GearFlogger

Therm-a-Rest Z Lite SOL sleeping pad

You may think you're reading a review about the good-ole Therm-a-Rest Z Lite foam sleeping pad. Ha! Wrong-o in the bong-o my gear-soaked friend. We are reviewing a super-secret-squirrel new model, the Z Lite SOL. That's right, capital letters, and you know what that means: it's computerized!

OK, that's a lie. There's no computer, but there is a shiny thermal reflective barrier on the bottom that increases the R from today's 2.2 to 2.6. Yeah, OK, it's pretty much impossible to notice the additional warmth, but it is a theoretical almost-20 percent increase. The point is that when your buddy whips out his piss-colored old school Z Lite, you can whip out your piss-colored but shiny-assed SOL and establish dominant gear superiority! Suck it baby!

Other than that they're pretty much the same. It's still svelte, at under 15oz and a packed size of 20x5x5.5 for the size regular 20x72. No word yet on whether the size small at 20x47 and 10oz will also still be available.The accordion-style design is insanely useful and not just for sleeping, but for storing and converting to chair duty. If you've ever fought with a rolled pad you'll appreciate the folding design; getting it from pack to tent and back again is much simpler.

The egg-crate design gives a little more cushioning than a closed cell flat pad for you side-sleepers out there. It's versatile, converting to a 3/4 length pad with double-thickness under your bony hips easily. It makes a great chair too, doubled for two people or quadrupled for one. Storage is simple: creatively folded it can go anywhere on a pack, in or out. The high-visibility Limon color is bright and cheery, just like you'll be as you watch your campmates try to reverse curl their old-school pads whilst you lounge on your Z-Lite SOL.

$ Price not yet available

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir All-Season sleeping pad

As we attain a certain maturity, the little things seem to weigh a lot larger on our admittedly shrinking minds. A good night's sleep is near the top of that list, and the more difficult the journey the more important this is. Enter the NeoAir.

Therm-a-Rest has developed its NeoAir series into three different models, and we've used the standard limon-colored model with great success. On the flip side we've heard from friends about the occasional leaking unit, but in our experience that's kind of par for the course when it comes to air pads, no matter the make or model; you just have to live with a certain malfunction rate. Buy it where you can return it, test it before you use it (you don't even have to sleep on it, just inflate it and stack some weight on it overnight), always carry a patch kit (and read the instructions at home!), and finally, if conditions are going to be double-hairy-hobbit-assed-nasty epic!, double up with a second foam pad like our current fave the Therm-a-Rest Z-Lite.

OK, enough with the caveats. The NeoAir All-Season is the warmer version, increasing the R from 2.5 to 4.9, with a corresponding weight increase from 14oz to 19oz for a size regular (20x72, also available in medium 20x66 and large 25x77). All models are 2.5in thick, and the packed size is about the same, roughly equivalent to a quart bottle. The extra five ounces is an easy decision to live with when the going gets bone-numbing-russian-gulag-shitty epic! Stuff sack includes, and as a personal side-note, it makes a handy container for the screaming barfies.

The All-Season is definitely warmer, and super-comfy to boot thanks to the cross-ways orientation of the baffles. One great thing about it is that you don't have to worry about the moisture in your breath compromising the insulation, because it's a kind of space-blanket reflective cell construction rather than down or synthetic based. This saves weight too; did we mention it weighs 19oz? Comfy, warm, light, the NeoAir All-Season is the way to go when the going gets craptastic-barfalcious-pisstabulous epic! Assuming no malfunctions the remainder of the season, the All-Season will get Denali Approved and make the next trip up the big rock.

$149.95 at REI

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir sleeping pad

Therm-a-Rest knows sleeping pads, and their expertise is reflected in the fact that you see their products keeping butts off rock and ice the world over. The NeoAir pushes the envelope for inflatable air mattresses, bringing the warmth without adding the weight.

The NeoAir is available in four sizes; the regular measures a standard 20x72in and tips the scale at a mere 14oz. At 2.5in thick it provides just enough ass-to-ground clearance, even for side sleepers who take a divot with their bony hips. The NeoAir packs down teeny, to smaller than a quart bottle. The R value is claimed at 2.5, due to a reflective internal space-blanket coating and advanced truss design. What we can tell you is that it certainly sleeps warm, and the lateral baffles make it a stable delight for tossers and turners like some of us.We'll admit we were a little nervous about the thin material taking abuse, but our unit is leak-free and we've heard no reports of problems from numerous friends using the NeoAir.

