There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
I'm super happy to announce our newest collaboration - the Ultralight Double Sleeping Pad. This builds on our success of Massdrop x Klymit pads with ultralight 20 denier fabric, non-slip treatment on part on the bottom fabric, and fast inflate/deflate valves. We've listened to our members who have made it clear that there is demand for a double-wide pad in this same style.
What's wrong with current options on the market?
Weight: Most double pads are meant for car camping and therefore are typically too heavy to take backpacking.
Size: Also, many existing double pads are too wide to fit into the most popular light and ultralight shelters.
Cost: Since most double pads are made for car camping, they tend to be of lower quality. The only truly ultralight pad, made by Exped, costs $300 - well out of the range of what most people will spend.
We wanted to address these issues and give you an option to cuddle with your best hiking partner. You no longer have to fiddle with straps to couple two pads together, leaving cold air gaps. You can now afford to get a pad that is both comfortable and light. We've been able to increase the thickness to 3.2" to help you achieve your best night of sleep. And this makes it a great fit for not just backpacking, but also cabin trips, car camping, and luxurious solo trips.
We've also heard you that for a pad like this, it would be ideal to have an air pump bag that is also a dry bag / stuff sack. We are working on one right now and will include it with every double pad. We do not have any photo-ready samples yet, though I can share the basic specs: 20d fabric, seam sealed with roll top, and about twice as wide as the current Klymit rapid air pump.
Happy to hear your thoughts on this! The drop starts Thursday morning and will run through all of February. Shipping will be early summer and we'll have a more specific date by Thursday.
-Danny