iCampingAdventure.com

Price : $34.99

Features

• The most compact closed-cell pad
• Compact - Accordion-style design lies flat and packs small
• Ultralight - Light enough to carry on virtually any adventure
• Warm - Egg-carton pattern enhances warmth and softness
• Lifetime warranty

Product Description

405186 Features: Pack up in the morning with a minimum of fuss to the accordion-style design lies flat, then folds up into a small package You won’t be adding much additional weight to your pack to only 11 ounces for the Short and 15 ounces for the Regular Use constantly for years or every once in a while to durable closed-cell foams withstands years of abuse Keep warm with the egg-carton pattern that increases the softness of the pad while trapping warm air under your sleeping bag for a cushion against the cold Specifications: Weight: 11 ounces (Short); 15 ounces (Regular) Dimensions: 51 x 20 x 075 inches (Short); 72 x 20 x 075 inches (Regular) Insulation: closed-cell foam R value: 22 Stuff size: 20 x 38 x 5 inches (Short); 20 x 5 x 55 inches (Regular)

Customer Reviews

Review date : 2008-08-11
I purchased this for a 6 day backpacking trip in Uncompagre National Forrest (CO). I found it to be an excellent purchase. It was lightweight, compact (for a foam mat), very comfortable, and its folding properties made it useful for more than sleeping.

Things I used it for while backpacking:

1. I ordered the regular length even though I am short and folded the top two/four sections near my head, forming a pillow!

2. As a yoga mat after a long day of hard hiking. Stretching is a must.

3. As a camp seat. It can easily be folded into a 3 section wide sitting pad. It can also be placed against a tree or pack for both back and butt padding. setup and breakdown are very fast (10 secs), making it ideal for use on those 10-15 min breaks where air pads and even roll pads would be tedious.

4. As an umbrella to protect against some rowdy hail. (haha)

I was warm and dry even when our tent floor was cold and soaked for the daily rain. I cannot vouch for its warmth on snow because we did not camp on any. It also seemed to hold up pretty well considering how hard I abused it. A couple of the egg crates got little rips in them, but that was due to my rough handling, and the rips were just scrapes off the top of the "egg", they did not even go through the whole "egg".

Everyone on the trip loved the thing and people took turns getting to use it as a chair. I definitely recommend this item. It is a little bulky compared to a Thermalite air pad, but it is much cheaper and lighter, not to mention not having to worry about getting holes/popping leaving you without a mattress.

(Note: I never had the water buildup in the egg crate deal happen to me. temps at night were about 35-40 f.)

Review date : 2008-08-10
I got this mat last year for backpacking. I got it after having a self-inflating mat that developed a leak after a year or two. I looked for something that wasn’t going to fail after a short time, and got some good reviews on-line.

When I got the Z-Lite, I was using an external frame pack, and it was easy to attach to the outside. The mat was light, easy to fold and stow, and I found, really good at being a sleeping pad and really good insulation from the ground.

The first time I used the mat, I was taking a wilderness first aid course. It was in January, and the practical portion of the course was outside! The temperature both days was in the teens, and the ground was as frozen as it ever gets. I was picked as one of the victims for part of the class, but when I lay out on the woods on my Z-Lite, I couldn’t even feel the ground through it. Right then, I knew I picked the right product.

I’ve used the Z-lite on several camping trips now, including twelve days at Philmont. I’ve found that, in addition to being a very comfortable and insulating ground pad, it has the additional benefit of being pretty "grippy" to my sleeping bag and tent bottom, so it doesn’t slide around too much on slanted ground.

The only two issues that I have with the Z-Lite are 1) it doesn’t pack as well with my internal frame pack, just because there are fewer places to tie it to (currently, I pack it under the belly bag at the top of the pack which makes it kind of wide), and 2) it’s gotten a couple of minor snags from branches because it sticks out a bit, and it’s kind of soft. I don’t think that either of these is particularly bad, though.

If I were to buy another sleeping mat, I’d buy another Z-Lite!

Review date : 2008-05-29
I bought a Z-lite because I was updating my gear to lighter-weight options, and previously used a short therm-a-rest self-inflating pad. The new pad is MUCH lighter, but not as comfortable. Trade-offs are a reality in camping, so just be sure you’re willing to go with something that is harder but lighter before buying.

