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Item Receipt:
I received the Therm-a-Rest Trail Comfort in excellent
condition; however, was the Trail Comfort as expected given my review of the
Therm-a-Rest website?
The short answer is no. In saying no, I am not blaming
Therm-a-Rest for my misunderstanding, rather it reflects my experience of
sleeping mats being referred to short and long or 3/4 length and full
length. On the Therm-a-Rest website,
the Trail Comfort lengths are described as long and regular and I took this
to mean full length and 3/4 length, which I now understand to be incorrect.
I would suggest that Therm-a-Rest reviews the language used on the website.
The regular Trail Comfort is quoted as having a length of 183 cm (72 in), a
measurement I would consider full length. The outcome of all this is that I
have longer than expected sleeping mat to test. Hopefully I will have the
pleasure of at least four months of enhanced sleeping comfort given I
normally use a Therm-a-Rest ProLite 4S 3/4 length!
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First Impressions:
Having got over the length confusion what are my first
impressions of the Trail Comfort? Well I would describe it as a full length
and thick sleeping mat, with a weight which I would consider near or at my
weight limit for a sleeping mat. A mat which I think I may have trouble
getting into my pack, but a well constructed mat, along the lines I am used
to from Therm-a-Rest. Of course these are first impressions and testing will
either confirm or dispel them.
Putting the Trail Comfort up against my Therm-a-Rest
Classic it appears very similar, making me wonder if this is a re-packaging
of the Classic? The Trail Comfort is a lighter green on top with a
black underside. The colouring/thickness of the material makes it difficulty
to get an idea of the cut of the internal foam, so can't comment on that
aspect.
The Trail Comfort outer layer is made of 100% 150D
Ripstop Polyester with a 100% Polyurethane coating. The filling is 100%
Urethane Foam.
The mat valve is a screw in/out type with some sort of
catch making it difficult to completely remove the cap. Probably a good
idea, as I would hate to loose the cap! The mat self-inflated quite well on
initial inflation and can easily be hardened by blowing into the valve.
Further testing of inflation and deflation will be reported on in the Field
and Long-term tests.
This leads to the focus of my testing of the Trail
Comfort.
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Testing Strategy:
-
Comfort: How well does that 5 cm (2 in) of mat
handle keeping me comfortable?
-
Durability: How well does the 150D ripstop
polyester withstand normal usage on backpacking and car-camping trips? -
Warmth: How well does that 5 cm (2 in) of 5
R-Value mat contribute to keeping me warm on winter and spring night's
sleep?
-
How slippy is the mat when used on surfaces such as
silnylon tent floors, nylon tent floors and hard wooden bases in campsite
huts?
-
How easy is it really to carry? How small does it pack
down? Can it be added to my weekend gear load okay?
-
How well does it inflate/deflate? Does it hold its
inflation overnight with a 104 kg (229 lb) sleeping on it?
At this stage of the test I have a week long geocaching
and car-camping trip planned which will see the Trail Comfort used six
nights in a four-person tent and three weekend backpacks which will see the
Trail Comfort carried as part of a weekend load and used in a silnylon
floored tent and possibly at least one night on a hard wooden floor in a
campsite hut.
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