Look in any mountaineering/alpine climbing book and you’ll see climbers carrying alpine packs with big sleeping pads strapped to the outside. For monstrous, sweeping walls, these sleeping mats are great — they can be used for sitting on when cooking up a brew and keeping the cold away when you bivy.
I rarely climb peaks. I like big walls. However, I approach walls with the same go-for-broke approach alpinists take by carrying a rack, rope and small pack. How little can I take, bivy (because bivying on walls is amazing) and still be comfortable? That’s a question I ask every time I go up on a wall, and I think I’ve got it down to a science. The only annoyance has been the bulky sleeping pad I carry (because it’s way more comfortable to sleep on that than cold, hard granite) but I’ve found a solution.
The last wall I climbed we carried a standard sleeping pad, which we shared. When we hauled the bag, the pad dragged against the wall, got hung up on everything and simply got in the way. Often we wore the pack instead of hauling it. The 20 pound pack was bearable but the bulky pad made it heinous to get through chimneys. Sure, when we got the bivy ledge the sleeping pad really helped us comfortably catch a few z’s, but most of the time it simply got in the way.
That’s where the Inertia X Frame ultralight camping pad comes in (9.1 oz). Built with ripstop nylon, and able to be filled with air via a small pump (included) or by mouth, the X frame is also tough and has a burst pressure of 10 PSI. Klymit calls it the “world’s lightest, most compact and advanced full-length camping pad available.” I’ve never seen another pad like it on the market, so as far as I can tell they’re right. Stuffed in your hand, it’s about the same dimensions of a softball (Kylmit claims it’s the size of a soda can). Fill it with air and it provides more loft than the average pad.
The X Frame looks like an inflatable pad with a bunch of strips missing. When inflated these gaps contour your body, making it more comfortable than any other pad I’ve used. And they help the pad keep its low bulk.
Admittedly, the X Frame is overkill for most camping situations. It costs $100 which is a lot considering most, simple pads cost about $20 and they work fine. Though a niche product, for me it’s perfect. The next wall I do I’ll definitely pack two. This way, when I reach El Cap Spire or Long Ledge (two of the finest big wall bivy zones on earth) on the Salathe Wall, I can break out the sleeping pads — one for my partner and one for me — get comfy, and let my body relax. This is way better than tossing and turning all night (this not really the wisest thing to do on a big wall) to keep my legs and arms from going numb from sharp knobs digging into my body. The X Frame will allow me to go as light/low bulk as possible without ending up miserably cold and uncomfortable.
