Comments on: Gear review: NatureHike Foam Pad (Z-Lite clone)

By: Paul Mags

Paul Mags — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 22:47:53 +0000

In reply to markp06. Good deal. I still don't! :D

By: markp06

markp06 — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 06:57:40 +0000

I’ve always liked the Thermarest self-inflating pads. I have one that is 28 years old and I still trust it. I always add some air to it and use a good pillow.

By: Paul Mags

Paul Mags — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 14:20:02 +0000

In reply to Gal. Different for every person, but the thigh is a good bet for three-season use.

By: Gal

Gal — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 06:09:30 +0000

Thanks, helpful. How do you decide where to cut the pad? Thighs on the pad?

By: Paul Mags

Paul Mags — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 01:36:26 +0000

In reply to john howerton. Both my pads were flat as a pancake leaking by the morning. :O I'd have to inflate them int the middle of the night. No fun.

By: john howerton

john howerton — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 02:38:33 +0000

I have found that any inflatable pad appears to leak overnight but I feel that the air inside is cooling and therefore has less volume. I have brought pads home from trips that I though had a leak and left inflated for days inside and haven’t found them to be leaking.

By: Michael Douglass

Michael Douglass — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 14:01:30 +0000

Well written review. My experience with NeoAir has been 3500 miles over 6 years not one leak or problem. At 66 yrs old I can’t imagine sleeping on anything else.

By: Paul Mags

Paul Mags — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 22:16:46 +0000

In reply to Joe S. I think with straight up gear, the costs do make more sense for the reasons you stated for the most part (With some exceptions, of course). For apparel, OTOH, esp in commodity items such as fleece hats, jackets, gloves, etc. I think there is a much bigger markup as that is what the consumer will pay for say a Northface fleece jacket vs. an REI house brand jacket vs. a generic one. Points to ponder in any case with no 100% correct answer IMO.

By: Joe S

Joe S — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 22:10:07 +0000

Good point about the ethics.

Makes me wonder. Sometimes gear is marked up. Sometimes it’s expensive because the company is paying employees that want benefits and time off and raises and such. It costs more to be made in USA, for instance, because USA employees get paid more. I want my neighbor to be able to have a vacation, buy his kids a gift, upgrade his car when it’s time, etc.

I want those things for myself too. How else can I afford outdoor gear and time to spend in the outdoors to begin with?

How do we know when we’re being ripped off vs when we’re paying what it costs for employees? Would love to buy from a company that shows me where the dollars are going, and that adjusts pricing over time when they can. The Z-llte has been designed and shouldn’t cost much to produce and ship anymore. Maybe they are designing new products and need to pay engineers to design and test (and QA) new products? The risk of putting out a poorly designed/tested product is too great.