Field Report – Insul Mat Max Thermo Sleeping Pad

Biography

Name: Seth Middleton
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Height: 6'0" (182 cm)
Weight: 180 lb (81 kg)
Email Address: SDMiddleton@yahoo.com
City, State, and Country: Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A.
Date of Report: 03 May 2004
Date Product Received: 12 February 2004

Backpacking Background: My first backpacking trip was probably when I was 12 or 13 years old and I've been hooked ever since (for the past 13 years). I generally attempt to keep my backpack fairly lightweight, but I'm not above bringing the extra comfort amenities. I mostly take weekend trips, with occasional longer trips. I've backpacked in many of the Midwestern states and the Rockies, as well as the Adirondacks and the Appalachians. I normally hike in low altitude, hilly, woodland terrain.

Product Information

Manufacturer: Insul Mat
Year of Manufacture: 2004
URL: http://www.pacoutdoor.com

Outer Material: 70D nylon bottom / light 50D diamond ripstop top
Color: Black bottom / red top

Manufacturer's Weight:  23 oz (650 g)
Measured Weight (sleeping pad, stuff sack, repair kit): 25 oz (709 g)
   - Sleeping pad alone: 23.7 oz (672 g)
   - Stuff sack alone: 0.7 oz (20 g)
   - Repair kit alone: 0.6 oz (17 g)

Manufacturer's Stuff Size: N/A
Measured Stuff Size: 10.5 x 5.5 in (27 x 14 cm)

Manufacturer's dimensions: 20 x 72 x 2.5 in (51 x 183 x 6.3 cm)
My Measured Dimensions: 24 in (61 cm) at the widest point x 72 in (183 cm) long x 2.5 in (6.3 cm) high fully inflated

General Impressions

In order to put the bottom line up front, I have to start by simply saying that the Insul Mat Max Thermo is a wonderful product. In every feature that I feel is important in a sleeping pad, the Max Thermo exceeds my expectations. It is almost as comfortable as my bed at home, it kept me warm and insulated on cold nights, it is easy to inflate and deflate, it packs amazingly small, and it is made of very tough material. With that being said, I'll detail the conditions in which I used the Max Thermo and how it performed.

Field Test

I've been able to use the Max Thermo on several weekend backpacking trips in the past month or two. The first time I took it out, I went to Red River Gorge, KY. This area is called "the Grand Canyon of the East" for all the cliffs and rock formations. I use an internal frame backpack, and am used to strapping on my sleeping pad to the outside of my backpack.  My normal sleeping pad is a full sized Thema-Rest. However, in this case, I found that the Max Thermo rolls up so small that I could fit it into the main pack compartment. The pack size is a little bit bigger than two toilet paper rolls stacked on top of each other. So the Max Thermo started off on the right foot in my book.

By the time I set up my campsite on a narrow ridge, it had been snowing moderately for about three hours. The temperature was right at freezing (32 F, 0 C) and it was dark enough to use a flashlight. I purposely busied myself with the rest of my campsite and cooking so that conditions could worsen for when I inflated the Max Thermo. I eventually pulled out the Max Thermo with my winter gloves on and commenced blowing it up. The inflation valve is brass, but it has a plastic cover, so it was not too cold to inflate by mouth.  Furthermore, it was easy to twist shut with my gloves on.

Since the temperature was sitting right at freezing, there was not much accumulation when I set up my tent, so my ground tarp and tent were sitting on wet and cold rock, not snow. I inflated the Max Thermo pretty much all the way and then let out air as I was laying on it until it was the perfect firmness. When I had tried it out at home, I wasn't sure if I would like the mummy shape, but when I laid on it in my sleeping bag, it worked great. My mummy sleeping bag kept my arms and legs from falling off the side of the sleeping pad. Its 72 in (183 cm) length was an excellent fit for my 72 in (183 cm) height, although I think I would hang off the end if it was any shorter or I was any taller.

I was also concerned that my head would keep sliding between the sleeping pad tubes, but when I had my sleeping bag hood and camping pillow between my head and the tubes, it was extremely comfortable. I could not feel any of the bumps or ridges of the rock beneath me. More importantly, the cold did not seem to seep through the sleeping pad, as I slept very warmly all night long. I estimate that the temperature got down to at least 20 F (-7 C).

That first night with the Max Thermo was one of the most comfortable outdoor sleeping experiences of my life. It was only matched by the subsequent nights spent with the Max Thermo. The next morning, I tried deflating it and rolling it back up with gloves on. One benefit of not being self-inflating is that it is easy to deflate. Rolling it is easy too and I had no problems doing so with my gloves on.

Two weeks ago, I was able to test the Max Thermo in North Central Kentucky during rainy conditions. It had been raining all week and kept on raining right through my campout. As always, I appreciated the fact that the Max Thermo fit inside my backpack. My wife brought her Therma-Rest so that we could compare the two. I didn't intentionally attempt to inflate the sleeping pads in the rain, but they did get some water on them during various times during the trip. The nylon material of the Max Thermo allowed water to just bead up and roll off. It did not absorb any water at all. The tube design makes it possible for water to roll off in the grooves between the tubes. I'm convinced that I could pour a bucket of water on the Max Thermo and then lay down and it and be dry because the water would all have run off into the grooves and down to the ground. In fact, that will be my next test.

I slept on the Max Thermo like a baby until about 2:00 a.m. when thunder woke me up. I woke up my wife and asked her to switch sleeping pads so that I could compare the two. She was happy to do so because she had tried out the Max Thermo at home and wanted to see if it was as great as I kept telling her. The main difference that I could tell was comfort. Her Therma Rest sleeping pad is a full length, 1 in (2.5 cm) pad. I like sleeping on my side, but when I do so on the Therma Rest (or a closed cell foam pad), my hip digs into the ground. That's when I realized that I did not have this problem with the Max Thermo. When I lay on my side with the Max Thermo, it is still divine comfort.

The most important thing that I learned from that trip was that I am going to be forced to buy my wife an Insul Mat Max Thermo sleeping pad if I do not want her to steal mine. The temperature on that trip only reached approximately 50 F (10 C), so I did not get cold at night on either one of the sleeping pads. Also, we kept most of the water on the outside of the tent, but I am convinced that even if a river flowed through my tent, I would have stayed asleep, contentedly floating on top of the water. In my Long Term Report, I plan on testing how it works as a floating device in my apartment's pool.

On a final note, I have not used the Max Thermo in many unconventional ways, but I have propped it against trees and even against the cab in the back of my pickup so that I can sit on half of it and use the other half as a back rest. It works quite well in this fashion and the fabric is sturdy enough that the bark from the trees does not seem to affect it negatively. It is a very comfortable seat.

Conclusion

The Max Thermo is a great sleeping pad. That's my one-sentence conclusion at this point in the testing process. I have three types of sleeping pads in my apartment at my disposal, but the Max Thermo has become my primary sleeping pad. I've even brought it to work when I have night shift to take naps on. My likes and dislikes are as follows:

Likes:

1. Comfort, comfort, comfort

2. Small pack size

3. Durability / Water resistance

Dislikes:

1. I wish Insul Mat offered a variety of lengths for the Max Thermo

2. I'm not sure how to store the Max Thermo