Foam vs. the Thermarest

I'm a lover of light weight gear and have recently updated my sleeping pad to an Insul-mat. I am paying more attention to comfort lately as well, as my back still needs some TLC. The Insul-mat surprised me as satisfying both desires. Some specs. on the Insul-mat is a light weight of 22oz. , very small packability (can go in bottom of pack), and 2.5" thick when inflated. There are many Insul-mats available in many sizes and R-values. The "max-thermo" pad I purchased received backpacker magazines "sleeping pad of the year" or something like that...

I usually camp on snow when I camp.  I use both with the thermarest on top.  

<br><br>So the temp of the snow probably doesn't fall as low as the temp of frozen ground? They say snow is a good insulator- it's hard to tell when sleeping on the snow how much you end up melting underneath you during the night- its still all white in the morning. Where can one find closed cell foam in the Seattle area without buying a ridgerest or similar product?

<br>Where can one find closed cell foam in the Seattle area without buying a ridgerest or similar product?

<br><br>You might check out a place called "The Friendly Foam Shop", in the Roosevelt neighborhood, (near UW). I haven't been there, but they offer all kinds of stock and custom foam matresses. I've been meaning to check it out for new cushions for the van...<br>