Review date : 2008-03-13
I’d had doubts about getting a folding pad with these joints since I generally beat the living hell out of all of my gear and was worried that the weakened folding areas would give out over a short span of time. They haven’t. It’s light, the eggshell design helps maintain warmth and comfort, and it’s tough enough to cram and shove around. It’s a little bulky and if you’re of the type that likes to put the pad in your sleeping bag with you its form makes that difficult, but the compromise in weight and efficiency makes up for it in my eyes.

Review date : 2007-01-05
I borrowed one of these for a campout high in the Wyoming mountains. We were with a large group sleeping out in the open. I recently purchase my own because I liked it so much. On the trip had a "burrito" consisting of my sleeping bag, a wool and fleece blanket covered by a small tarp. This little baby was underneath. Not only did it provide comfort on the hard ground, it provided protection keeping me off the running water on the ground when hard rain started to pelt us for 2-4 hours. I think the convoluted water resistant design of this helped. Except for a little bit of water on the top opening of my sleeping bag, i was dry, one of the very few in our large group. Most of the other people were drenched.

Let?s face it. People aren?t very good at returning calls these days. If you don?t have something they want right then, often times the calls take a back seat to the more pressing matters at hand.

In business, it seems to be less offensive than in one?s personal life. In business, if someone doesn?t return calls it is usually because the person isn?t quite ready to do business. Perhaps they haven?t made a decision or they are working on another project. Perhaps they don?t want or need your services and so they?re saving face by not returning the calls. Casual persistence is the best way to handle these people. And dropping a hand written note with valuable information is always a good tactic. Sometimes, by adding enough value you are able to charm the person into returning or taking your calls. A rule of thumb though is to NEVER, EVER make them feel guilty for not returning the calls. It?s best to pass it off and never mention it again. It?s past history!

In personal life, the ?not returning calls (or emails) syndrome? takes on a whole new meaning. It?s personal, and it hits you more at a core level. It?s YOU they are rejecting, not your BUSINESS!!!

Lets say for instance that you?ve talked about getting together socially with someone for quite some time. Finally, you offer up a few days and expect to get the time set up and meet within a short amount of time. Yet, the email or call never comes back and you begin to wonder, ?What did I do?? Potentially you mentally rehearse your last few conversations to see if there was something that could have been misconstrued. Then your mind starts playing tricks on you and sometimes leads you to believe that something you said wasn?t communicated correctly, or perhaps the person ran into someone else who told them that you were talking about them. Or, perhaps you were too scatterbrained when you last spoke and the person no longer wants to be friends. You are bound and determined to put forth a good face to them ?next? time, even though your life is crumbling apart.

Ahhhhhhh!!! Now the obsession takes over and you can?t stop thinking about it and wondered what you did wrong?

STOPPPPPPP!!!

Isn?t it funny what our thoughts can do to us? They can rip us to shreds quicker and faster than anyone else can imagine. They can pull us down and force us to spiral downward that leave us in a heap of mental dysfunction.

Okay, there are times that a friendship will be put on hold due to some of the choices we make. And there are cases that a friendship is over due to the differences in values that people have. But normally, it doesn?t happen like this. Normally, there is something else going on.

For instance:
The other person had a death in the family and is having to attend a funeral.
Their brother or sister, or both? ended up in the hospital.
Their kids are having problems at school.
Their kids are having projects at school.
They are having company in town for a week.
They are in the process of moving offices or homes.
They are looking for a job and it?s taking every second of their time.
They aren?t getting along with their spouse and don?t feel up to getting together with anyone.
They are having some financial issues and getting together for lunch or dinner is not in the budget.
Their child needs some sort of therapy or counseling and their mind is on that.
They are going out of town for the weekend and trying to get ready.
Their husband and son are taking a camping trip and they need to prepare the tent and camping equipment.
They are competing in some sort of sporting event and they are practicing extra.
They?ve started taking classes and are now studying for the class and upcoming tests.

Okay, you now get the picture! People are BUSY. Taking it personal that someone isn?t calling or emailing you back is probably natural, but not practical. We are living in a different day and time now and the old days of everyone returning calls immediately has now changed to, ?I?ll call you back when I can.?

People are BUSY and we can?t and won?t all fit into each others? lives at the same level that we?d like. Children and family takes priority over people with small kids, and work loads and other responsibilities come first before an active social life. Often now, the conversations have to be cut short and continued later. It?s nothing now for people to stop a conversation midstream only to promise a later get together. Interestingly enough, people seem to be fine with it.

I know that I?ve been unable to attend to a few personal meetings as of late. I?ve not been able to be up with my work load or return calls and emails promptly. I know that it can look bad to others at this point. I can talk a good game, but I can?t back it up right now. It?s just where I am at this point in my life.

