Therm-a-Rest - Trail Scout Sleeping Pad

Important to know from the start: I have scoliosis as well as a lingering low back/hip injury, and at home I sleep on a probably-too-soft mattress. But I don't have any of the problems I mention below even when I sleep in a different bed with a different firmness, such as while traveling for work or family. My setup as of last year's season is a Therm-A-Rest Z Lite Sol underneath the Big Agnes Rapide SL inflatable pad (standard length, wide width). In other words, I'm not laying flat on the ground by any means - there's plenty of cushion from uneven or firm ground, and I haven't had any temperature issues (I pair these two pads with a now-discontinued Sea to Summit down bag that's plenty cozy). The Big Agnes pad was new last year, after multiple seasons attempting and failing to make a thin Therm-A-Rest Trail Scout work with the Z-Lite (I would anti-recommend the Trail Scout for this and other reasons). But this current setup isn't working very well, either. On some nights I found myself waking up with a leg or two numb on some nights because of some position that had me cutting off circulation. (This happens at home occasionally when I'm sitting flat on the floor, but rarely when I'm sleeping or lying flat.) Even though I played around with the inflation level of the Big Agnes pad, as I was worried it was maybe too firm at full inflation, that didn't seem to help much. I also prefer to sleep on my stomach, and I haven't figured out a backcountry pillow option that's flat enough to keep my neck at a comfortable angle without being non-existent, as sleeping directly on my arms puts them numb too. Out of desperation, I tried bringing my flat-yet-not-paper pillow from home for a trip last year, which feels embarrassing to write because of the pillow's weight and bulk, lol. If it had worked, I would make adjustments to my kit to bring it every time, but it didn't really fix the setup (which is probably for the best for the rest of my packing list), so I'm back to the drawing board. Given all this, I'm feeling nervous about this season's upcoming trips, as I'm not someone who functions well on a lack of sleep. I'd prefer to try and adapt my current setup before I buy new stuff, too, as these are otherwise high-quality products that I think will last a while, if I can make them work for me. For folks who have finicky backs, or sleep in ways at home that are harder to comfortably do out on trail, how do you adjust your sleep setup for overnighters? What might I change here that will help me sleep better while on trail and thus have a better trip overall? I'm considering the Nemo Fillo Elite - can any stomach sleepers attest to this or other semi-inflatable pillows as being worth the buy?

I use a thermarest Trail Scout. Gets the job done.

Thermarest trailscout is an excellent mattress around the price. Trusted brand and packs really nicely in my dry bag.

My kiddo spends at least 30 nights a year camping since she was born.  Without knowing what kind of overnight temps your dealing with it’s hard to give specific recommendations, but if it’s anywhere where the overnight lows are below like 45f, I wouldn’t be putting them on something that isn’t camping-specific.  We use an exped megamat duo for us and a thermarest trails scout short for our 3 yo. I picked one up on sale for like $30. And we got our megamat on sale as well for like $120. You could get your kid a megamat - they are the top of the line, or you could find something of that style that’s specifically for camping, but cheaper (I think REI makes one).  Go with something that has foam and isn’t purely inflatable (the ones mentioned above are both) for durability.  At 18m I wouldn’t do a cot just cuz they may fall out. And I wouldn’t purchase a cot that doesn’t have any insulation under it - it’ll be cold.  We have an REI wonderland 4. It will fit the 3 of us and our stuff no problem, but if you plan on expanding your family, I’d get something bigger. 

Knock off flex tail pump on Amazon for 10-12 bucks have been a god send. Rechargeable, comes with other tips for pool toys and what not plus some have a small lamp built in that you can hang from the ceiling. Flip the tip and it deflates just as easy. But it can't do anything about the jumping beans. Most foam pads will be really bulky and take up a lot of space, just remember the thinner they are the less likely they will want to jump on them, something like a basic TAR trail scout is only 1 inch thick and less likely to pop.

A thermarest scout is in budget; it doesn’t save any weight over the old pad, but, since you have the mechanical advantage, I’ll go on: -comfortable. The way the foam works in self inflating pads is just quite comfortable. -warm. The 3.1r value seems accurate. I used it down into at least the teens. Durable. Here I must admit both of mine suffered ill fated premature failure, however, I do not blame the mattress. One is a simple pinhole I just need to fix and the other is a dog inflicted wound. The materials and the build quality to me seem plenty durable, like, overbuilt. -packable? Meeeehhh, prolly 3L or so? -self inflating, no pump/pump sack.

I have the basic thermarest trail scout in long. It's okay for side sleeping, but I might consider their base camp model instead if I were buying today. Thicker, more insulation. Should be better for side sleeping. Still reasonably priced.  I'd shy away from used on this purchase.

I cannot recommend the therma rest trail scout enough. It's not very thick but it's surprisingly comfortable. Imo as much as the thicker inflatable pads. Nowadays I use a therma rest z lite. It's not inflatable but it's comfortable enough for me. Reason I use it is it's easy to quickly deploy and pack up.

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.

Thermarest trail is a great option. Has lasted me over 10 years now, no leaks. Only thing I’d change now is getting one slightly thicker.

I’m 6’1 and occasionally use my 47” xlite short pad for short weekend trips. It’s comfortable enough to get SOME sleep, but I would never bring it on a thru hike.

The 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.

The classic self inflating thermarest pads are very comfortable and durable, particularly if paired with a cot

I just switched from expensive Thermarests over to these crazy cheap Night Cat hand pump pads and I am never going back to thermarest/self inflation. My arm goes dead without fail sleeping on the Thermarests and they take up nearly twice the room in my gear. The only benefit of the Thermarests I can see is that they are really tough, which could be great for some hardy adventures maybe. But nothing a couple patches can't fix IMO... So Choo choo I'm on the air pad train. These newer cheap designs are legitimately very good, they roll out crazy long and then shrink up. I probably can't share amazon links but "Night Cat Inflatable Sleeping Pads". There's a bunch of brands making this style now too, I'm not trying to spruik any particular brand, this was just the one that was affordable where I live.

I use Thermarest pads, have for years, I store them deflated and rolled up, the self inflating feature works fine for me but it takes a little time, 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

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.

I have had to sleep on some pretty rocky spots before. Firstly, I would gather any fallen twigs leaves and foliage to try and even out the floor and take the edge off the sharp bits. Then ideally I’d put a CCF pad down before getting on a thermarest inflatable. But I have bivied directly on some hard rock platform with just a bivi bag and an uberlite between me and the ground. It was piles of dead leaves and thin branches that made the difference. Turned out okay. I was doing an ultralight fast packing trip and was in the middle of some nasty forestry tree plantation on a steep slope by the time the sun was going down. Decent spots were very rare so I ended up sleeping on top of an out cropped boulder.

Both times I’ve hiked the PCT my thermarests have popped in the desert . The first time it was an older thermarest that had already seen a bit of action . The second time it was early on in my hike and it was the one I’d replaced the previous one with! After that I went CCF pad and was absolutely fine with it. In many ways, I prefer it.

For me the thermarest warranty has been worth its weight in gold, it’s an inflatable product that’s exposed to the elements, they’ll all get damaged eventually but every interaction I’ve had with them has been amazing, no questions asked replacement or repair

Me and my husband sleep on an air mattress with seperate blankets and sleeping bags, before that we had two thermarest that aired up

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