Ridgerest in the Antarctic.

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jimford

Settler
Mar 19, 2009
548
0
84
Hertfordshire
I see in this Week's Radio Times a picture of the kit James Cracknell and Ben Fogle used for their Antarctic trip. For sleeping on they used a Ridgerest, plus another foam mat.

I use a Ridgerest and prefer it to the inflatable mats I have. The only problem I've found with it is that in cold conditions, water vapour condenses in the hollows and is wicked up into the bag. Cracknell and Fogle seem to have avoided this problem by using an additionl mat, presumably between the Ridgerest and ground.

Jim
 

Lasse

Nomad
Aug 17, 2007
337
0
Belgium
Why would the additional mat be placed between the ground and the Ridgerest?
If it were to avoid the condensation, I'd do it the other way around, avoiding any of those gaps coming close to the sleeping bag...
 

oetzi

Settler
Apr 25, 2005
813
2
64
below Frankenstein castle
A customer of mine, who used this kind of mat in Alaska on frozen, snowcovered ground, spoke not that favourable.
Because his bodyheat sort of softened the top layer of snow under his mat, which the´n filled the cavities of the mat, thus reducing insulation heavily. he recommended going with a normal mat and placing the Ridgerest on top of it.
 

Karl5

Life Member
May 16, 2007
340
0
58
Switzerland
I usually go for a foam mat on the bottom, and put a thermarest light on top of that. Keeps me nice and toasty all through the night, and the thermarest doesn't suffer from any frozen bits on the inside of it.
Plus it's nice and soft on my old bones :eek:

/ Karl
 

cccc

Tenderfoot
Mar 25, 2007
75
0
52
North Hampshire
When I was on the icecap in Greenland I used a 3/4 Thermorest and a full floor foam mat.

The foam was just some 5mm black stuff, but made a difference.

We did find that after a couple of nights or a stormed in day that we had melted slight dips in the snow under the tent.

Also crampons and ice axes don't mix well, but the repair kit worked just fine :)

c
 

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