Therm-a-Rest - Trail Pro Sleeping Pad

Aw man, too late. I ended up with a different one for the trip. It works great though, although I would have preferred a little thicker. It was a thermarest trail pro.

We just bought new pads this summer for sea kayaking. Space in our boats was an issue so we found a Thermorest model that folds in half before rolling. If space matters this will help. Thermarest Trail Pro Max. As I recall they about 2.5 inches. Maybe 3. Very nice surface and quiet to sleep on. The really cool bit of kit is an electric inflator I bought for packrafting by Flextail. It’s a small rechargeable 4.5 kpa pump that will inflate a mattress in a few seconds. It also has a light and you can even plug your phone in to the battery to charge if you need to.

If you don't mind me asking are you a larger person? I'm around 270 and a side sleeper and have been curious about getting a different sleeping pad. I've been using the Thermarest Trail Pro and it's pretty comfortable, but it doesn't pack down very small

We use two square thermarests connected together with a sort of fitted sheet that thermarest sells for that purpose (synargy sheet I think) if we are car camping the mundokings are incredibly comfortable. If back country camping then a more package one like the trail pro. Then we use a quilt instead of sleeping bags unless it’s getting down below 5c or so at night.  A good sleeping pad and a sheet and quilt instead of a bag goes a long way. 

I guess we've been extraordinarily lucky. My wife and I have been using the same full-size air mattress for nearly 20 years. I've never had to patch it. (though I always have a patch kit with me) We do always use a tent ground cloth and are careful to keep grit and debris outside of the tent that might puncture it. It sees about 10 nights out a year and probably another 5 per year for kids sleepovers. My wife won't do cold weather camping so the lack of insulation isn't an issue. As a scoutmaster I have Thermarest Trail Pro which is built on the same principle as the Exped that has been recommended so heavily here. It's been great and has stood up to monthly camping trips for the last 6 years.

I really like the Therm A Rest Trail Pro. It's bulky and heavy, but it's extremely comfortable and easy to sleep on.

Thoughts from an REI employee: Comfort often comes from a few factors, but don't apply to everyone. Thickness can help a lot. The Thermarest NeoLoft for example is very comfortable, because it's a whopping 4.6" thick, and a great surface. Some pads have some foam in them, not just insulation. This is kind of old school, the original Thermarests were like this. This can be nice and plush because you don't have to dial in the air amount quite as specific. Plus, if it loses air, you're at least sleeping on something other than nylon. The Thermarest Trail Pro comes to mind. A little heavy around 2lbs, so not for the UL crowd. But comfy. There is a lighter version called a Trail Pro Lite. They used to sell a terrific pad called a ProLite Apex, but it was discontinued and may not be coming back. Sea to Summit and a few other brands make pads with some foam in them that are backpackable. These are also (mostly) self-inflating, which is nice. The shape of the pad can also factor in. Some people love how most Big Agnes pads are raised on the sides, to help you stay in place, and not roll off the pad. Most of their pads are thick too, not as thick as the NeoLoft, but thick. The Rapide is a great seller. Other brands do this too. I mentioned surface, some have a really nice brushed surface that also helps keep you from sliding off, and from making noise as you move. The Neoloft as mentioned, but the REI Helix is nice like this too. Baffling is also a factor. Some love "dimpled" pads (like the Helix), some like "tubes" either horizontal or vertical. The choice is yours. Closed cell foam are not comfortable. They are not thick. They are not warm at all. And they are bulky. But they are inexpensive, light, and almost indestructible. Anyone who bought a Ridgerest back in the 1990s likely still has it, and it's probably in like new condition.

Thermarest still makes them? I have also seen knockoffs even in non specialty stores.  I have an older Thermarest Trail Lite and Trail pro. The only difference to the classic mats is a few cutouts to make them pack smaller. I adore my Trail Pro. Very comfy, good R value, thicker than the traditional pads, packs reasonably small for it's comfort. 

I have a thermarest trail pro (or maybe a pro lite?) in the regular wide width and honestly it's pretty comfortable? I slept on it for two weeks at a prescribed fire training camp (when good sleep is necessary) and slept pretty well (although admittedly i was exhausted every day). It's foam + inflatable so it's heavy and pretty big, even when i pack it down pretty tightly. It lives on the outside of my pack when I'm backpacking. I've slept on a bunch of thickness mats, from the basic foam folding ones to the trail pro and the trail pro is a marked difference in my sleep. FWIW.

If you want more comfort than ccf but more durability than an inflatable, a self inflating is the way to go. Something like the thermarest prolight or similar. They aren’t the lightest, but if you avoid the super huge car camping style ones they aren’t too bad. They can still technically be popped but the outer material is much beefier than an inflatable. Often they’ll feel more like vinyl. I still have my original thermarest trail. It’s not as cushy as modern ones but it’s a tank and still hasn’t gotten a leak after 17 or 18 years. Got it sometime as a teenager. I think it was my first mat I had when I upgraded from a crappy blue Walmart ccf.