The Klymit Inertia X Frame is an anatomically patterned, super light weight (9.1 oz) camping pad that packs down to the size of a soda can. Looking at its unusual shape makes one wonder if such a thing is possible to sleep on. Klymit has made some revolutionary changes to the standard inflatable pad, and the result has many people scratching their heads. But I slept on the X Frame during a winter camping trip, and found that this pad is worth far more than its tremendously low weight.
Before I took the Klymit Inertia X Frame into the mountains, I spent a night on it at home to get an idea of what to expect. Like everybody who sees it for the first time, I was unsure if I could get a good night’s sleep on something so minimalist. So I rolled it out on the floor and amazingly, inflated it with only three breaths. A small hand pump is included with the X Frame, and I used it to top off the air and make it even more firm (about 4 psi.) I then put my sleeping bag on top, crawled in, and gave the Inertia X Frame a chance to wow me.
Of course, I’ll never sleep well unless I’m in my own bed, but I was very happy with how well the Inertia X Frame kept me off the ground and supported my body. The filled-in sections of the pad are located where needed – at the head, shoulders, hips and feet. Any other body part didn’t touch the ground when lying down, and those empty spaces gave the impression that I was floating above the floor. Also, the pad prevented the insulation at the back of the sleeping bag from compressing because of what Klymit calls “loft pockets.” These spaces also lessen conductive heat loss and capture body heat in the dead-air space.
Convinced after my test night on the floor, I put the Inertia X Frame in my backpacking gear and set out for Lake Blanche in the Wasatch Mountains for some ski touring and winter camping. After setting up the tent and digging out a snow kitchen in the pine forest below Sundial Peak, I brought out the X Frame.
Although sleeping on the pad at home simulated summer camping, in the winter, Klymit recommends using the X Frame along with a standard inflatable pad. The idea is to put it underneath the standard pad so it acts as a cot, keeping you above the snow-covered ground instead of sleeping directly on it. When I’ve camped on the snow before, I could always feel the cold seep up from below. But with the Klymit Inertia X Frame underneath me, I never felt so much as a chill on my back the entire night, despite temperatures in the low 20s.
If you’re one of those backpackers who cuts a toothbrush in half to save weight, then you can use the X Frame alone on a winter trip. Leave the standard pad at home and bring along some of Klymit’s NobleTek argon gas canisters. Argon gas insulates better than any natural or synthetic fiber, and will create a warming barrier between your body and the ground.
Although I was comfortable enough to fall asleep both nights on the X Frame, my only gripe concerns the width of the pad. When sleeping on my back, my arms would touch the ground and get cold. I had to make an effort to keep my hands clasped on my stomach when falling asleep. Also, the supportive sections are great when sleeping on my back, but I’m a side sleeper, which made the pad less comfortable after rolling over.
The good news is that anyone with doubts about the X Frame has another option: the Klymit Inertia XL. It’s just like the X Frame, only wider and beefier. But, it’s still very light weight at 16.8 ounces and rolls up to the size of a water bottle.
The Klymit Inertia X Frame is solid. The pad is built with durable materials like 30D ripstop nylon on top, and 75D polyester on the bottom so worries about puncturing the pad are nil. The X Frame comes with a hand pump for topping off the air to desired stiffness, and it all fits into a small stuff sack.
Overall, the Klymnit Inertia X Frame made me rethink about what I really need to be comfortable when sleeping outdoors. If the goal is to travel as light as possible, then there’s no reason not to own the X Frame for backpacking and camping adventures during every season. For more, visit Klymit online
I wonder about the layering of the mats with the Inertia on bottom. I did the same but had the Inertia on top and I think I slept warmer because I was still taking advantage of the body heated air pockets where the Inertia is cut out. By placing the Inertia as the base or as they put it the “cot” you simply fill those spaces with the cold air from the snow packed ground. Another thing is while winter camping it is usually a better insulating system to utilize a closed cell mat as the base with an open celled mat on the top, which actually allows better heat retention as well as a barrier to the cold ground!
Cheers
I wondered the same thing too, especially given that the “loft pockets” are a patented feature that would be rendered useless if under a standard pad. But the instructions that Klymit sent with the X Frame said to use it “underneath” a standard pad while winter camping.
Since that’s how Klymit said to use it, that how I tested it.
If I had more time with the X Frame, I would have tried it on top of a regular pad to compare the difference. Thanks for letting us know that you think it worked better with the X Frame on top.
Either way, I was plenty warm during the night, while my buddy, who was just using a standard pad, got cold.
1) The R-value of any airspace from 0.5″ to a foot thick is 1.0 (see any science text). With the X-frame under your standard pad you’re essentially get an R-1.0 airspace under your standard pad. Normally a ‘standard pad’ is around R-2.5, so with this setup in the winter you’ve essentially got a total insulation value of R-3.5 underneath you. That’s better than just a standard pad, but a bit light for real winter use. R-5-6 is normally what winter campers aim for in a sleeping pad.
2) Suggesting leaving the ‘standard pad’ at home and using just the X-frame filled with Argon gas is going to ruin someone’s winter trip. Argon is only 30% more insulating that air. You’d have a total R-value around 1.3 which is way too little for winter camping. That’s summer pad territory. You would have the ‘loft pockets’ where your sleeping bag could help out a bit, but you still wouldn’t have this extra insulation in key areas like your hips, head and upper back. Using only the X-frame filled with Argon is a terrible idea for winter camping and not even a good idea for spring/fall camping. Also, the Argon canisters are heavy (look it up) and you need something like 3 of them to fill this pad. It works out to about $12 everytime you want to fill the pad and the weight really adds up to. The end result of this idea would be paying $12/night and carrying many ounces of canisters just to have a seriously under-performing winter pad.
3) You said “Argon gas insulates better than any natural or synthetic fiber, and will create a warming barrier “. This ‘insulates better’ claim might be true if you think of it as insulation for the weight, since argon gas weighs pretty much nothing, but most people are going to be quite mis-led by this statement, as Argon really doesn’t insulate much. It doesn’t weight much and it doesn’t insulate much, so it might score well in ‘insulation for the weight’, but in terms of total insulation it’s really low. In terms of insulation for the thickness (ie. 1″ of argon gas vs. 1” of down) it’s not even close. Pretty much any form of insulation is going to perform far better than argon gas when comparing similar thicknesses.
I have to disagree with you on a few points here and wonder if you’ve even used the X-Frame or any of Klymit’s products before.
First, the argon canisters are not heavy. They are tiny and light. Plus the X-Frame inflates with only three breaths. There’s enough argon in each canister to fill the X-Frame several times.
Also, if you’ve ever worn an argon-filled jacket or vest, you’d feel how warm it is. Based on personal experience, I think that argon is warmer than down or synthetic insulation like Primaloft. I skied in a below-0 day at Deer Valley with the Klymit Intertia Vest and couldn’t believe how warm my core was. Once my body heat warmed the argon, it was all gravy. Try one out sometime.
I used it for the first time in July of 2012 in the Uinta’s. Intermittent weather with afternoon showers. I was trying to find something with less weight than my big agnes insulated pad with my big agnes (BA) sleeping bag (uninsulated back). It blew up quickly, adjustable firmness, not quite as comfortable as my 24oz pad (expected), however, I found I wss cold, especially sleeping on my side where my shoulders were in contact with the floor through the holes. I tried moving on top of a tube but I never stay in one spot. I like the concept, weight, etc, but I think next time with mt BA bag setup I’ll need to bring either a foil pad or foam of some sort (below 15oz or I might as well bring my BA pad). thanks for the info.