Self-Inflating Sleeping Pads

Featured review by Arson

This is a great 4-season sleeping pad.

From the Manufacturer: New for 2012: The XTherm mattress is the warmest mattress in the NeoAir collection, allowing you to go lighter than ever in winter conditions. Patent-pending Reflective Barriers give the XTherm mattress true 4-season warmth without the weight or bulk usually found in a winter-worthy mattress. The result is a mattress that weighs less than a pound, takes up less pack space than your water bottle, and provides serious comfort in extremely cold conditions. Pump sack and repair kit included.

Read more: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm reviews (9)

Featured review by Richard Proulx

The Therm-a-Rest Women’s ProLite Plus is my dream four-season expedition sleeping surface. It is comfortable, durable, warm, and reasonably light and compact.

Therm-A-Rest Women's ProLite Plus What an incredible cornucopia of sleeping surfaces today’s climbers and trekkers have to choose from! Therm-a-Rest makes such a dizzying array of types and styles that this abundance often leads to confusion and difficulty when shopping. Sleep surfaces boil down to three basic types; all foam, all air, and a combination of air and foam. While it is impossible to strictly categorize type by price, one may generally observe that all foam tends to be the least expensive, all air the most expensive, and air and foam somewhere in-between.

Read more: Therm-a-Rest ProLite Plus reviews (13)

Featured review by Devil Dog

The Therm-a-Rest Lite Seat is a self-inflating seat that is great for taking a seat just about anywhere that needs a little cushion. It is a miniature version of the popular Therm-a-Rest ProLite mattress. It weighs only 3 oz and can seriously fit just about anywhere in your pack.

The Therm-a-Rest Lite Seat is a 3oz mini-mattress that can be used just about anywhere. I take it on day hikes, backpacking trips, tailgating, to sporting events, and I even use it as a cushion for the rocking chair on my front porch. Basically you can use it anytime that you don't have a dry, comfortable, warm place to sit. It is self-inflating, but can be inflated easily with two breaths. I have had mine for four years now and have taken it all over and never thought twice about the surface I put it on.

Read more: Therm-a-Rest Lite Seat reviews (2)

Featured review by Vladimir Gorbunov

A spartan self-inflating pad, lacking the warmth and comfort of most other inflatable pads. Good for those who need the lightest possible and the most compact pad while keeping it relatively durable and affordable. Otherwise, there are better options in various pad departments.

In comparison to 15-mm foam pad, 50 cm width (20") In the daily usage I prefer 15-mm thick foam pads (20" / 50 cm width), like Therm-a-rest Ridgerest, or cheap equivalents with similar thickness. These pads are lightweight, next to indestructible, and they may be helpful in a variety of scenarios: from packing the bicycles for plane traveling to having lunch on the ground in the middle of the day. These pads aren’t really warm, and a couple of years ago I purchased short 20-mm self-inflating pads for a “second layer” in winter trips.

Read more: Therm-a-Rest ProLite reviews (8)

Featured review by Go Time! (Jesse Maloney)

At 1lb 11oz, it's not the lightest but does a fine job for 3-seasons.

I've been using the Trail Lite for two years now and I've always been pleased with it. Knowing there are new pads out there that offer more loft, higher R-value, and lighter weight, my curiosity has been piqued but for now, the Trail lite is what I know. I would say that overall this pad has always served me well and has lived up to my expectations of it.The bag inflates to approximately 1 1/4" thick. Not a great amount of loft but enough. Sometimes when I am laying on my side and most of my weight is concentrated to a small area in my shoulder, my shoulder will push through to the ground if the pad is not inflated taut.

Read more: Therm-a-Rest Trail Lite reviews (12)

Featured review by Troy

Very comfortable pad and you can adjust the firmness. Durable. For a camping pad, one of the best I have ever used.

Very good product. The comfort was great. I used it camping sleeping on the ground. Could not feel the ground and the mattress was firm enough that even laying on my side, I was not touching the ground.   The only drawback was you need to be sure you are on surface that is flat or nearly flat. There isn't any traction on the bottom (a common problem with the camping mattresses I have looked at) and therefore if you are on any type of a hill, the mattress may slide down a little at night. The bottom of my tent is like a tarp, with no real traction either, so I found on a slope, I slid a little towards the bottom of my tent during the night. But other than that, it is a great camping pad.  

Read more: Therm-a-Rest BaseCamp reviews (4)

Featured review by Scorliss

Affordable sleeping pad, it rolls up very small and is very light. This guy will keep you warm and cozy!

This sleeping pad is very comfortable, very easy to use (just unroll it and give it time then add a breath or two and voila!). I put the durable feeling as a con, however I have to say I have had zero issue with the durability of this sleeping pad. I had a dog sleeping on it and walking on it with her nails and no issues. Also duct tape would adhere well and serve as a quality temporary patch if need be. This is a low end Therm-A-Rest, but it definitely does the job without breaking the bank. It will keep you elevated and warm without adding a lot weight to your system.

Read more: Therm-a-Rest Trail Scout reviews (4)

Reviewed by SC Ward

This self-inflating mat replaces a worn out Therm-a-Rest and so far it is doing the job well. This product is cheap enough and is very comfortable. It is used about 20 times throughout the last two years. Summer, winter, it doesn't matter.

This self-inflating mat is large. If you are after small and compact this is not for you. I had been using Therm-a-Rests over approximately 30 years and I finally needed something thicker and more comfortable and cheaper so I bought the Vango Comfort 7.5. This mat is definitely suitable for use in subzero temperatures and I combine it with a good down bag. There is no coldness coming through the mat. It has excellent thermal properties for the price. It has a large self-inflating valve that you unwind and leave till I'm ready to adjust to my weight.

Read more: Vango Comfort 7.5 Single review (1)

Featured review by Jerry Meagher

My best pad, period. Just attach it under the lid at the top of you pack or strap it to the sleeping bag compartment, and you are good to go.

A pad that keeps you warm down to 0° (1.5") or -25° (2.0") degrees. Comes with a repair kit in the stuff sack. Will need to blow a bit of air into the pad after it self inflates, especially if you've stored it in its stuff sack. Unlike other air pads, you will not feel like you're balanced on a pool float. I have the 1.5 inch model, and it is very trust worthy. I've had it for years, and have never had even the smallest leak. I store it rolled in its stuff sack (I don't have the space to store it inflated).

Read more: Big Agnes Two Track reviews (3)

Featured review by Gyxx

I bought the TrailPro because I wanted a self-inflating mattress that could do double duty; both when I'm hammock camping and when I'm using a conventional tent or a bivy. And also because - I have to reluctantly admit - I'm not as young as I used to be and a comfy and warm nights sleep when I'm in the field is no longer a luxury - it's a necessity. No - it's not the lightest, but then again it's not meant to be. If carrying the absolute minimum of weight is important to you then you'll probably be looking at other products anyway.

Read more: Therm-a-Rest Trail Pro reviews (4)