Mt. San Jacinto Outdoor Recreation

Okay, I was up in the sierra this weekend (did mt. dade) hiked in and camped. I used a thermarest pro lite, didn't like it and it took too long to deflate and pack up. I am going up to do Mt. Rainier July 29th and need some advice.
I have a therma rest ridge that i need as my bottom layer in the snow. now i need to look for something light weight (big thing with me) and comfortable along with something i can pack up quickly to start moving again. I was thinking of either of these, not sure:
http://www.rei.com/product/781094

http://www.rei.com/product/802502

Some people say these wouldn't be good due to puncturing it with a crampon. i understand that but my main concern is weight and comfort...any advice is much appreciated.
thank you.

Huh. "Took to long to deflate"? Guess that's relative, depending on your state of mind and time frame. I used a Prolite 4 Regular on Rainier two years ago (on top of closed cell pad) without any issues. (Now, my rented boots --- that's a different story.) For me, the Prolite's been a decent inflatable mattress and, of course, you always have to be aware of what you're doing with your crampons. (I know that doesn't answer your question about the other two you referenced.)

They don't have an R-Value for that Nemo Pad - that sucks.

I have a Thermarest Neoair, several different models of Thermarest self-inflating pads including the Prolite, an Exped Downmat 7, and a Thermarest Z-lite. All my sleeping pads are the short models (I'm only 5' 1.5" tall, so short pads work good for me).

I used to use a Thermarest self inflating pad alone in warm weather and with the Z-lite in the snow, but now I use the Exped Downmat 7 in the snow without a second pad and the Neoair in the warm weather without a second pad.

The Neoair is fragile and you do have to be careful with it, but for warm weather camping it's really comfortable and lightweight.

The Exped Downmat has a really high R-Value, so it's great for camping on the snow and it's really comfy too. If I didn't have the Exped Downmat, I probably would go back to using the Thermarest Prolite with the Z-lite for snow camping. I don't think I'd use an uninsulated pad like the Neoair for camping on the snow, but maybe it is warm enough with a second pad?

I don't think you'll find there is a significant time savings in using one pad over another - the only ones that don't require some kind of inflating or deflating are the foam pads like the Z-lite, but they have the disadvantage of being bulkier to haul.

KathyW wrote:They don't have an R-Value for that Nemo Pad - that sucks.

It's also four pounds. That really sucks.

I haven't tried the Exped DownMats. Looks like a nice deal inasmuch as you wouldn't have to carry a closed cell foam pad (e.g. Z-Lite) to put underneath it.

Tina, let us know what pad you finally get and how it works out. Above all else, stay safe.

HJ

it took too long to deflate and pack up.

I open the valve, roll it up squeezing out the air, then close valve immediately. I then unroll it and roll it up again with the valve CLOSED until the remaining air is all at the valve end of the pad. I then open the valve, roll out the remaining air, then close the valve. You can repeat a third time and usually squeeze out a little more if you really want to compress it. Only takes about a minute? If you don't close the valve after rolling it the first time it starts sucking air back in.

I like mine and use it with the cheap blue foam pad when I am in the snow. If its real cold I put my empty pack under my feet.

Open the valve the first time when you're still in bed!

-Florian

Hey, Tina, if you really want to get going quickly in the morning, why don't you just squeeze out all the air the night before?

HJ

OMG!! you guys are hilarious.

To quickly deflate your Thermarest, fold it over twice and sit on it. That will get most of the air out quickly and then close the valve, roll it up until you get resistance, open the valve and finish the job.

But since you're doing Rainier aren't you going to summit and then return to camp? Why pack up?

Also, don't put your crampons in your tent. Let them outside in the vestibule. When I snow camp, I dig a 18-24 inch recessed area beneath my vestibule to put stuff I won't be keeping in my tent. It also makes it easier to put on my boots in the morning.

thanks for all your input, much appreciated.
i opted for the neoair and the z-lite, along with my 0 degree mh sleeping bag i think i should be okay on rainier at the end of july. if not i can sleep in my clothing and/or suck it up.
not sure if we are keeping camp somewhere and then tagging the peak or what the plan is. we are most likely going up the kautz route not sure i want to come down it as well.
kathy, the neoair has an r rating though, correct?