| Hammock with Sleep Pad Closed-cell foam pads are readily available from most outdoor and sporting goods stores. They vary from 1/4 to 3/4 inch thick and generally are 20 inches wide and 72 inches long. All models can be used in hammocks. Of course, greater warmth comes at the expense of greater weight. Models with deep air-pocket features, such as the Z-Rest and Ridge Rest pads of Cascades Designs, Inc., effectively create greater thickness, and thus greater warmth, than solid pads of the same weight. Unfortunately, most adults will find that the standard 20-inch widths of these pads are minimal as mentioned above. More suitable 24-inch wide pads include the inexpensive Coleman Ultralight Camp Pad sold by various sporting-goods and general retailers or the Ozark Trail Egg Crate Camping pad sold by Wal-Mart. The Ozark Trail pad is a wise choice since it is also "grippy" and does not slide around inside a hammock like many other pads. Even wider pads provide better protection; however these are harder to find. Thin closed-cell foam pads up to 60 inches wide can be purchased at some fabric stores; mail-order sources include Quest Outfitters, Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics, The Rain Shed, Inc., and Seattle Fabrics, Inc.
Since pads greater than 40 inches wide buckle excessively and create uncomfortable
folds, these wide pads can easily be trimmed to suitable widths with large
scissors. One-forth-inch thick pads up to 40 inches wide can be ordered
from Speer Hammocks, Inc. Wide Reflectix pads are also a wise choice and
are discussed in the following section. |
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