Therm-a-Rest - RidgeRest Solar

Second this. Ridgerest or zlite closed cell foam pads are great for kids and actually pretty comfortable and sturdy. 

I’m taking a neoair AND a RIDGEREST!!!!! Luxury baby! Base weight is still 11 pounds cuz of a few other luxuries but DO IT!

Under 100 means you're getting foam. If you don't need to backpack it, get a nice thick Ridgerest.

I use a couple of RidgeRest for car camping and I really like them. I'd use one for backpacking if they weren't so bulky. Well I put my legs down, the reflective side works so well that it feels like the mat is emitting heat.

The cold ground can make the air in your sleeping pad colder which shrinks it a bit. When it's very cold I use an old Thermarest ridgerest foam pad under my inflatable pad.

Get a cot. Seriously, I have several types. The Roll a cot we used in hotel rooms when we needed an extra bed. It also allows adjustment for firmness For summer camping in very hot weather and,/or humidity I use a Thermostat ultralight cot. Which allows air to circulate around me with or without a sleeping bag or my coolmax liner. To this for varying degrees of comfort I can add my CCF Ridgerest pad, or my new sea to summit comfort light pad. These 3 things cot CCF pad Air mattress Mix and match will allow you to adjust not just for physical comfort but comfort for temperature as well. Just add appropriate sleeping bag for temperature. Needless to say I don't use the cot when the temperature drops.

Don't pick on my Ridge Rest. Tried and true. But I'm the guy growing up who would fall asleep on an indoor outdoor rug on a wood floor. Oh, so no wonder I like the ridge rest. Seriously though, when it's cold and you don't want air underneath you or an air pad that deflates mysteriously (I swear it didn't do that at home when I tested it ;). ) A CCF pad can be your base sleeping pad and safety net if your air pad fails. On top of a cot it's like a little mattress. A bonus is if you are in the cold the R rating is additive to the pad you put on top of it. Also I'm a side sleeper, so doing this allows me not to wake up with hip pain either in the middle of the night or morning.

I've not tried a thinlite over an inflatable, but I have used it as a dog sit pad. I found the material deceptively delicate. My 10 month pup stretched out and pulled her paws back, ripping a section (it's grippy and spongy). Personally, if I was going down this route I'd find something thinner but more durable to rips/tears from dog paws. I use a Thermarest Ridgecrest for her now. Like your dog, she prefers to sleep alongside me on an inflatable, but it was too much hassle and risk. She's now learning to stay on the ccf... it is easier to train a pup though.

I exclusively sleep on CCF mats. the best budget, packable and easily available option is the Decathlon MT500. The warmest is the Thermarest Ridgerest but it's bulky. The epxed flexmat, Thermarest Z lite and Nemo Switchback are all good but a bit more pricey. Don't get hung up on R values like you would with an inflatable pad. for some reason CCF mats always feel warmer, i think due to the density of the material. I've slept on ice in the alps with CCF mats. As always though it will depend on the person and you'd need to exercise caution with a young en.

I have the featherstone el cordion and it is every bit comparable in insulation and "padding" to a z-lite sol to me. however, I find the Nemo switchback slightly more comfortable than both. that said, the thermarest ridgerest, as obnoxious to carry as it is, wins in comfort for me (barely)

I used a Thermarest Ridgerest for years as my only sleeping mat. I used the Z-Lite some too, but the Ridgerest was both more comfortable and warmer. The biggest issue with it was the bulk, but at the time I used a large frameless pack and packed "burrito" style rolling the Ridgerest loosely and packing everything in the middle of it.

Closed Cell Foam pads like the Ridgerest are actually quite lightweight and super durable compared to air mats - I think my full length Ridgerest was 12.7oz (listed at 14oz). I used a Ridgerest from \~2005 to 2015 and then switched to a Neo Air X-Therm as I was getting older. I'm not saying I'd go back, but I do miss the durability and simplicity of the Ridgerest. Durability will not be a concern over an inflatable mat at all.

Not all CCF is created equal. I always found the Ridgerest to be warmer and more comfortable than the Z-Lite. You could score it where it would fold up too, though not as compact as the Z-Lite. I just can't sleep on CCF pads anymore.

One classic trick is to have two Ridgerests (it has been the best R-value CCF, not sure am I up to date) and fold one of them in half. Your torso gets a triple layer, something like R 7,5 which is quite adequate. Also, it is a widely reported phenomenon that CCF pads feel warmer than their R rating would suggest when compared with inflatables.

