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
Here are the super simple instructions for shortening your sleeping pad
1) Decide and mark the desired length of pad
2) Cut with scissors
3) Clear insulation inside away from the edge
4) Seal the edge with a hot iron
I've checked with the experts and as far as I could find, this method works with all sleeping pads - Thermarest, Exped, Nemo, Big Agnes, Sea to Summit and so on. Warning: cutting down your pad most likely voids your warranty from any manufacturer.
Now with greater details and a few basic photos, here is how you can cut down your insulated sleeping pad.
1) MEASURE
2) CUT. IT. OUT.
3) REMOVE INSULATION
4) SEAL THE EDGE
Again, cutting down your pad likely voids your warranty. To some in the Ultralight Community, the tradeoff is worth it. I am not advocating that you cut your pad. That being said, I personally felt a lot more comfortable cutting my $60 Klymit pad rather than my $160 NeoAir.
Note that if you have an uninsulated pad, you can skip Step 3. John Abela illustrates this in his quick video below. He chose to cut straight across the pad, which is another option and slightly easier to do on pads without insulation to remove.
Have you tried shortening your pad? Share you pictures and results below! As always, I welcome your questions.