I had to tell an old friend recently who commonly makes me feel guilty if I?m not checking in regularly that he shouldn?t expect any phone calls from me in the next year. I currently do not HAVE a social life and don?t intend to have one in the next few months or year at least. My plate is full. My child is my sole focus right now. If I?m not taking him to Occupational Therapy, then I?m taking him to the park or on a bike ride. If he?s at school and I have an extra hour, I?m going to be reading about things that will help him. I will NOT be nursing my social life. It?s just where I am right now and I requested that he just understand that I don?t have anyone outside of my immediate family as a focus right now. I wish things were different but they?re not. I was as nice as I could be, and I think it helped him understand that I can?t be an attentive friend right now.

On the flipside, I?ve also been on the other side where I?m obsessing about people not returning MY calls. I soon found out though that they were out of town or had another amazing excuse that I didn?t know at the time. So I?ve had to forgive others of these minor offenses just like I?m hoping others are forgiving me. I have found however, that if you drop a note to the person saying you can?t respond right then because of some personal issues, people are completely fine with that.

Returning calls and emails is the polite thing to do. My dad once told me to always be the last one to write or call and to never leave people hanging. It?s great advice and it?s advice I share with others. But I also have tolerance for others when they are slow to move as quickly as I am at that moment. My life responsibilities have interrupted my social life more than once and I?m sure it will again.

I just want to make sure that my SOCIAL life, doesn?t interrupt my DAILY life. That is where I am right now. My close friends will understand and the others will just have to wait. And meanwhile, I?m wishing you all love and blessings in your life!!! We?ll all be together again!

Mary Gardner is a professional in the area of lifestyles and communications who is officially taking a break from her normally exciting social life. Sometimes life gets in the way, and you have to role with the punches!
For more information: http://www.marygardner.com

Hiking is an increasingly growing family activity, many parents report that hiking with their children creates a sort of communal task that everyone has to achieve, and that family bonds are stronger then ever due to this family activity.

The challenge of the hike combined with the effect that the time the family spends together is in the outdoors with a kind of “mission” is great for creating stronger relationships and trust between family members, especially among siblings.

Hiking is a great way to get exercise, experience the outdoors and spend time with your loved ones. The wilderness is jammed-pack full of scenes and animals you may never have had the options to see before. You can do things the good old-fashioned route, or you can take an already made trail. Either way, there is a lot to be experienced with nature. The natural environment provides the perfect setting for quality family time.

Much has been said about the effect that hiking has on the mental and spiritual side, the psychological significance of the modern man against the force of nature, all this becomes even more important when thinking about a family unit performing the hike. Hiking can even be a spiritual process as we are all a part of nature, and if you can see this, you’ll discover there are many small wonders you haven’t even noticed yet. The spectacular colors you can see when you are hiking are breathtaking. Everything from flowers to the autumn leaves. Some hiking expeditions are more strenuous than others. So it depends on your physical side just how much you want to endure. If you just want a friendly walk without much effort, you may want to stay on a state park trail.

If you are thinking about trying the hiking for your family, you should try and make everyone a part of the team, even in the preparation phase, try and have a family meeting, decide what food you want to take with you, how many stops you want to take, what are the goals of the hike and more issues that you do not want to leave for the final moment. You can also try and create a sense of challenge by setting a clear goal (reaching the top of a hill, overlooking some nice view, or just starting a trail and finishing it), and plan a moderate celebration once you are successful.

What is awesome when you are hiking is if you can find places that are high up in the air. This gives you the options of looking down upon a vast amount of land, more importantly is that you can use this to show your kids how the effort has paid off, and teach them an important lesson about effort. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words. Imagine what could be said about the ones you take when you find something that just stands out.

Once you have had a few hikes with your family you may want to consider becoming more professional, again - you can use every step to increase the “togetherness” and the family bonding process, you can discuss what equipment you need, assign a research task to family members and have a second meeting after a few days to agree on the budget and spending and go get your hiking equipment, the only thing you need to remember is that you can not get better equipment for one member only, you can set to phase, the adult equipment phase and the kids hiking equipment phase, but try not to get new things to only one of your children, this may create jealousy.

Join the adventure and go hiking with your family, you will be surprised how much it can bring into your own family cell. Good Hiking!

John Furnem specializes in work psychology, stress relief and time management, John uses many innovative techniques to help individuals and families to perform better, John publishes Hiking advice on a travel and recreation site.

[tags]hiking, recreation hiking, hiking tips[/tags]