I get the notion that the pad is an area to work on.

I would like to bring in the point that I mentioned that I have a light reflective material under the sleeping mat (like the emergancy blanket reflective material) for reflecting body heat back up. I really thoiught that this would be a good move. Could this not be doing it's job?

AFAIK it also conducts heat very well. That is the same mechanism that you can see if you put a pot filled with hot water on snow or cold floor. While the pot may reflect some heat inside, it will still get cold fast. If you have an Airbed around the pot it will hold the heat much longer. So I don't think the blanket does a lot for you.

Another reason to start with the mat is that it is the cheapest to fix. WHile down jacket are of course very nice, a foam pad has an unbeatable price and is a good place to start looking where the cold is coming from.

so you mean one of those closed cell foam pads that weigh very little and roll up?

Yup. Or a TAR ZLite (http://cascadedesigns.com/en/therm-a-rest/mattresses/fast-and-light/z-lite/product). I really like those especially in winter. I use a shortened one and they attach well to a backpack, are a bit smaller folded up and make a great flexible seat to use in camp. And you get a backup that lets you survive should your real pad blow out.

Edited by karl-ton on 03/11/2013 07:16:05 MDT.