Gear review - Sleeping pad/mat

Therm-A-Rest Isomatte REI   Therm-A-Rest ProLite   500g   Ø14x30cm   $99.95

I bought the Therma-A-Rest self inflating sleeping mat during a vacation in 2004 in the USA, since my aluminium sleeping mat (see below) wasn't up to my raising comfort demands anymore.

Therm-A-Rest Luftmatratze

Therm-A-Rest Iso-Matte

Therm-A-Rest Isomatte

After not even one week the Thermarest started to loose air. REI exchanged it, no problem. Unfortunately the new one already lost air in the first night. After my return to Germany I had it repaired at a contractual partner, without any problems and for free. Since then the Therma-rest keeps the air, as it should have been when I bought it. I obviously had bad luck with the quality of the sleeping mat, as Therm-A-Rest normally has a good reputation.

The sleeping mat is inflated about 2,5cm thick, 51cm wide and 183cm long. It is also available in 63cm wide and/or 196cm long and/or 5cm thick. My wife has the 5cm thick mat and I must say, the thicker mat is still considerably more comfortable, but it also is heavier and has a bigger packing size.

The packing size of Ø14cm could actually be even a little smaller at about Ø12cm, but the bag is to big, and therefore the mat can unroll a little.

The whole self inflating is such a thing. If you roll out the the mat in the tent, and then leave it alone for at least half an hour, then one only needs to blow about 4 times into the mat, instead of the 8-10 times if you blow it up immediately. This is a improvement, but I wouldn't call it self inflating.

Conclusion: Now that the mat actually keeps the air, I'm very satisfied with it. It is comfortable, keeps warm, and it packs small. At some point I might switch to the 5cm thick version, but for the moment it is satisfying.

A similar Therm-A-Rest ProLite is available at Amazon.com.

  

   

Alu-Isomatte

Alumatte

Globetrotter   aluminium sleeping mat   140g   Ø11x29cm   Euro 3.95

This minimalist sleeping mat really isn't for everybody, not for me anymore either, I guess I'm too old for it now. I had this mat with me on many motorcycle trips, e.g. also in Iceland. It is 55x190cm and insulates relatively well against a cold ground, but with its 3mm foam it doesn't offer any comfort at all. It is surprisingly durable and lasts much longer than expected. I had it for years, and if it rips at some point, a new aluminium mat costs nearly nothing.

Conclusion: This aluminium sleeping mat is a must for all young, price-conscious minimalists. But I can not recommend it for over 30-year old travelers.

A similar aluminium sleeping mat is available at Amazon.com.