Cascade Designs Therm-A-Rest Performance Series

Pros: Light, comfortable, lifetime warranty.
Cons: Expensive.

I bought a Therm-A-Rest after hiking enough to realize that I could no longer hike with the bulky or heavy items that I was bringing along. One of these items was a camping mattress, which consisted of a huge foam pad. Although it was fairly...

Pros: Very comfortable and durable.
Cons: Keep raving about it and someone will try to "borrow" it from you.

Just a brief introduction, I'm a National Guard soldier that recently returned from Iraq. I'm also in my late 40s (okay, very late 40s) and being a soldier is definitely a young man's game. The last time I went overseas, I had the standard 1950 era ...

Pros: Comfortable nights rest, no inflation
Cons: can get a hole

A handsome young man, was planning a camping trip for the night. He is used to backpacking in the Marble Mountains in Northern California, although, not he is reduced to truck camping.


I remember my first backpacking trip with no...

Pros: It's warm, cool, lightweight, adjustable, tough - and comfortable
Cons: It ain't cheap (but it's worth it)

It is my moral duty (and personal pleasure) to tell you to read the review titled "Thermarest Means A Good Night's Rest" because it's totally right and it's better than this one.

But this one's short, has a couple of additional tips, and at...

Pros: Ultimate camping comfort
Cons: $100

During the summer of 1998, I spent 40 of 45 consecutive nights sleeping on my Luxury Edition, extra long Therm-a-rest pad. I could not have survived my cross country, 3400 mile bike trip without it.

After cycling an average of 85 miles a day,...

Pros: Comfort, takes little space, warm
Cons: None whatsoever

Whatever did I do before I got my thermarest? Oh, yeah - that's right, I hurt! I was in pain. The lumps in the ground made impressions in my back. My butt was sore and my neck hurt. After sleeping on some inferior pad, it would be really hard for me...

Pros: Insulation from cold ground, Variable inflation, compressability
Cons: High price.

A vital piece of camping equipment, light enough to include, useful enough to serve not only as sleeping mat, but also campfire seat cushion and canoe seat cushion.

Where it all started for me

A tiny bit of background. In...

Pros: Very comfortable, durable, and keeps you warm
Cons: nothing

I started thinking about camping after reading a review on Coleman campstoves, and I just can't wait until summer rolls around again to break out the tent and head out somewhere.

I have to admit, I don't own a Therm-A-Rest yet, and I do say...

Pros: warmth, light, compact, comfy
Cons: none

First off, let me just say that sleeping pads are really necessary, especially when cold weather camping. Sleeping Pads not only provide more comfort, but they provide an insulator between you and the ground. Now the air can be perfectly warm at night,...

Pros: Comfortable, durable, high-quality, sufficient length
Cons: Time consuming, heavy, expensive (in comparison)

I've been camping since I was "knee-high to a grasshopper." I can vividly recall the nostalgic smell and crackling of the campfire, torched marshmallows dangling from the end of my 'marshmallow stick,' and the big black ants that always took-over...

Pros: outback sleeping comfort and ease of use almost second to none.
Cons: none

In 40 years of camping and travelling I've slept out on the ground, on a palias, on every kind of airbed known to man and even on my Landrover's seat squabs. Apart from the seat squabs you can pretty well get a nights sleep on anything if you put your...

Pros: Lightweight, comfortable to sleep on, non-slip surface, self inflating, easy to repair with kit.
Cons: More expensive than other sleep pads. (But worth it) Needs to be stored unrolled.

I've been backpacking since I was an 11 year old Boy Scout (39 years ago) and the Therm-a-Rest Ultralight 3/4 is just about the best backpacking accessory that I have ever found. Over the years I have used foam pads, Ridgerest and Z-rest pad, and always...

Pros: Very Comfortable, lightweight
Cons: A little expensive...but worth it

I have driven across country on two occasions, for a total of 6-7 weeks, where I camped the entire time. Not to mention dozens of other various camping trips in the mountains of NC, SC, VA and all along the east coast. My point being that I have spent...

Pros: Easy to pack up, protects you from the ground, self-inflates
Cons: takes a while to dry (in my situations)

I go camping often, usually about 5-10 miles off a dirt road. I have been camping on & off for about 14 years now, and have greatly developed my preferences in camping equipment.

I have tried multiple types of sleeping pads, various foam...

Pros: Fits inside a pack
Cons: Slow self inflation

After spending several years carrying around a closed cell pad, I decided that I should get something that would actually fit inside a pack. Getting the sleeping pad wrapped around vines while going off trail was far too tedious. After reading a few...