Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest Pad

I keep an Ultra Lite pack in my vehicle. It doubles as an emergency pack should anything ever happen with the vehicle leaving me to walk to civilization. My brother and I recently went on a day pack. Once while it was snowing, we went for a hike for most of the day. When we stopped for food, We used our pads directly on the snow to have a place to set our packs and to sit while we boil water and eat. My Ridge Rest (3/4) kept me insulated from the ground better than expected and when I picked it up, there was no snow stuck to it. I used it again with my bivy sack and 50 degree rated down bag. Again it was snowing and the pad was more than enough insulation from the ground. I put my jacket folded flat under my feet just to keep things level. Even though it was 31 degrees, the 50 degree bag had enough help from the pad and the bivy to keep me warm. I have tried a similar arrangement without the pad and sleep was impossible because the ground sucks the heat right out of you. The pad is bulky when packed but it deploys in an instant. At nine ounces, the pad can be strapped to any part of your pack without causing a shift in weight distribution.
Note: A survival situation may go on for any duration of time and happen in any sort of terrain. Not only is it advisable that a survival pack has a pad but the pad should not be inflatable. Tow months in the mountains and it will surely fail if it has to hold air in order to work. With no pad, you may freeze to death even if you have all the other survival gear.

I have both the 48 inch and the 72 inch Ridge Rest by Therm-a-rest. I use the 72 inch for winter camping. It provides just enough insulation for camping on snow, no extra. The 48 inch I use for summer backpacking and it is, in my opinion, the most comfortable thing you can carry at 9 ounces. It provides minimal comfort, but I am used to it and wouldn't carry anything heavier. It will not puncture or deflate in the middle of the night. It is not expensive. It is bulky, but I just tie it on to the back of my pack and that has never been a problem. Comfort is the only drawback. If you can afford the weight and cost of an expensive self-inflating Therm-a-Rest pad go for it. Otherwise this is a very good choice. Head and shoulders above a flat blue foam pad.

The RidgeRest is a great pad for those who don't need the benefits of an Thermarest-like air mattress. It is cushy enough for use on hard surfaces, and it warm enough (check the R value - it's higher than a comparable ProLite 3 pad) for fringe season hiking. Take two of them and you're good down to -20F or colder - I certainly am. The pad also makes a create framesheet for frameless packs, and rolls up nice to slip underneath a pack lid or be attached to your framed pack by straps or otherwise.

Skip getting the regular size and go with the short; it will save you five ounces. Just put your pack underneath your feet and put the top of the pad at your shoulders. Use a fleece vest or other insulation as a pillow.

Considerating the price (30$) I think you can't have something better. Yes it tooks some volume but if you pack over/under your bag this should not be a consideration (it's very light). Same R value that some inflated models that cost 2 to 3x the price. I still haven't figure how to break that piece of equipement. Maybe if i achieve i might be able to get the originals qualitys by fixing with duct tape (won't be as easy with inflated ones!). If you handle easily the kind of confort provided by foam pads you might be very happy whit this one or it can serve you well as a second winter pad. If you aren't a dwarf/gnome, I will go for long model for maximum confort/ versality.

Just bough the Ridge Rest to add to what is a growing collection of sleeping pads. I have a Z Rest and the inflatable Women's Prolite 4. I like all of them for different reasons. The Z-Rest and Ridge Rest are comparable in specs though I think the RR is slightly warmer and lighter. It is a little more bulky than the Z-Rest - but I tie them both onto the outside of my pack, so it doesn't make much of a difference for me. The Ridge Rest (and Z-Rest) are perfect for insulating you from the cold and from keeping any condensation in your tent from getting onto your sleeping bag.

As most already point out, this pad is great other than that its incredibly bulky. As part of my lightweight hiking set-up, I slide this inside my bivy between the ground and my sleeping bag. Its relatively warm and comfy for a closed-cell foam pad. My only wish is that it could pack down tighter. I strap it to the outside of my backpack where it doesn't effect the weight, but can be a pain when maneuvering through tight spots. The pad is also relatively tough. Despite many a meeting with sharp branches and rocks, its holding up much better than the old generic blue foam pads.

For the price, I am very satisfied with this pad. Let me first say that I can pretty much sleep anywhere and I almost never get cold. Having said that, I think this pad is great for its purpose. Its light weight and basically indestructable due to being made from closed cell foam. I feel like it gives plenty of padding for sleeping all night. I have used it in both on desert dirt and bumpy grassland. I was comfortable both places. I haven't used it in cold weather so I don't know how it insulates yet. But you can't beat the price.

This pad is a good deal for the price. Yes it is a little bulky but if you want something smaller then go spend 75-100 bucks on an air pad. I used this in about 35 degree weather at night and the unsulated very well.
The ground was also very hard and I slept like a baby all night. For its bulkyness, it is very light. I just strapped it to the outside of my pack and it worked great. I would recommend this pad for anybody who doesn't want to spend 75 bucks on an airpad and doesn't mind a little bulkyness.