Reviews > Sleep Gear > Pads and Air Mattresses > Therm-a-Rest ProLite > Andrew Priest > Initial Report

Testing Location(s):

The hiking environment of the south-west of Western Australia allows for hiking and backpacking from coastal plains to forest. Elevation ranges from 0 to 585 metres (0 to 1,920 feet). Within this region, I hike in varying conditions from forestry roads, to sandy tracks to single-purpose walking trails, to rock hopping, to beach walking to completely off-track walking through open and dense country.

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Weather Conditions:

During the summer period, daytime temperatures average 30° C (86° F), whereas from March through to December the daytime average temperatures range from 15° C to 26° C (59° F to 79° F). During the autumn (Fall), winter, and spring periods the normal weather pattern is fairly wet with frequent heavy rainstorms evident. It does not normally snow in Western Australia.

According to The Times Atlas of the World (Concise Edition - Revised 1997) our weather is described as being "Mediterranean - rainy climates with mild winters, coolest month above 0° C (32° F), but below 18° C (64° F); warmest month above 10°C (50° F)." The atlas depicts the coastal area north of Los Angeles as having the same climate.

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Receipt of the Item:

The Therm-a-Rest ProLite 4 Short (or ProLite 4 S) mattress was received in good condition with no evidence of damage. It was packed in its marketing sleeve.  Included with the mattress was a double-sided instruction sheet in four languages.  As the mattress is received in a rolled-up, compressed state the instruction sheet has specific instructions on what to do with the mattress on purchase.  That is the mattress should be unrolled, allowed to self-inflate, then over inflated with several breaths, valve closed and then stored overnight.  This procedure has been followed.

The instruction sheet also covers initial use, deflation, storage, repairs in the field, cleaning, tips on protecting the mattress and the warranty.  All the information is clearly presented and appears easy to follow.

First Impressions:

Reviewing the Therm-a-Rest website I expected to receive a lightweight orange sleeping pad with a distinct tapered shape weighing 482 g (17 oz) and measuring 51 x 119 x 4 cm (20 x 47 x 1.5 "). What I did receive was an orange and black mattress weighing 448 g (16 oz) according to my scales and with a useable sleeping surface measuring marginally less than that given by Cascade Designs. It would appear that the manufacturer's width and length measurements include the portion of seam that runs around the outside of the mattress. If this seam is excluded from the measure of the mattresses size, one gets a useable pad area with the dimensions of 49 x 117 x 4 cm (19 x 46 x 1.5 ").  Also it appears that the thickness measurement of 4 cm (1.5 ") is the thickness when the mattress has been inflated with several breaths. As breath inflation is discouraged  when freezing conditions are likely to be encountered for several weeks, the reported thickness may be misleading in some circumstances.

The mattress is made of two different surface materials, with the upper side (orange) being 100% polyester and of a different texture to the underside (black). The underside or black material is 100% nylon.  From comments in other forums (not on the Cascade Design's website) it appears that the underside material is a "grip-dot" design, designed to reduce movement or slippage.  The black material does have a rougher surface compared to the orange material. Whether this will be effective at reducing slippage, testing will tell.

Within the mattress the foam is 8 oz (227 g) polyurethane which is punctured with star shaped cut-outs, presumably to reduce weight whilst providing ample body support.  The star shaped cut-outs are clearly visible through the orange surface material.

According to the packaging, the mattress has a R-Value of 3.2 and it is for 4-season use.

The valve is a plastic or nylon valve of similar design (that is it screws in and out) to other mattresses I own.  I did attempt to remove the valve cover to see how easy it is to access the inner of the valve for repair (I assume an o-ring is within) but could not remove the valve cover easily and thus abandoned my attempt.  Should it become necessary in the future, I will revisit the valve.

Concerns/Comments:

At this point of time I have no concerns with the mattress other than the covering material does seem thin and therefore I will need to take some care with my handling of it. I suspect more than I tend to do with my other mattresses, one of which has now sprung a slow leak mind you! Lesson to be learned I suspect.

I am impressed with its weight ... so light in comparison to my other 3/4 length and full length mattresses and I like its bright colour.  I am also impressed with its thickness. 

Testing Strategy: 

Over the test period I plan to use this mattress as my only mattress. I intend to assess it for compactability, comfort, durability, ability to refrain from slipping and warmth on various bushwalking trips (estimate to be at least six) sleeping on various surfaces, within both my tent on various trips and within three-side wooden shelters on the Bibbulmun Track.  My test program will see my use of the mattress during summer, autumn (fall) and winter.

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Reviews > Sleep Gear > Pads and Air Mattresses > Therm-a-Rest ProLite > Andrew Priest > Initial Report