Just Jeff's Outdoors Page

"Going to the woods is going home, for I suppose we came from the woods originally." ~John Muir

Segmented Pad Extender

I wanted to see how Ed Speer's Segmented Pad Extender (SPE) worked, so I made one. It was pretty simple, but it's not as nice (or as functional) as Ed's model. It works, though...it's really an ingenious product. As the designer (Youngblood) says, it's one of those "Why didn't I think of that?" designs.

I just took a single piece of DWR, about 45"x36", and hemmed around the edges. Then I folded the pad pockets down the sides and sewed, leaving room for a 19" pad in the middle. I didn't have any spandex like Ed uses, so I put in a piece of elastic and some shockcord on the back to keep the pad in. The wing pads are 18"x5", and I leave a small space between them (where the middle opening is on Youngblood's design (the Speer SPE)...the wings cover the area from my shoulders to just above my knees.

It weighs 2 oz and packs down smaller than a tennis ball.

I slept in it with a 3/8" CCF pad and had pretty good results...much better with a SPE and quilt than when I used my two-layer hammock with a pad and a sleeping bag. My bag soaked through because there was no ventilation...but with the SPE and a quilt, it worked fine. Almost as comfortable as an underquilt, and I can keep the option of cowboy camping or sleeping in a shelter if I want to. I might take this instead of my underquilt for some trips. See the quick review below for more details.

Notice how the wings wrap around the sides of the hammock and the space between the wings allow it to bend length-wise, too. This keeps the user warm with a narrower pad that doesn't create uncomfortable lumps by buckling.
Top view of my SPE.
Back view of my SPE...you can see the elastic and shockcord that holds the pad.
Detail of the back side showing the tube for the wings.

Initial Review
I've slept in the homemade SPE a few times now....I used a homemade Speer-type hammock and slept in a cotton shirt so I could easily sense any moisture buildup. I used a quilt, so only the DWR and T-shirt were between me and the pad. It got down to ~50F, not much wind to speak of, and a very little bit of drizzle...I slept without a tarp.

I like it a lot. I did feel a little bit of clamminess that I don't get with the underquilt, but I'm sure the cotton shirt exacerbated that. I wasn't overheated...perfect comfort temperature-wise all night once I got settled. Using a 19" pad meant it didn't buckle much...I found a buckle or two when searching for it with my hands, but I couldn't even feel any discomfort from it. I slept on my back and side with no problems.

When I slept in a synthetic shirt, I detected a little bit more clamminess, but not much. I don't know what the humidity levels were on those nights...that could explain some of the extra clamminess.

What I liked:

What I didn't like:

In short, using the SPE and quilt performed a lot better than my last tests with a sleeping bag and CCF pad. I would recommend a SPE over an underquilt if:

I'd recommend an underquilt if:

Further testing:

Of note, I haven't tested a PeaPod, which I think would perform similar to an underquilt. I know Ed uses PeaPods with pads inside...should get to some pretty low temps that way.

Back to Homemade Gear

Top of Page | Site Map | Privacy Policy
© 2005 to Present | Email Me