Ray...Seems like a pretty strong review.

What do you think of an All Season L @ $127? Subjectively, is the Xtherm worth the premium???

The All Season saves 1#3oz over my current pad, the Xtherm another 5 oz.

TA
-Mark

Personally, now that I have used the XTherm I may never take the All Season out again.

The reason I gave my son the regular size instead of selling it was because he likes snow camping and the XTherm is lighter than his 60" BA IAC. So the XTherm is now his all-year pad. It will work just fine in summer too.

Some things that the All Season has going for it that makes it appealing is it's shape (some folks don't like or wan't a tapered/muumy shape) and the material on top feels nicer to lay directly on for quilt users. Not quite as plastic-y feeling.

The money issue is up to you. What is a 5 oz savings and the extra warmth worth?

I was going to start a thread but I'll post here for now. I have the regular and I am usually a stomach sleeper. In relation to the BA IAC, why not also consider the Exped UL7 Downmat?

Xtherm Initial thoughts: Light & not that noisy! Potato chip bag crinkle will probably mellow with use & does not seem to be an issue.

Narrow at the shoulders. This pad seems like it would do best with a quilt that has a pad attachment. My arms don't have much room so they easily fall off if not awkwardly placed. As a back sleeper, this would seem to be less of a problem. Side sleeper seems better too yet still narrow. I wish they would have made these pads all at 25 inches or the option of a regular/wide.

Haven't tried this out in the field. Ideally, I would have bought a large and cut it down to size. I am now trying to figure out what to do with this...keep it/test it, try to upgrade to the large & modify, trade it for a Exped UL downmat 7, etc.

Comments welcome...I need to actually test this outside to give proper feedback.

edit: I bought this where only the small & rgular are sold.

Edited by rivrfox on 12/15/2012 15:39:07 MST.

If you havent used it in the field, why not take it to the retailer you bought it from, or if you got it online, the nearest who sells them, and exchange it for a large and pay the difference?

I got our local gear shop to agree with that when the XLite Women's came out, to trade for my wife's unused regular.

I ended up buying the All Season Large FWIW. The comments re: shape and 2 pads next to each other made me consider the impending inclusion of my wife and 7yo on short backpacking trips...I think 2 All Seasons will work well in that regard.

TA
-Mark

Thanks for your comments, Ray.

I've used my short, original, plain old NeoAir and a old blue ccf pad a number of times from single digit F, to the mid 20's F, and been fine. Using either a WM 5F or WM 15F bag. The two nights in the single digits, I had my WM Apache 15F bag, but on dry sand/decomposed granite without the extra pad that trip. The creek was froze over in pools along side the creek at Crabtree Meadow area in early Oct. a few years ago. It isn't the best combo, but can be done, because when sleeping on snow a few nights in the same spot, it gets icy where you slept as can be seen when you take your tent down. I was just out last night using this combo and it was 26F, no snow this AM along the PCT, just south of the Bucks Lake Wilderness.
Duane