold due to the shortness. Ron has SOLVED this by his offerings. KUDOS! I will quite likely be buying from him. If I have caused Ron any undue pain and suffering due to my comment. My apologies.

bradmacmt “You couldn’t ship a 20″ wide pad for $6 because of it’s shape.”

You can. Oware does. For free, I stated that.

“One more victim of the “Amazoning of America” apparently…”

I hate Amazon. But I’m sure you shop there just the same as I and everyone else does. Pity isn’t it?

Bruce Tolley “BTW Oware is selling 1/2 inch pads, which are called “Plastazote Foam.”

I know. I stated that. I misspelled it with an “I” though. Good catch.

JCH “Yeah. Doesn’t sound like gouging to me, sounds like a heckuva sweet deal!”

Where are you finding these type of pads in local stores to fit your “scenario”? We are all shopping online then aren’t we.

-Well, thanks for all the feedback. All the best, hope we can all still be friends

Balagan

I’ve you’re interested in the Evazote from Extremtextil, just be aware that it’s quite a dense grade (LD50)

I’m pretty sure that Karrimats and other Evazote pads are in the lighter LD33.

The figures 33 & 50 refer to kilos per cubic meter, so the LD50 is significantly heavier than the GG mat size for size, and significantly harder too.

If you try it, perhaps you could let us know how you get on.