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All About Paco Pads - Self Inflating Air Mattress
If you are indecisive about which pad to buy this may help. No doubt the Paco Pads are a little more expensive that others, but they have the best track record of any pad on the market. The patrons who use them put them through every extreme, from arctic cold, to searing desert heat. Add up long life toughness and comfort, and it equals value. It is a hard combination to beat, and they are self-inflating.
Paco Pad Specifications
Paco Pad is intended for use in some of the toughest environments. The first Paco pads were called them Grand Canyon Pads, because the lack of sand in the Canyon made it important to have a pad that can be used on the flat rocks. Then we established that our customers really liked them for trips in Alaska where there is a lot of glacial river Cobble. The extra dense foam really helps smooth out the rough spots in the ground. Before the advent of Paco Pad Grande, I would spend about a half hour smoothing out the sand under where I was going to sleep. However, I would always wake up with a sore back or hip. We continually get comments like; Paco Pads are the best friend my back ever had.
The mixture of a waterproof cover coated with vinyl and the high density of firm foam is the secret to the success of these pads. The foam is a 2070 grade. The first two numbers designate the density of the foam. There is 2 lbs per cubic ft of foam density. This is more than double the density of most garden selection hardware store foams. The density of the foam is what will give the foam resistance to set, or lasting deformation after rolling many times. The second number means that it will take 70 lbs of force to compress a cubic foot of foam to 3/4 of its original thickness or down to 9 inches. These are standard foam measuring and grading rules. The 18 oz PVC coated Polyester cover also adds a measure of firmness to the pad by distributing some of the load over a larger area. Since 1989, our foam has been made without CFCs, and is environmentally friendly production. Paco Pads are now a green item.
Performance
Performance is measured by more than how healthy one sleeps. A Paco Pad Guide cover (PVC coated polyester) has increased friction between the nylon of the sleeping bag, and the pad cover. This helps stabilize a camper on the Paco Pad. I have had an amount of customers reflect on how often they must get back on their other pad at night. All you need to do to the pad to get ready to sleep on it is open the valve and wipe the sand dirt or water off. It is already waterproof, and it needs no cover. It takes no time to dry. On colder trips, we have often stood behind our pads and curled them around the fire to heat them up before we lied down on them next to the fire. We have never been concerned about where they lay, except for cactus or thorns. Even if a hole is in the pad it still works provided that the foam inside is dry. They never need extra air to make them function. I have had customers bring pads back for repair that have 5 years of commercial use and have had the valves missing the entire time. (We use a stronger valve now) .
One of the great selling points of the Paco Pad Silverback for river runners is the fact that they do not need to be rolled up. When they are unrolled, they are as functional in the day time as they are at night for sleeping. To illustrate this point, consider a raft that has a lot of coolers, and ammo cans and stuff in the cargo area. This stuff can clank around and passenger’s fingers can get smashed or even cut off if they end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Paco Pads not only cushion the passengers, they also keep them from getting stuck where they do not belong. Add to this the insulating factor that pads provide on a raft and there is a great benefit to an ice chest ability to hold ice. We have even rolled up beverages inside them and kept things cold inside a rolled up pad for the entire day.
On our long Grand Canyon private trip it is fun to watch the evolution of a raft rig. On the first day a raft will be rigged so that all the stuff can be secured to the boat. By the second or third day, the passengers have figured out how to rig the boats so that the pads are actually sophisticated lounge chairs. There is a lot of heavy snoozing that can go on in the day, and they figure out how to make it work well fast.
Who uses Paco Pads:
Almost every western river outfitter who does multi day trips will use Paco Pads for their customers. Those who still use cots on the Grand Canyon have guides who prefer Paco Pads. There are a growing number of Mountain Bike outfitters who use our pads too. The number of car campers and kayakers is growing also. Many eastern outfitters offer these at their base camps. They are in Nepal on river trips, and on treks, in the Serengeti on wildlife safaris, and in the arctic on dog sled adventures. Our first customers were river outfitters on the Grand Canyon, Utah Deserts, and Idaho Mountains. Grand Canyon Expeditions issues Paco Pads for their guests, and have large pads that cover the entire back segment of their Grand Canyon rigs (37 ft long) for safety, comfort, and insulation from the hot metal frames. (Grand Canyon temperatures can go over 125 degrees, and metal frames can get very hot.) Arizona Raft adventures uses our pads as cooler covers the Paco Super is good for this. These are custom made to fit over large ice chests, and have flaps that help retain the ice. Guides use these pads in Alaska on the Tatshenshini, and Alsek rivers in Alaska. I just got a Paco Child for my dog to sit in the raft.
Some of our more out of the ordinary customers are Safaris, who use them in Africa because they still function if punctured with thorns. There are a growing number of motorcyclists (bikers) who are using Paco Pads. Hunters find that Paco Pads can be thrown into the back of a pickup truck. Snow, rain and mud does not bother them, and precious dry cargo area does not have to be saved for a bulky piece of foam. In fact we always tie them on top of the roof racks on the Jeep so that we can have more space inside the car. Try the custom made Paco Pick-up. Sleep in the bed of your pick-up on 2" of great foam and never have to brave the ground again.
Crazy things that can be done with Paco Pads.
I have had customers snow shoe up into the mountains, and use their pads as toboggans on the way back down. In fact my little girl and I always take a pad when we go tubing. They are a lot of fun. I have worked on my car numerous times on top of a pad. Sure beats lying on the gravel or worse yet, in the snow. They make putting tire chains on tolerable sometimes. I have used them for packing furniture, windows, and fragile materials. We have customers who purchased Paco Pads instead of a bed, and spent their entire college careers on them. Definitely the vagabond\'s dreams come true. One of my friends wrote on the bottom of the Pad on a Grand Canyon Trip; “Cuban Cigars for Ice”, they got Ice!
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