I prefer an underquilt, but when I use a pad, I use a CCF Thermarest Solar in the pad layer of my WB Blackbird.

I have been using my thermarest ccf pad for 20 years. Warm, durable, light weight.

I just Sept on the rei campwell for 7 nights. Best sleep I've ever gotten camping. I've had the klymit static v, and a foam thermarest. This thing is pretty big and not heavy but not light. Had it strapped to my Ibex 450 for the the entire week riding the lower half of the MABDR. I use 2 rok straps and it never moved. Absolutely love this thing. Both of my riding buddies were on blow up mats one Nemo and one thermarest. Both were cold and not sleeping well the whole trip. I'm a stomach and side sleeper.

The suggestion of a rental is a good idea if you currently aren’t interested in making this a hobby! If you are looking to buy, however, the foam Therm-o-Rest pads are the classic camping pad that everyone owns one of. They z-fold up into a rectangular stack and are relatively light and cheap. I’m 40 and need a little extra cushion on the trail these days, so I use an air mattress. Therm-o-rest has some decent priced air mattresses, but they are a little spartan compared to some of the more expensive air mattresses.

Have you considered a camping cot? There are a lot of ultralight options now which are about the same price as a good sleeping pad for side sleepers. The only difference being is the weight, you’re looking at around 1.5kg for a cot bed which would be double the weight of a sleeping pad. For me, the extra weight is worth it for the comfort. For context I’ve tried Therm-a-Rest, Big Agnes and Nemo mats. If I’m going for comfort, the cot bed wins every time.

For one year trip I would use something cheaper, more sturdy than ultralight. Thermarest often listed is great but £50 decathlon air mat is more sustainable, you'll have less stress. To increase R factor, you can add some CCF pad.

It's very simple if it blows up with air and inflates - at SOME point it's gonna get a hole in it. That's life! The whole air mattress thing started with Therm-a-rest's and they were pretty tough back then, now with everybody sporting hard-on's for "ultralight" gear its gonna get worse. Same goes for actual air mattress, you can sleep on them but if you're not in Texas or Arizona yer still gonna freeze your butt off. Here's why ....... People these days buy inflatable pads for the comfort, but you really need them for the insulative qualities they actually provide. Don't believe me go sleep on the actual ground one night. When you crawl in to your sleeping bag you actually crush the down or syntho fill in the bag so there is no insulation there under you and the cold even in summer can seep right in. You need a pad under you to keep you off the ground ..... the best ones for that are still the cheap blue ensolite foamy's you buy at the cheaper stores but yes, for comfort they suck. There is a yellow thicker brand called Zotefoams Evazote and they got up to an inch thick but I haven't seem them for years but they were good quality and tough and CAN'T deflate ! So ultimately if you want comfort you need to go buy a big chunk of open cell white foam four inches thick and 7 feet long like you see in hobby stores - mega comfy and the size of a house! But now you can't pack it anyway so you're back to the blow up pads - and that's it. You can go to stores and look at stuff like Futons and crap but they don't pack well ! Heck even Ikea makes a folding mattress but again good luck carrying it around, right? Pick one but they WILL get a hole in them at some point however you can try to limit that with a cot. I've used them for years and its nice. I'm gonna suggest a Cabella's Lounger Cot but they are $350 bloody bucks and the same goes a real camping pad, something like a Exped Megamat itself is $400 bucks by itself. The two cots I wanna get are gonna cost me $405 bucks so add in two decent pads like Expeds and they're $500 .... great huh? It's nuts at a thousand bucks! I actually might just go get some memory foam cut at an RV store and use that. They can't deflate and its about the same bloody price as these inflatable ones, granted it won't be near as packable and portable but both my Thermarest leak, both my Big Agnes pad leak, even the TWO Coleman air beds leak, you can't win. My tent is 210 sq feet and 10 feet tall so I don't need backpack-ability either ........

This comes up a lot. Search the sub for ‘mat’ for loads of replies. For me, thermarest, but I’ll break your budget unless you can get one second hand.

we each have a folding cot with a thermarest and a sleeping bag. we go car camping so it all fits in the back seat and the trunk. We also have (what they call) a seven person tent, but it fits our cots and a folding table comfortably, and we can stand up in it.

I did the PCT with just the thermarest and it was fine. I did the AZT with Thermarest and 1/8" foam pad and it was awesome. I slept much warmer and it was very nice to have the foam pad for breaks.

