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 The pack
frame makes use of your sleeping pad to support and cushion you from the
contents of the pack. You can use just about any type of open or closed
cell foam widely available at any outdoor shop or site. I would suggest
sticking to an open cell foam with a thickness of no more than 2 cm because
it offers the best weight to insulation ratio (compared to closed cell
ones) although with some sacrifice to durability. |
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You can
use the accordion-type Z-rest compact closed cell foam pad. They are commercially
available in long (fourteen 5" sections) and 3/4 (ten 5" sections). Both
have a thickness of 3/4" and a width of 20" so you may have to trim it
to fit in the mesh backpad holders of the LAB. However, if you're a really
tall person and you made the pack according to your body dimensions (i.e
torso length values equal or greater than 23") then you need not do any
trimming at all. But in most cases, one has to trim the width of the pad
to fit the minimal confines of the backpad holders. If you get the long
Z-rest then you can cut it into two pieces with one having 6 sections and
the other 8 sections. An important thing here is to fold them accordion-style
with equal number of segments per side before slipping them into the holders.
Use the 6 section for your ultralight needs and the 8 section for more
luxurious camp-outs. Remember though that the longer the pad (8 sections)
the harder it is to fit or put inside the holders and the farther the pack's
mass from your center of gravity (translation: less stable and less comfortable)
because of the thickness of the folded pad. An 8 section Z-rest folded
to fit the LAB pad holders would have a thickness of 3" - that's quite
thick. I encourage using the 6 section pad with a folded thickness of 2
1/4" instead. |
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But if you
can find an open cell foam pad with a thickness of about 5 mm and cut it
to a 30" length (the width varies with the packs size), then go for it. |
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Mine measures
30" long x 14" wide x 5 mm thick and I folded it twice to have a sort of
3-section arrangement before slipping it into the holders. It weighs a
mere 1.8 oz and can insulate my head, back up to my waist area from the
cold, damp ground. The following illustration demonstrates the type of
pad set-up I use for the pack's frame. |
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