Sleeping Pad Wins Recognition

Part of my motivation for writing this blog is to become more familiar with gear that might benefit friends and family members during camping trips. A primary category of interest to me is sleeping pads. I used a number of different pads when I was young: inflatable pads that slipped and squeaked as I turned during the night, cheap foam pads that seemed to flatten under my weight, and blankets which seemed to do a fair job, but many were needed in order to produce a desired level of comfort. There's now an award-winning sleeping pad from outdoor gear maker, NEMO. The company's "Astro Insulated with Pillowtop" pad has earned a 2011 Editor's Choice recognition from Backpacker Magazine. We have not yet experienced the comfort of this pad first-hand, but Backpacker gear editor Kristin Hostetter says: "This is the only sleeping pad I'll ever need - for my ounce-counting backpacking trips." The Astro Insulated has a 20-inch width and the length is 72-inches. It's listed at about $100.