"I have found that the extra money to buy a Therma-Rest pad is
well worth it. I have the Ultra Light Full length, and am ver pleased
with it's performance. I especially like its pack size. The Ultra
Light models fold in half when packing which makes them great for
backpacking. The 3/4 lenght in the same model was only 5 dollars
cheaper, and not that much smaller packed, so why not be
completely comfortable."
"This is the smallest and lightest self inflating pad that I was able to find. ( except the 3/4 version ).. and this counts a lot. I am really happy with it. I sleep like a baby on it.. compared to my old foam pad. BTW. if you still use a foam pad, you should make quickly an upgrade. You will never sleep again on your old pad."
"Recently I bought a Thermarest Ultralight Long sleeping pad with the intent on upgrading from my Z-rest Long pad. To be quite honest, there is no comparison and after 2 uses, I returned the thermarest. What a pain it was to roll it up and fit it into the stuff sack. Not to mention, You can still feel every rock and root underneath you. The Z-rest takes about 2 seconds to fold and unfold and you could probably put a small car under it and still not feel anything. Also, I am able to use my Z-rest with my thermarest chair kit. Save yourself about $40+ dollars and go with the Z-rest. It's a little bulkier, but well worth it."
"I have been using this pad for a year now and am very pleased with it. It weighs 1 lb.,7 oz. and is as small as a bag of bagels when rolled. While it isn’t very thick it still give padding in all but the worst conditions. I am 260 lb. and my shoulder and hipbone don’t touch the ground unless I’m on flat, hard overused campsites. I have never had a leak or puncture of any kind but even if I did they are easy to fix until returning home. I can find no negatives about this pad except maybe the price was a bit high at $61."
"Thermarests are certainly a step up from those horrible bits of pastel coloured foam. It is incredibly comfortable and if it is inflated properly, you never touch the ground beneath. Re the previous comment about being difficult to roll up into the bag, if the instructions are followed correctly, it is not hard. Roll it with the valve closed first is the trick, let the air out and roll it again. Easy."
"I have been through many lightweight pads but this is one I would recommend. I weigh between 225-235 depending how far into the backpacking season I am. The pad I thought might be too fragile for my size, but I was wrong; I spent 40 nights on it last year, and this year about 20. I like the fact that choosing a tent site isn't as bad of a task as it used to be since I can now lay on broken ground with this pad.
I do not recommend Z-Rest as I only got 4 nights on it before throwing it out. It broke down under my weight and was useless.
The Deluxe Ridgerest would be my next one down from the Ultralite Thermarest on my recommended list. It works pretty well, but is bulkier.
I don't use my Ultralite other than for sleeping and I treat it with respect. I fear, for example, a sharp twig or a stout pine needle might puncture it."
"I saw a gear review somewhere where some creative soul referred to their ThermaLeak. I agree. I bought one, and the first (and last) time I used it, I was sleeping directly on the ground because it won't hold air. If their going to charge $70 for this piece of junk, they need to step up their quality control. I'm done with Cascade Designs."
"I have used this pad many times in all kinds of terrain, from rocky deserts to mossy forests, for over two years, and have slept many a comfortable night. I would suggest that those who puncture their pads every time they use them ought to take a little more care; my wife and I both have these pads and we have not punctured them once. For packability and weight, this is the most comfortable pad around."
"This pad works great for me. The ful length pad is worth the little additional weight. The nice feature is that this pad can be folded and rolled to a sack that fits in a pack. My son got a hole in his but he used the hot patch kit as per directions and it has been fine since."
