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Reviews > Sleep Gear > Pads and Air Mattresses > Therm-a-Rest ProLite > Steve Nelson > Long Term ReportLong-Term Report: Therm-a-Rest ProLite
3 Short Pad Reviewer's Information Name: Steve Nelson Backpacking Background: As an interface design and usability consultant by trade, I'm always excited by analyzing and improving designs and processes; backpacking provides a fertile and fun arena for that. I have been backpacking since I was a kid growing up in upstate New York: we backpacked and canoe-camped in all seasons, throughout the Adirondacks and nearby areas, ranging as far as La Verendrye Wildlife Reserve, Quebec. As an adult, I've backpacked and hiked extensively in California, but also have taken trips throughout the West, from New Mexico to British Columbia, and return often to the Adirondacks. In the last year I made the transition to lightweight and ultralight backpacking. I like moving fast, and lightening the load facilitates that. I also enjoy urban strolls, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, kayaking, and aviation in addition to hiking and backpacking, so my gear gets exposed to a wide variety of uses and conditions. Product information Manufacturer: Therm-a-Rest Product Overview The Therm-a-Rest ProLite 3 Short Pad is a compact, lightweight sleeping sleeping pad marketed for 3-season use by fast and light adventurers.You'll find more basic details and pictures in my initial report, and initial usage experiences in my field report; this long-term report summarizes my findings over six months of pad usage. Usage Conditions I've used the ProLite 3 Short Pad extensively in the past half year. Trips have included snow camping, backpacking and car camping, in shelters including a tarptent, hammock, bivy sack, cabin and the back of a vehicle. Locations have included Henry Coe State Park, various locations within Yosemite (on snow and on rock), Mt. Shasta, Snow Mountain Wilderness, Los Angeles and the Lake Tahoe area, with altitudes ranging from sea level to 9,500 ft (2,900 m) and temperatures from the 20s-90s F (-5-30s C). Ground conditions have included soft fresh snow, consolidated snow, forest duff, packed dirt, rock, and a grassy field, in addition to a hammock, wooden cabin floor, dilapidated mattress, and carpeted vehicle interior. Long-Term Observations Comfort In the long run, I've decided that I find this pad adequately comfortable given its thickness and construction. It's not luxurious, but it provides decent comfort and cushioning, and considering its weight and size, I'm happy with it. The pad has been comfortable on a wide range of surfaces, from hard wood to the cradled comfort of a hammock. The only downside I'll note is that the pad is thin enough that unless I blow extra air into it manually, I can "bottom out" when I roll from side to side. As a result, it turns out there's not as much range for adjustment in the inflation of the pad as I initially thought; it really is most effective when fully inflated. Personally, I wouldn't mind if it were just a tiny bit thicker, but that's just a matter of preference, not a shortcoming of the pad. I remain pleased with the length of the ProLite 3 Short pad. Since I always carry a small foam "sit pad" with me, I don't need a full-length sleeping pad. As noted in my earlier reports, the ProLite, combined with the sit pad or my empty pack at my feet and a wadded coat or stuff sack under my head, provides full-body insulation and cushioning. I get to save weight, and the ProLite pad cushions my torso, hips and knees. I find this a very effective and efficient setup. Also, the pad is large enough that when I turn from side to side in the night, I don't have to worry about rolling off of it. Insulation I've been pleased with the insulative ability of the ProLite 3 pad. It's worked well as my only pad in a hammock in weather that dipped into the low 30s F (approx. 0 C), and it has kept me insulated from the ground temperature on rock and dirt. On snow it requires additional insulation such as a closed-cell foam pad. This is all consistent with the manufacturer's ratings. Ease of Use The plastic valve is easy to use, and never gets too cold for hands or lips. The slippery bottom fabric of the pad can make it a bit of a bear to keep folded or rolled while stuffing it into a pack, but overall the pad is easy to use and stow. Fabric Performance The top fabric has a nice feel to it, doesn't become too clammy, and seems to be a good surface for holding onto sleeping bags and my bivy sack without being excessively grippy. It can absorb moisture, but that's not caused any serious problems in the field. My biggest disappointment with the pad's performance is that the grip dots on the pad's bottom are actually more slippery on certain surfaces than the material used on previous models. Silnylon in particular seems to promote slippage, and I've awakened to find the pad scooted out from under me on several occasions while using it inside my tarptent or bivy sack, both of which have silnylon bottoms. The dots do grip well to closed cell foam and rough wood. Long-term assessment of the ProLite 3 as a Pack Frame My longer-term assessment of this pad's performance as a pack frame is that it's not particularly well-suited for this purpose; I've found other kinds of pads to be a better choice for this use. I used the ProLite pad as a frame support in a custom-made frameless pack and with a ULA Fusion pack during the test period, using it either as a tube or "c" channel inside either pack or as an external pad in the Fusion. In all cases, I tried blowing extra air into the pad after it was in place to try to give it more stiffness, but while this helped a bit, the pad still was easily collapsed and amorphous, offering little structure to the packs. Soft and cushy, yes—the packs always felt comfortable against my back. Good support for a frameless pack? Unfortunately, no—at least not for me and my packs. I don't see this as a big issue, but it's worth noting since many ultralight backpackers rely on their pads for additional support in lightweight frameless packs. Durability I feel that the long-term durability of the ProLite pad is mixed. On the one hand, the fabric and valve have held up well—other than a few scuff marks and minor stains, the top fabric is in great shape. The pad, valve and seals continue to perform well and show no leaks at all. On the other hand, the pad seems to have lost its ability to self-inflate, and looks wrinkled and collapsed unless manually inflated. (One person I camped with later in this test—an owner of a ProLite 4—even asked if my particular pad might be defective when she saw how it looked when unrolled!) When I originally recevied the pad, it did a better job of lofting on its own; now I have to blow air into it any time I want to use it. My older Therm-a-Rest pad (a thin, lightweight model probably close to 15 years old) is in great shape and continues to self-inflate, requiring extra puffs of air only if I want to make it particularly firm. Being forced to manually inflate the pad means introducing moisture into its interior with each use, which I am concerned might contribute to degradation of the foam over time, and which also is not ideal for winter camping (moisture can build up and freeze into the foam over the course of even just a few days of use). I always store the pad at home unrolled and with the valve open, as per Therm-a-Rest's instructions, but that doesn't seem to have prevented the loss of ability to self-inflate, which started fairly early on in this test. I am concerned that this loss in self-inflation might indicate a degradation of the foam inside the pad, including a loss of insulative ability, but that's only speculation. I'm not overly concerned with this, but I do plan to keep an eye on this issue as I continue to use the pad. Summary The ProLite 3 Short Pad offers a nice design and reasonable comfort considering its size and weight. I'm slightly concerned by the loss of self-inflation capability and don't like the too-slippery choice of fabric for the ProLite's underside...but despite these shortcomings, I do like the pad, and will continue to use it instead of my heavier, full-length Therm-a-Rest mattress on most of my trips. In fact, I'm just heading out for a six-day, ultralight trip on the High Sierra and John Muir Trails, and will be enjoying the weight-frugal luxury of my ProLite pad. If the design were updated with a different choice of fabric for the underside, and the self-inflation capability (or foam) improved, I would consider this a near-perfect pad. Thanks to BackpackGearTest and Therm-a-Rest for giving me the opportunity to participate in this test. Read more reviews of Therm-A-Rest gear Read more gear reviews by S. Nelson Reviews > Sleep Gear > Pads and Air Mattresses > Therm-a-Rest ProLite > Steve Nelson > Long Term Report | |||