Product Description: The InsulMat max-lite is a coffin-shaped, self-inflating, open-cell foam filled sleeping pad intended specifically for women. The exterior of the pad is nylon ripstop, with the top portion colored bright green and the underside a steel grey. The valve is brass, but with a hard plastic screw-cap that is permanently attached. Please see my Initial Report for a more detailed description of the pads appearance.

Tester: Colleen Porter

Tester Biography can be found at the end of the report.

Field Information: I have lost count of how many times I have slept on the max-lite - at least 15 nights. It has been used throughout southern California and northwestern Arizona, at elevations ranging from sea level to 7100 feet/2164 meters. Field locations included the Mojave and Colorado deserts, the Santa Ana Mountains, the San Bernardino Mountains, and the Grand Canyon. Temperatures ranged from below freezing to around 50º F/38º C. It was laid on forest duff, sand, coarse and pebbly dirt, carpet, tiled floors, and packed-down established tent sites. I always used a groundcloth of some kind underneath it (except when it was used indoors). I used it in conjuction with zero-degree and 20º F/11º C down sleeping bags. I used it under a tarp as well as in enclosed tents.

Performance: The max-lite has mostly been a pleasure to test. For a 1 inch/2.5 cm thick pad it is surprisingly comfortable - the cushioning was sufficient to give me a good night's sleep on every type of terrain I encountered. The only time I had any trouble at all with the max-lite was on a trip where the overnight temperatures unexpectedly dropped below freezing. That trip is detailed in my Field Report, but I will summarize it by saying that, for me, the max-lite does not offer sufficient insulation for sub-freezing temperatures. I could feel myself losing heat through the pad and into the ground. I should also note that I am a cool sleeper. The more substantial foam in the hip area does an excellent job of keeping my hips from poking into the ground and I still think it is a brilliant feature. I cannot comment on whether the solid foam in the foot area is effective at keeping my feet warmer, because I sleep curled up and so my feet never spent much time at the foot of the pad.

The pad's self-inflation has improved since I wrote my prior reports. When the pad was not packed up for a trip, I stored it under my bed, fully inflated with the valve open. It now re-inflates itself in less than ten minutes, but I do need to add two or three full breaths into the pad to get it to the level of firmness I prefer. I never noticed much of a difference in the rate or level of self-inflation at higher or lower altitudes. The valve opens and closes easily. There was one time that it stuck as I was screwing it closed, but I think that I was applying unnecessary force to it. The sticking was very brief and only occurred once.

The top of the max-lite seems a bit slicker than other pads I have used, but it is not so slippery that I have any complaints about it. I have had no trouble with the pad sliding around on my tent floors, but I should note that I never used the max-lite on a silnylon floor (the ultimate pad-slipping challenge).

The max-lite rolls up quite compactly, into a cylinder of the following dimensions: Height 21"/53 cm, Circumference 12.5"/32 cm, Diameter 4"/ 10 cm. If the max-lite is folded over lengthwise and then rolled, the dimensions are: Height 10.5"/26.5 cm, Circumference 18.5"/47 cm, Diameter 5.5"/168 cm. While typing out these measurements, I realize that they don't quite match up with Insul Mat's given dimensions for the pad. So I measured the max-lite and sure enough, their length and width meaurements are 1"/2.5 cm shorter than what I measured. My guess is that Insul Mat provided the length and width measurements of the foam padding - the functional part of the pad - and forgot to include the 0.5"/1.25 cm of seam around the edges.

I mentioned in my Field Report that I would use the max-lite alongside my husband's Therm-A-Rest, using the pad coupler that Cascade Designs offers. I was unable to do this, since our coupler seems to have gone AWOL. However, I see no reason why the max-lite would not work perfectly well in that way.

The stuff sack that came with the max-lite is designed to hold the pad when it has been folded in half lengthwise and then rolled. I only use a stuff sack for my pads when they are carried on the outside of my pack, and when folded over lengthwise and rolled the max-lite is too squat to easily carry on the outside of a pack. So I used a different stuff sack when I needed to carry the max-lite on the outside of my pack. I ended up using the max-lite's stuff sack to hold my cook kit - it's the perfect size. I hardly used the hook-and-loop strap that came with the max-lite - I just never found it necessary.

Durability: The max-lite has held up very well and looks almost as good as new. When I laid it out on the floor for a final visual inspection, I noticed some watermark-type stains near the head area, probably from my nocturnal drooling. So I scrubbed the top of the pad with baking soda, water, and a dish brush, and the stains came out easily.

There are some slight, very wispy frays around the outermost edges of the pad, where the top and bottom fabrics were heat-sealed together. These tiny wisps are individual nylon filaments that somehow didn't stick when the heat-sealing was done. They are so inconsequential that I only noticed them when I held the pad up with a light source behind it. I don't think they represent a flaw or problem with the pad - they are just tiny fibers that have been rubbed free by whatever friction the edges of the pad encountered.

The pad has suffered no damage from normal use. I never had to use the very generously sized patch kit that came with it.

Conclusion: The Women's Edition max-lite is an excellent 3-season sleeping pad. That said, it is not going to become my primary pad. If InsulMat offered this pad in a 3/4 length option, I would consider that a fantastic option. That's not a criticism of the pad, because I really do consider it comfortable and reliable. I'm just partial to 3/4 length pads for 3-season use and feel that for some women the portion of the pad below the hip area is unnecessary for most North American spring, summer, and fall conditions.

I would like to thank BGT and InsulMat for allowing me to be a part of this test. The max-lite has been a pleasure to use.

Tester Information

Name: Colleen Porter
Gender: Female
Age: 29
Height: 5'8"/1.73 m
Weight: 140 lbs/64 kg
Email address: tarbubble at yahoo dot com
Location: Orange County, CA
Date: June 20, 2004
Backpacking Experience: I have been hiking for fifteen years, backpacking for eight. I've only been serious about it in the last two and a half years. I mostly hike on established trails. I never intend to bushwhack, but occasionally I find myself on a disused trail and at least attempt to make my way. I like gear to be simple and light, and I do make some of my own equipment. On my own or with other adults, I pack pretty light (about thirteen lbs/6 kilograms base weight), but I am often on family trips with my two-year-old son, so the weight usually doubles for those trips. My usual backpacking haunts are the San Gabriels, the Sierra Nevada, and the Grand Canyon.

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