I don't like the pain of having to run a long strap around our sleeping pads. Here is a simple pad coupler setup for closed cell foam pads using 3/4" watchband clips and grosgrain. A nice edge stitch will make it plenty comfortable. I put some McNett tape over the two end clips because I did not use an edge stitch on those ones and they are much softer this way. If I was going to do this again I would use some decent backing fabric under on the underside to add to the durability. They seem plenty tough as is though. I'll update this in a few months if they don't hold up.

Edit: I almost forgot... they weigh about 1/4oz for all three (not including the tape)

Edited by bignelie on 05/27/2011 09:58:11 MDT.

if you are worried about their comfort can't you just put them on the bottom?

is the grosgrain loop just sewn on and then these are bonded/taped to the pad? (it appears as so)

this could also work for some sort of quilt attachment. interesting!

They are sewn on with large stitches. I taped the top and bottom ones to smooth the edge of the grosgrain. Of course you can flip the pad and they are on the bottom, but for tent camping (or on thin ground sheets) I don't want anything with hard pointy edges under me when I squirm about in my sleep. They are out of the way enough anyways. I like how fast it is to click them together - painless.

Funny you should mention the bit about attaching a quilt - I just finished our two person quilt and was debating for a while whether to make it click in to the pads or not. I opted not to for simplicity and time, but it is a good idea.

Thanks for the input.