A couple of dozen breaths are required to fully inflate (gasp), but the design is so solid you might end up letting a few breaths out, and after you get it dialed in the NeoAir is truly a pleasure to sleep on and worth the minimal extra effort. It's a bit crinkly at night, but nothing that will keep you up, and a bit slippery but not as bad as some pads. Our only real quibble is that for the price it would have been reasonable to include a stuff sack and repair kit. Still, if you haven't tried a NeoAir and you're still looking for a good night's sleep, you'll want to give it a try.

$149.95 at REI

Therm-a-Rest Trekker Pillow Case

Sometimes in extreme situations small things can make a big difference. Exhibit A is the Therm-a-Rest Trekker Pillow Case, a soft fleece pouch that you can stuff full of clothing to make a field-expedient pillow. And at only 2oz to boot.

This little item went up Denali with us last season and turned out to be a great piece of kit. It doubles as a stuff sack for all kinds of clothing, in our case expedition weight base layers. We just pulled it out at night, threw it in the sleeping bag and laid our weary heads to rest. The 14x17 inch size will tuck in nicely to most bags, and a foldover flap keeps the contents in.

It's more than just a creature comfort. A good night's sleep is a safety and health issue on a big mountain. If you're carrying a stuff sack anyway might as well make it do something else while it's along for the ride. Another nice function is it keeps all your skull-nastiness away from your sleeping bag, keeping it cleaner. Nothing quite as nasty as a bunch of brain fungus contaminating your expensive down fartsack.

$10.95 at REI

Therm-a-Rest Trekker Lounge

If you're feeling a little "leisure suit Larry in the land of the lounge lizards" the Therm-a-Rest Trekker Lounge camp chair is your ticket to ride. Or recline, as the mood suits you.

The sleeve design of the Trekker fits over an entire Therm-a-Rest inflatable sleeping pad or equivalent, and is available in either 20in or 25in widths. It will add 18oz to your load but if you anticipate any significant down time this accessory is guaranteed to make being tent or campsite bound much more comfy-cushy.

There's an integrated pillow pocket, the straps adjust easily without having to move your moneymaker, and they unclip when it's time to get horizontal. You can double over the pad for added seat cushioning, or leave it extended for true lounging goodness. When it's time to fly just remove the four plastic seat stays, tuck them into a pocket at the foot, roll the whole thing up and buckle it. Just call it a pound of prevention.

$39.95 at REI

Therm-a-Rest Women's ProLite 4 pad

Experienced campers know that when it's time to bungle in the jungle - or the mountains, or wherever - a little extra padding goes a long way. Therm-a-Rest comes to the rescue with the SheFlogger-approved Women's ProLite 4 inflatable sleeping pad.

Built for the fast and light, Y chromosome-free crowd, the ProLite 4 is a 20in wide, 1.5in thick, 1.5lb four-season pad available in regular 66in or large 72in lengths. It packs up small in its own color-matched .9oz Stuff Sack 4. It self-inflates about halfway in a few minutes and blows up quickly from there.

Cold sleepers will appreciate the added insulation in the foot and torso areas, adding up to an R-value of 4.1, and anyone will appreciate the light weight, low packed volume, and slip-reducing sticky dot bottom. The only caveat for using these fast and light pads is your weight: if you're heavier than about 120lb and/or you're a side sleeper you'll want a higher-tension, thicker model to keep your bones from bottoming out. Remember that inflatable pads have some shape memory, so store unrolled and valve open in a dry environment.

$94.95 at REI

Therm-a-Rest Trekker Chair

On a long expedition you're guaranteed to spend some time sitting around, whether to plan your next move, eat or repair gear. If you don't want to sit on the cold, hard ground you need a lightweight solution to keep your delicate derriere protected.

The Trekker chair is a sleeve that fits over your existing sleeping pad. It comes in two widths, 20" and 25", and has compression straps for easy adjustment whilst seated.

It provides good back support to boot, and only adds 10.5oz. to your kit.

$29.95 at REI