Combining most of the best characteristics of other sleeping pad types, the Mt. Washington might just be in a class by itself. It is almost as comfortable as a thin inflatable, as tough and easy to use as the old "ensolite" and cheap to boot. Having punctured 2 Thermarest pads (both on trips; once with a crampon, the other time inexplicable) and tired of the slippery surface, I was burned out on the heavy inflatables. This closed cell foam pad is tough, incredibly light (and long: 5 feet or more) and has a high friction surface you won't slip off of. Also, my wife and I have slept on snow with our Mt. Washington pads a couple of times and found the insulation adequate. The only possible caveat with this pad is that it doesn't roll into as small a bundle as some. That is really a minor complaint; tie it on the outside or roll it around your stuffed tent like I do. Climbers planning anticipating a bivvy should definitely look into getting one of these. For 19 bucks you can't miss.

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Ensolite, Thermorests, other air mattresses, etc.

I AM AN ULTRALITE BACKPACKER.THIS THE LIGHTEST PAD I HAVE EVER USED,AND IS THE MOST COMFORTABLE PAD FOR WIEGHT AND PRICE IT PASSED MY VERY STRICT CONDITIONS AND DEMANDS

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Z-REST

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I recently went online to find the lightest possible gear for this years Eco Challenge in New Zealand. I found the High Country Outdoors site and purchased the Mt. Washington pad for myself and my teammates. At 7oz it was by far the lightest pad we found, not to mention that it far surpassed the thickness required by the Eco people. We received the pads and immediatly cut them down to the minimum requirement specs which was 18"x40". As ridiculous as it sounds we saved an additional 2oz each which was the equivalent of one whole pad. While racing Eco Challenge one of our teammates was injured which forced us to sleep the most we ever have during an expedition style race. The pads were awesome! The closest thing to an inflatable I have ever felt. Total ground insulation. We slept in driving rain in bivy sacks one night the pad soaking wet from being mounted on the outside of the pack. Two shakes and the water wicked off with no retention into the foam. I couldn''t ask for a better pad. Not to mention how many times it saved my ass from falls on the scree since it was mounted below my pack. We ended up finishing Eco in 27th with our over extended sleeps and the pad hardly looks used after being hosed off when we returned home. For ultra light travel there is no better pad on the market.

Customer Service

High Country Outfitters (http://www.highcop.com) are some of the most helpful people we delt with this year while accumulating our gear needs. They took care of us with next day shipping and couldn''t

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I have an Ultralight Thermarest inflatable that weighs about a pound that is pretty compairable in comfort.

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Greetings fellow outdoorsman and(women). The Mt Washington sleeping pad has found and carved a new niche in lightweight backpacking. It has proven to be a durable closed cell pad made of evazote foam. Weighing in at 7oz. makes it easily carried by all hikers. It was a welcome pleasure to carry on the Devil''s Path which is all ascends and descends in upstste NY. It attaches easily to packs (i put mine under my top snap down pocket)and is tough enough to withstand damage from trees and rocks that collide or rub into your pack while hiking.As for comfort the corrugated design is an ergonomic splendor. I found damp soft to hard surfaces well suited for the pad. As a M.D., I prescribe similar designed pads for my bedridden and skin breakdown prone patients. The width and length are most accommodating to hikers of variable sizes. Overall for weight, comfort and cost very tough to beat!

Customer Service

They are super friendly and very serious about helping people enjoy their time outdoors. Emails were returned promptly and affably.

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Thermarest and a borrowed fold-up thin mat(not sure of brand).

Light weight, comfortable. A good value. One comment to the designers: the straps that come with the pad should be sewed permanently to the pad so they cannot be lost rather than separate straps.

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Hello, All. I hiked the Appalachian Trail during the spring of 2000. It was a great trip, and I learned alot about backpacking, and the equipment nessessary for long-distance hiking.
This pad is the best closed cell foam pad I have found. Ridge-rest is the only comparable closed cell, but the Evazote material used in the Mt. Washington holds it's properties much better. In addition to being strong and long-lasting, the Mt. Washington is lighter than the Ridge-rest (by 5 oz.)!!
The cost is worth the product, I've seen all possible market combinations and variations of gear collections during my five month thru-hike, and for a sleeping system, the no-slide, partial egg shape, large pocket foam design, and extreme light weight make it the optimal (per sleepless night on the ground) sleeping component.

Customer Service

This companies customer service is really rare . . . The three people I've spoken with have been more than generous getting me what I want when I want. I couldn't find a distributer in my location . . . well, the product was mailed priority the next day direct from the company headquarters.

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