Home-made Sleeping Pad

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benwood

 
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Re: Home-made Sleeping Pad

by benwood » Tue Dec 06, 2011 8:47 pm

how heavy is it? must be HUGE!

i'd go for silnylon as the material itself is waterproof and can be had cheaply enough. any decent sewer could sew a cover for you.
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ExcitableBoy

 
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Re: Home-made Sleeping Pad

by ExcitableBoy » Tue Dec 06, 2011 9:19 pm

Is memory foam open cell? If so, you will want waterproof material, but you may find it difficult to roll up as tight as the fabric will also hold in a lot of air. That is why Thermarests have a valve.

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bawsd

 
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Re: Home-made Sleeping Pad

by bawsd » Wed Dec 07, 2011 4:56 pm

You could get heat sealable fabric and do it yourself with an iron if you don't know how to sew: http://www.seattlefabrics.com/nylons.ht ... %20Ripstop

Or get some Tyvek and just use glue or Tyvek tape.

Or buy a window insulation kit and use the plastic and tape that comes with it.

But man that's going to be heavy.

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Hotoven

 
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Re: Home-made Sleeping Pad

by Hotoven » Thu Dec 08, 2011 8:42 pm

Yeah I'm pretty sure it is open cell. My bed mattress is 12 in. of memory foam, and if any liquid gets on it, its pretty much ruined. Although I do get the best nights sleep ever, every night! :P
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MoapaPk

 
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Re: Home-made Sleeping Pad

by MoapaPk » Fri Dec 09, 2011 5:27 pm

When I was young and poor, say 1968-1974, I always made pads out of 1" to 2" open-cell polyurethane furniture foam that I bought at the local sewing shop. If you put a covering on it, even a thin groundsheet, the moisture will end up in your sleeping bag instead of your pad, but some prefer that. When I was a kid, we'd cut off all foam that wasn't directly below our shoulders, back and butt.

If you dig hip and shoulder pits (I often do that AFTER my 1-person tent/bivy bag is set up, by reaching underneath the floor as I am lying in my bag), or use extra clothes under your legs, small of back, etc to take weight off your contact points, you can get by with a much thinner pad. I have been using the same full-length ridgerest on back-pack trips for 16 years. It takes an extremely thick pad to make up for a poor sleeping spot.


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