Thermarest air mattress...

[tbante]

I have struggled to find the right mattress for camping and I think I have finally found 'the right one'.
I have tried a few different varieties including a back packing mattress made by Exped which is a high quality product. The Exped was designed for hikers and they tried to save weight by making it narrow. Like I said it is high quality but I just never got a good nites sleep on it......too easy to roll off in the middle of the night.
I also tried a Coleman that required a dang pump it was so big. That lasted exactly 3 nights at the Deals Gap rally. On the 4th night it wouldnt hold air. It weighed about 80 pounds and was a pita......but I did sleep good on it for 3 nights.
So I take a trip to the local REI and was looking at the new Exped's ...........pretty nice. The model I wanted was 25" wide which of course they did not have in stock.
So I started looking at the Thermarest selection which I had previously avoided because of their reputation as a thin, backpacking, lightweight type of product.
They have a new product called the "Trekker" which if you get the large size is 25" wide and 77"long. Now we're talking! I inflated that thing and threw it on the cement floor and tested the comfort. An absolute 11 on the 1 to 10 scale! Even when I was on my side my hip bone did not touch the hard floor. It weighs 1lb and 10 oz. It folds up very small and comes with a stuff sack. SOLD!
I will do a report after I use it in the real world. Which hopefully will be soon.

[bajakirch]

Thermarest makes some great products. I've been very happy with the Z-Rest I've been using for years.

[Me]

How do they inflate?? 

[tbante]

How do they inflate?? 

Human powered. It took me 25 deep breaths. 

[Me]

I thought maybe they had one of the CO2 gun inflators.  But still 25 deep breaths isn't too bad.

[TomInLosAngeles]

I have a regular width thermarest that I use with a "Big Agnes" bag -- the bag has a sleeve in the bottom that you slide the pad into once you blow it up -- no slippin' off in the middle of the night!  One of those "of course" kind of products.

Plus the "Big Agnes" is a wider bag -- not a mummy and not a square bag, but a good middle ground.  Saves a little weight and packing room by not insulating the bottom (where the pad slides in) since that insulation compresses when you use it, and the pad it there for that as well.

 Got the bag at rei a couple years ago, and the pad has to be ten years old, with a few good trips a year.

[fortyhourdays]

I have the cheap walmart imitation Thermo-rest, and I have slept great on it every time.  In fact I just camped out under the stars on a rocky island beach a couple days ago and slept great till all the lobster boats started motoring around the island at 5am hauling traps.  I think the thermo-rest design is the way to go even if you get a cheap imitation one like mine. 

[Hawks_Nest]

I've been using a Thermarest last 20 years. It is an awesome product. You open the valve and leave in on floor. It is self inflating. You may need to blow few more breaths to make it pumpy though. To deflate, open the valve and roll up. After you let the air out, close the valve. It stays as rolled up. When you store it for a long period of time, you'd better leave the valve open. Otherwise, it takes a long time to be self inflated. 

[tbante]

I've been using a Thermarest last 20 years. It is an awesome product. You open the valve and leave in on floor. It is self inflating. You may need to blow few more breaths to make it pumpy though. To deflate, open the valve and roll up. After you let the air out, close the valve. It stays as rolled up. When you store it for a long period of time, you'd better leave the valve open. Otherwise, it takes a long time to be self inflated. 

Yep, I am very impressed with Thermarest at the moment. This new one called a 'Trekker' is not self inflating and it doesnt have foam in inside like most of the others. It is a very cleverly designed air mattress of very high quality. Folds up very small. Anyway I will do a review on it after I get to use it on the Blue Ridge Parkway next month.

[windrider]

Tbante,

Where are you heading on the Blue Ridge?  We'll be near Mt. Mitchell, over Labor Day, if you need a cheap and nice private place to crash.  Love to have you stop by, and maybe we can get a ride in.

[tbante]

Tbante,

Where are you heading on the Blue Ridge?  We'll be near Mt. Mitchell, over Labor Day, if you need a cheap and nice private place to crash.  Love to have you stop by, and maybe we can get a ride in.

drdubb and i are meeting up at kickstand and proceeding up the BRP in late sept. do i remember correctly that your dad actually lives almost in the parkway? is that at mt mitchell area? so very cool.