Therm-a-Rest - Military Self-Inflating Sleep Pad
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Based on 1 year's data from Feb 24, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
6
1
"I've never been cold on it even in sub freezing"
"keeps us warm ... We only camp in winter, early spring and fall."
"provide good ground insulation for those chilly Alpine nights"
12
4
"Definitely worth it ... I think I only made one repair."
"Well if you need quality, comfort and light easy portable one… term a rest is just the best in the market. ... We use those for 20 years down here wile fly fishing in bariloche, patagonia Argentina."
"The ther-o-rests are almost 20 years old and still in great shape."
9
5
"Well if you need quality, comfort and light easy portable one… term a rest is just the best in the market. ... We use those for 20 years down here wile fly fishing in bariloche, patagonia Argentina."
"Well if you need quality, comfort and light easy portable one… term a rest is just the best in the market."
"I can even sleep on my side without hip pain."
1
0
"For me the thermarest warranty has been worth its weight in gold ... every interaction I’ve had with them has been amazing, no questions asked replacement or repair"
3
1
"I use Thermarest pads, have for years, I store them deflated and rolled up, the self inflating feature works fine for me"
"just unroll them as soon as you get to the campsite and leave the valve open until you’re ready to sleep, it may need a little topping up by blowing but not much"
"We find as long as we stay on the self-inflating mats, we’re pretty comfortable."
Disliked most:
3
1
"the R-value is low though"
1
1
"they take up nearly twice the room in my gear"
1
5
"Both times I’ve hiked the PCT my thermarests have popped in the desert . ... My first one had multiple holes and was a write-off."
"I havepunctured 2 thermarests on rocks pr thorns. ... I won’t be using them again."
"My first thermarest popped in TN due to me raw dogging it in shelters."
5
4
"My arm goes dead without fail sleeping on the Thermarests"
"wobbled long ways (not side to side) a lot when i moved around"
"arms hung over the sides and hurt in the morning"
0
1
"with the mummy shaped pad I often found myself halfway off the pad in the middle of the night."
Bargainhuntingking 1.0There was a recent discussion about this type of pad and it’s R values here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CampingGear/s/AcsRlx09DN I use those olive green military surplus Thermarest ultralite pads for car camping with achesp closed cell foam pad underneath for my kids. I usually use something beefier for me. The pads can be found online and budget prices (~$15 new old stock), but shipping $ will get you. It’s a good budget combo For backpacking, I prefer the lighter weight closed cell foam pads in conjunction with a newer version of inflatable pad like the Xtherm or in summer the Neo air Uber light.
biz_wig 1.0I've used them, was not impressed. Holds moisture, stows poorly, is uncomfortable.
dborger 1.0I have that one, at least the model from 30 years ago when I got it. It’s narrow, long and kind of thin. Been just fine for me.
dmsmikhail 1.0it's fine for summer use, but will leave you feeling cold in the winter. I would avoid sleeping on snow with it if you can help it. I used it in everything from hot humid summers to sub zero winters. it's similar to all the other heavier self inflating pads you'll find on the market. The self-inflating feature might not work anymore and you may have to blow them up (easy). They don't provide a lot of cushion but it's a lot better than the ground. If you want something smaller and lighter, the market has many options when you're ready. TIL: I used a therm a rest product 20 years ago in the army. Recently, I went camping with a friend who had a therm a rest self inflating, and I was surprised at how similar it was to my old army issue. Now I know why. they don't list R value since it's for a government issued item, but I've seen 3.2-4.8 listed on websites. For reference, an average three/all season pad is around 3-4 and a winter pad is closer to 6-8. Here's the specs: * Shell Material: 100% Nylon * Self-inflating to approximately 1.5" thick * Compact and lightweight (21" x 72" x 3/4" and 1 lb. 14oz) * Genuine US Military Issue * Made in USA * NSN: 8465-01-393-6515
Eagleriderguide 1.0As a jarhead I have intimate knowledge of these, isomats suck. Look at gear trade.com, you should be able to find inexpensive second hand inflating sleeping pads. Look at Facebook marketplace and Craigslist.
211logos 0.3I've had great success with Thermarest, REI, and Exped self inflating mattresses. All have good customer support too. I wouldn't ever bother with an all air mattress. Poor insulation, rotten in cold. Get a FlexTail pump.
Key-Chart-3170 0.3So…I went from an inflatable mattress…no insulation, to a cot, with a thermarest self inflating mattress. Better, but I found the cot to be so confining. Ditching the cot and using the thermarest on the ground was 100% better.
Dizzy_Helicopter2764 0.1Literally 5+ years on foam mats from Kmart. 2-3 years on a thermarest self inflating and finally in a “normal” bed after buying the firmest possible mattress.
svenska101 0.1The Thermarest self inflating is rubbish. Just some thin foam that helps to expand and suck air into the pad. But you still need to inflate it further. My exped mat is filled in a minute with the pump sack.
SelfNational1737 0.1We use fold up carton type mats as our base. Then in our tent we have Sea to Summit self-inflating bed rolls. Our kids have the same base and use Therm-o-rest self-inflating ground mats. We find as long as we stay on the self-inflating mats, we’re pretty comfortable. The ther-o-rests are almost 20 years old and still in great shape. We upgraded to Sea to Summit because they fold up so small for backpacking
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