There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
Currently I use Exped's UL Synmat 7M. I love this pad. Its 2.8" loft keeps my bony hips off the ground, Its 20.5" width lets me go full fetal without hanging off the sides. Its side baffles are slightly larger, creating a cradle effect. At 72" long, I can stretch out fully on my back, but I rarely ever do that. An R-factor of 3.3 is good down to 25°. It's 16 ozs, which is certainly competitive for the specs, but a shorter version would help me pare a few ozs. They make a 64.2" short version, but for $104 dollars netting less than a 2oz weight reduction, I can't bring myself to push the button ...
I bought a short Thermarest NeoAir Xlight, and I hate it. It may be the classic UL solution for back-sleepers willing to improvise insulation under their feet and calves. But when sleeping on my side, it's so skinny I feel like I'm balancing on a rail with my knees and butt hanging off the sides all night.
As of this writing, the full-length Static V drop just ended. It's wider than my Exped, and pretty inexpensive, but at 16 ozs it offers me no weight reduction, and has a much lower r factor. Again, not enough benefit to get me to push the button.
On Klymet's site, I saw their Static V "Junior" version. Still 23" wide, but only 50.4" long, and 13 ozs! It's also still r 1.3 ... As a side sleeper, this could be perfect for fast and light trips, with temps above 35°. It lists for $45. For a 3 oz weight reduction, and a few more inches of width, it's almost a no-brainer!
Almost ... If we can get a good drop, it'd be even better ...
What do you think? Any other ideas for a high-loft, lightweight pad, that's wide enough to comfortably accommodate us side-sleepers?