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Reviews > Sleep Gear > Pads and Air Mattresses > Therm-a-Rest Ridge Rest pad > Owner Review by Sheila MorrisseyTHERM-A-REST RIDGERESTOWNER REVIEW Date: January 16, 2007 Name: Sheila Morrissey Age: 26 Gender: Female Height: 5’ 8” (1.7 m) Weight: 150 lb (68 kg) Email address: geosheila(at)yahoo(dot)com City, State, Country: Goleta, California, USA Backpacking Background: I’ve been car camping and day hiking since I was born, but I only started backpacking in 2005. So far, most of my backpacking trips have been long weekend hikes into the Sierra Nevada with friends and my dog, Patch. In fair weather, my pack is usually around 25 pounds, including consumables. PRODUCT INFORMATION Manufacturer: Therm-a-Rest Year: 2005 Manufacturer’s Website: http://www.thermarest.com/ Listed Weight: 14 oz (400 g) for Regular size Measured Weight: 410 g (14 oz) Listed Dimensions: 20 x 72 x 0.625 in (51 x 183 x 1.6 cm) Measured Dimensions: 20 x 72 x 0.625 in (51 x 183 x 1.6 cm) MSRP: $22.95 PRODUCT DESCRIPTION The Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest is a surprisingly lightweight (14 oz, 400 g), closed-cell foam sleeping pad with ridges and valleys meant for trapping warm air and distributing weight evenly. At 20 x 72 in (51 x 183 cm), it is wider and longer than me, but with an uncomfortable thickness of only 0.625 in (1.6 cm). The RidgeRest rolls to a bulky 20 in long x 8 in diameter (51 x 20 cm) cylinder.  Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest (Photo from http://www.thermarest.com/) FIELD INFORMATION LOCATIONS: I have slept on my Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest on backpacking trips to the Sierra Nevada, on car camping trips in other California mountains and the desert, and on the floors of friends’ houses. I have used it to sleep over high-elevation rocky campsites, desert gravel, deep snow (in a tent), and hardwood floors. WEATHER CONDITIONS: I have slept on my Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest in nighttime temperatures of 70 F (21 C) to 5 F (-15 C), though it has definitely seen higher daytime temperatures (of up to 100 F, 38 C) while it was in my car or strapped to my backpack. PRODUCT DETAILS I decided to buy the RidgeRest because it is long (I previously used a 3/4-length, inflatable pad that I found uncomfortably short), inexpensive, lightweight, and non-inflatable (so my dog can’t puncture it with his nails). I have brought my RidgeRest on three backpacking trips, for a total of nine nights. At 8 inches (20 cm) diameter and 20 inches wide (51 cm), the rolled RidgeRest is rather bulky and awkward to strap to my pack. I tried putting it loosely rolled inside my Granite Gear Vapor Trail pack with the rest of my gear in the middle of it, but then my bear canister (a BearVault 400) wouldn’t fit. So for now, I’ve found the easiest positioning for my RidgeRest is to strap it vertically outside my pack. After a long day of hiking with my pack, I’m usually tired enough to get a decent night of sleep on the RidgeRest, although my hips always hurt in the morning. I have also used my RidgeRest while car camping and crashing on friends’ floors. If there’s enough room in the car, I always bring along my old inflatable sleeping pad and stack the two together. Neither is very comfortable when used alone, but when used together I wake up with pain-free hips. While car camping in the snow, I often bring extra padding for insulation from the cold, though I have found that the RidgeRest does a decent job of protecting me from the cold ground and trapping my heat when the ground temperature is freezing. I just prefer to be extra comfortable while car camping. After about one year of use, I have slept on my RidgeRest more than 40 nights. It has tumbled around in the trunk of my car, been thrown in massive heaps of group field trip gear, been strapped to my pack, and was most often used directly on the ground (minus tarp or tent). The only signs of wear are where my dog scratched it. On a backpacking trip this past weekend, the dog damage increased significantly. I picked up a couple of scraps of foam from the bottom of my tent, and hope that I didn't contribute to the backcountry trash. It has been suggested to me that I can avoid littering in the future if I put the mat inside a nylon stuff sack.  Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest rolled and strapped to my pack. PROS
I’m most impressed with the low cost and light weight of the RidgeRest. The bulk of the rolled RidgeRest makes it awkward to strap to my pack, though I have found a way to make it work for me. The biggest problem I have with the RidgeRest is that it is too thin to cushion my hips. However, I will continue using the RidgeRest until I find a more comfortable but equally inexpensive and lightweight sleeping pad. Read more reviews of Therm-A-Rest gear Read more gear reviews by Sheila Morrissey Reviews > Sleep Gear > Pads and Air Mattresses > Therm-a-Rest Ridge Rest pad > Owner Review by Sheila Morrissey | |||