Hi,

I'm considering changing out my current sleeping pad system (BA Aircore) for a 3/4 length NeoAir, with sunshade material (the kind with a reflective layer over thin CCF) under my legs, just for insulation. Had a couple questions: Anyone have any idea what the R-value would be? And would it insulate better with the reflective material face up or down?

Thanks,

Pete

The Neoair trekker has an R-value of 2. The x-lite has an r-value of 3.2. The all season is 4.5. The women's x-lite is 3.9. Cascade Designs has all this on their website.

Home depot lists the r-value for reflectix between 3.7 and 17. They say it depends on the application.

I bring two pieces of bubble foil insulation, a small one as a seat pad and one that covers my sleeping pad. When it's warmer out I'll use the bigger piece under my NeoAir like a ground sheet to protect it, when it's cold I bring a piece of plastic visqueen as a ground sheet.

So, to answer your questions, the R-value of bubble foil is, as finallyMe pointed out, 3.2, and you can add a value of 1 to that for every inch of airspace you seal off with it. On a 3.5" thick wall that would be a total R-value of 6.7.

You want the shiny side up so that it reflects your body heat back at you, but it will still do that no matter which way you put it. Some bubble foil insulation has two shiny sides.

For your purposes, if the NeoAir keeps you warm enough as it is, you can bring one small piece and use it for both a sitting pad and to extend your 3/4 pad to full length insulation and I think that's a great idea.

Thanks all - that was the idea, to use the sun shade to extend under my legs. And sorry, I didn't mean to sound like I was asking for the R-value of the sleeping pads, it was just the sunshade material that I was unsure of. But thanks for taking the trouble to type all of that out!

Pete

I speculate that if this worked all that well that it would be tailored in some cool way and then sold by someone for backpacking use (?). Some discussion of this has occurred elsewhere, maybe some on this site, I know at times on BPL, such as in this thread.

Hammockers use the reflective sun shades all the time in the hammock.

They are flimsy and provide zero cushioning for your bumpy bod, but do well enough in the hammock where you don't care about cushion.