Outdoor Retailer: Klymit Inertia X Frame pad

by Alicia MacLeay
August 5, 2010

What looks like the bare bones skeleton of a sleeping pad, is really the minimal, ultralight (9.1 ounces) Inertia X Frame pad from Klymit. Klymit's designers used body mapping to determine what areas of a pad they thought were a waste of space, then cut them out entirely, leaving support only where your body needs it.

According to Klymit, the design reduces the compaction of sleeping bag insulation, eliminating heat loss and capturing convective body heat within the dead air space.

Klymit's major distinction so far has been its use of NobleTek insulation technology, which uses argon, a noble gas, for adjustable levels of insulation in jackets and vests. The Inertia X Frame pad takes twice the pressure of a standard ground pad and can be inflated with air or, for additional insulation in colder weather, argon.

Because we're at Outdoor Retailer, where gear superlatives abound, it's worth noting that Klymit says the Inertia X Frame is "the lightest and most packable camping pad in the industry." The pad packs 70 percent smaller than competitors' pads when deflated, down to the size of a soda can.

Amy May gave us the skinny on the pad at Outdoor Retailer, in the video below.