FDF Sleeping pad

A simply clever combination of a ground sheet and regular sleeping pad.

This fine piece of sleeping gear was developed for the Finnish Defence Forces in the 1980’s. The additional insulation and protection the fabric cover offers adds comfort in snowy and nasty terrain. Two integrated elastic webbing loops provide a simple and effective way to keep the pad rolled during transport and storage.

At its core this is basically a simple piece of closed cell foam, just like any simple sleeping pad really. The special thing is the cover. The lightweight, waterproof cover does a lot of things. It protects the cell foam from punctures, tears and abrasion. It adds some insulation as it traps air inside it. Maybe most notably it offers a small personal groundsheet, the sides of the cover extend sideways 25 cm on both sides, providing you with a 100 cm wide clean surface.

One side of the pad is covered with a rubber coated fabric piece, the same size as the internal closed cell foam pad itself. This provides a non-slip surface which keeps either the sleeping pad itself or you or your sleeping bag firmly in place.

Something we get asked a lot is: is this supposed to be used with the slick or the rubberized side facing up? Technically the official answer is: the Finnish Defence Forces specified that it should be used with the rubberized fabric facing up, against your sleeping bag. Then again the practical truth is that it does also work the other way around, just a bit differently. Our official opinion on the matter is: use it which ever way you like, both ways have their own merits.