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Owner Review: Therm-a-Rest Luxury LE
Personal Biographical Info:
Name:
Stephanie Martin
Age:
28
Gender:
Female
Height:
5'5"
Weight:
145 lbs.
Email Address: syoong "at" alum "dot" mit "dot" edu
Location: Phoenix, AZ USA
Date:
October 14, 2002
Background: Actively enjoying the outdoors regularly since 1996 starting in the Pacific Northwest. Enjoyed day hiking excursions in the Columbia River Gorge area, followed by some backpacking along the Pacific Crest Trail. Moved to the desert southwest in 1997 and have been actively day hiking most weekends (anywhere from low desert to mountain territory (7000+ ft)). Generally take a couple week long trips to the Grand Canyon annually. Backpacking philosophy has been rapidly moving towards ultra-light gear. Have also been participating in canyoneering since 1997. See
http://www.ToddsHikingGuide.com for trip reports.
Other sleeping pads used: Therm-a-Rest UltraLite 3/4, Therm-a-Rest Z-Rest 3/4
Product Information:
Manufacturer:
Cascade Designs [http://www.cascadedesigns.com]
Year of Manufacture: 2000
Listed Weight:
2 lbs., 5 oz. (2002 model as listed on manufacturer's website)
Weight as Delivered: 2 lbs., 5.9 oz.
Size:
20x70x2 inches
Style of Product: Compact full length luxury camp mattress.
Field and Test Information:
Location(s) of test: Various locations in Arizona and Utah.
Terrain:
Generally in locations not far from my vehicle - elevations up to 8000 feet.
Weather Conditions: Cold evening temperatures below freezing to hot sweltering nights.
Description of Experience and Comments on Product Performance:
As my backpacking philosophy has been approaching the ultralight extreme, I found for cases when I would be base-camping in or near my truck, a cushier sleeping pad would be appreciated. While I wanted added comfort, I still wanted a sleeping pad that would be relatively compact and quick to set up - enter the Therm-a-Rest Luxury LE, a full length self inflating mattress complete with stuff sack and repair kit.
Like all Therm-a-Rest mattresses, the Luxury LE self-inflates by means of a high flow valve. Open the valve, and air lets itself into the mattress, slowly unfurling until it is "full". Personally, I prefer my Therm-a-Rest quite firm, so I add several puffs of air before twisting the valve shut.
The Luxury Series Therm-a-Rest mattresses feature AirChannel Foam. The foam core is created through a special cutting process that "creates a series of transverse air channels across the full width of the foam core." This cutting process saves weight, while still making use of extra-thick open-cell foam for luxurious comfort. The core is covered in SoftKnit Fabric, which is very smooth and comfortable to the touch.
As I've mentioned above, my backpacking philosophy has been very rapidly evolving to the ultra-light end of the spectrum. Unfortunately, I've become accustomed to my creature comforts, and I prefer to sleep on my extra-luxurious and cushy Luxury LE when car camping. I must admit, this particular model has never found its way into my pack, but has stayed with my vehicle for all my car-camping needs. Its extra thickness provides much appreciated cushioning against the hard-packed ground (that is found so often at public camping facilities) as well as the ridges in the bed of our truck (depending on the circumstances, I either car camp with a palatial tent or sleep in the back of our pickup truck - incidentally, a pair of these Therm-a-Rests fits perfectly in the bed of a Toyota Tacoma.) In addition, it helps keep me warm when camping out in freezing cold weather.
While the SoftKnit fabric covering of the Luxury LE is very comfortable, I've found that it doesn't grip my sleeping bag very well. I tend to slide off the Luxury LE if I'm not careful to pick a level camping spot.
Like all self-inflating mattresses, the Therm-a-Rest can be prone to punctures and/or leaks. I have to admit that both my and my husband's Luxury LEs have sprung small leaks. I suspect they were due to some random pokey thing in the ground that we failed to notice when setting up camp - camping in the desert, unfortunately, generally results in punctured gear, what with all the cactus and all. The leaks were easily located and patched with the included mending kit. The only word of caution on the mending kit is to work quickly - the epoxy sets up extremely fast. So far, all patch-work has remained sound and required no further action.
Packing up the Luxury LE is relatively simple. Just twist the valve, roll it up, close the valve and stuff it into the included stuff sack. It may take some practice to efficiently roll the mattress tightly enough to fit easily into the stuff sack. I've found that rolling it twice does the trick for me - I roll it once, then close the valve, then unroll it and roll it back up a bit tighter, letting out the excess air when I get to the end. If I don't roll it twice, the fit into the stuff sack is a bit tight and requires a bit of fumbling to get everything packed away. Perhaps a slightly wider stuff sack would be in order.
Overall, I have been very pleased with this product. While it is too heavy for me to consider carrying on my backpacking forays, the Therm-a-Rest Luxury LE is a very welcome addition to my camping gear.
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