If you plan to sleep in shelters at all, you definitely want something under your pad to protect it from splinters and nails. My first thermarest popped in TN due to me raw dogging it in shelters. For my second pad, I got a sheet of tyvek and it made it all the way to Maine without any issues.

Have you actually tried the Klymit? I’m pretty sure it’s up there with thermarest in terms of popular backpacking mats. I’ve always used thermarests. That Coleman mat looks like it’s made for car camping, not backpacking. You should be able to find the R-value of the Klymit pad on the packaging to find out if it’s insulated or not.

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. Good luck!👍

Cot and thermarest is boss. I use a folding wide, heavy duty woods cot. It’s heavy and has some bulk, but I’m usually near my truck or boat.

I’ve been using. Therma-rest for years. There might be better tech out there these days, but they’ve always served me well.

Yup. Those thick air mattresses are horrible to share with another person. I go with a good, solid cot with a thermarest for some padding and will never look back. For excursions where the cot is too bulky to bring along, the thermarest works fine.

We have a similar cot and thermarest. Very comfortable, and keeps us warm. We only camp in winter, early spring and fall.

Op zolder liggen 2 thermarest matten waar ik als kind nog op geslapen heb toen ik met m'n ouders kampeerde, 20-25 jaar geleden. Basic matjes, niet enorm dik maar tot ik m'n huidige (totaal niet compacte) tweepersoons van Redwood kocht altijd goed op geslapen.

i used a cot camping a few times with a thermarest on top. pros: off the ground and good on my back. cons: arms hung over the sides and hurt in the morning, pillow kept sliding off, wobbled long ways (not side to side) a lot when i moved around. i recommend an extra wide one to help w the arms hanging off the sides or use a sleeping bag. in the end it was heavy and not worth it for me when camping

I have no complaints about my thermarest. I can even sleep on my side without hip pain. OK, well it is a little noisy.

My thermarest is over 25 years old and I think had one leak that I patched. maybe?

I like my Thermarest. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Excellent mattress! I used it with pleasure but then switched to the thermarest which is lighter and I feel great with it.

I haven't had a good night sleep until I started to use the Rapid SL. It has a good weight I think, the R rating is valid on it, only need higher for winter camping (for that i'm using the therm-o-rest, which is crazy good, except the shape, where i much prefer the rectangle shape of the Rapide with the raised sides, because I'm turning around a lot). To fit the pump you do need to be a bit aggressive with it but doable. Side note: a non fully inflatable pillow made a big difference for me to get comfy 

I am twisting and turning around a lot even after I fell asleep and with the mummy shaped pad I often found myself halfway off the pad in the middle of the night.

I've had thermarest since their inception. Great product

I havepunctured 2 thermarests on rocks pr thorns. I won’t be using them again.

what brands? i only use thermarest bc they're the most reliable

Nope, have had mine for 10 years, still noisy.

Something like a Thermorest may be a good solution. They pack down small, are lightweight but robust, are an ok size and provide good ground insulation for those chilly Alpine nights

I fly with my thermarest

I like the one I have, it’s as old as I am

I have one Exped and one Therm-a-rest in this style. At first, they’re great. Over time, the Exped began to leak, and I think the TaR is now doing the same. As best I can tell, the rubber lining inside the fabric begins to slowly degrade and develop pinhole leaks. You never hear leaking air. You just wake up in the morning with your hip touching the ground (I’m a side sleeper). I stored both fully extended, with the valves open, so keeping them compressed in the sack was not the problem.

I have a neo air - cost a bomb when I got it about ten years ago. Definitely worth it - warm and comfy! Before that I "borrowed" my auntie's thermarest back in 2003 - that was a few years old then. I think I only made one repair.

Yeah that is actually weird. When I bought my thermarest it was around 100 €, tough as nails, just under a kilo and I've never been cold on it even in sub freezing (the R-value is low though) But it seems the 100 € pad category has either gone extinct or prices have inflated.

I bought a thermarest. I do not believe in blow up mats because a pinhole means you wake up two hours later lying on the ground cold as fuck wishing you had bought something else, then spending an hour trying to find a way to warm up when you’ve already fucked that chance.

My gunner and I would stick a pair of stretchers in the back of our Bradley—quality sleep right there. (If you’re not blessed with being mech infantry—why let your ruck ride you when you can ride your ruck?—I always went thermarest)

I got my thermarest on ebay for a good price