Sleeping Pads

I was thinking about buying a therma-rest trail sleeping pad. I am about 6' and I was wondering if I could get away with buying the small...which is like 47" long. I shouldn't matter if the mattress extends to my legs should it?

As far as an insulation standpoint you want the mattress mainly to cover your torso. The extra length is not as critical, it's really more of a comfort thing. You can always throw extra clothes under your legs to provide some insulation and comfort.

Look at the Big Agnes pads before buying the Thermarest.

i have a thermarest pro-lite 4 short. i was going to get the longer one but i reckon what you sacrifice for comfort (which is not much at all, the pad is great) you gain in the lighter and smaller size..
i just put some clothes under my legs..

i have both the prolite 4 and prolite 3 (and have had just about every thermarest made) so i have been a thermarest fan. however, i recently bought a big agnes insul air-core .. same wieght as the prolite 4 but much more cushioning which i appreciate on longer backpacking trips. if you are still in the market for a prolite, i would be happy to sell you mine .. like new condition.

how much you lookin for on those pads? my email is miles_trail@yahoo.com

i just got back from a 50 mile hike over the past few days. i used the lightest trail therm-a-rest, and it is a 3/4 length. i love it. 1) lighter and packs smaller 2) it keeps your torso cushioned and off the ground (do your legs really need to be cushioned?) 3) it is cheaper than full length models (by a good bit).
my only complaint is that at one time my legs got cold, but this problem is easly sovled, as mentioned above, by putting clothes under your legs.
go with the shortest lenght!!!

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