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Field Report:
Therm-a-Rest Trail Comfort Self Inflating Mattress
Jennifer Koles
September 5, 2006 |
Trail Comfort* |
Women's Trail Comfort* |
*Photos obtained from manufacturer website
Reviewer
Information:
Name:
Jennifer Koles
Age: 31
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 5
in (1.65 m)
Weight: 140 lb (64 kg)
Email address: jennksnowy (at) yahoo (dot) com
City, State, and Country: Salt
Lake City, Utah,
United States
Backpacking Background:
I started taking overnight
backpacking trips last
year in the Uinta Mountain Range in Utah. I
found myself taking entirely too much gear. I am finding
out slowly how
to minimize my needs and not require extra luxuries. My previous
outdoor
experiences consisted of 4-wheel-drive camping in primitive areas and
day
hiking. I have some backpacking gear I purchased over the
past few
years. I use a four season convertible tent or a
three
season
tent for my shelter. I plan to take more trips, increase my
duration, and
reduce my two to three day pack weight (food and water included) from
26 lb (12 kg).
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Women's
Therm-a-Rest Trail Comfort
|
Product
Information:
Manufacturer: Cascade Designs
Year of Manufacture: 2006
Manufacturer’s Website: http://www.thermarest.com
Size Tested: Women's Regular (WR)
Colors Available: The regular
and large sizes are a dark
green color called Sitka Green. The Women's Trail Comfort is
an aqua color called Aura.
Color Tested: Aura
MSRP:
$69.95 USD
Warranty: Lifetime
|
Measurements for Women's Regular
Trail Comfort
|
Listed |
Actual |
Weight
|
| Dimensions |
Thickness
|
| Rolled Size |
|
| 2 lb 4oz (1.02
kg) website listing, 2 lb 5 oz (1.05 kg) package listing |
| 20 x 66 in (51
x 168 cm) |
| 2.5 in (6 cm)
website listing, 2 in (5 cm) package listing |
| 21 x
4.8 in (53 x 12 cm) |
|
| 2 lb 3.90 oz
(1.02 kg) for the sleeping pad only, 2 lb 4.80 oz (1.04 kg) weight
including the packaging |
| 20 x 66 in (51 x 168 cm) measured inflated |
2 in (5 cm)
|
| 21
x 5 in (53 x 13 cm) |
|
R-Value: 6.2 (The R-Value
is the measure of thermal
resistance. The value indicated by the manufacturer is if the mattress
is fully inflated. A greater R-Value will provide more warmth) |
|
|
Material
| Top/Bottom |
100% Polyester |
| Coating:
|
100%
Polyurethane |
| Filling |
100% Urethane
Foam (Non-Flame Retardant) |
|
The Trail Comfort fits nicely inside the Big Sky Evolution one person tent.
|
|
Listed Sizes
Available From Website*
| Regular |
20 x 72 in (51 x 183 cm)
|
| Large |
25 x 77 in (42 x 196 cm)
|
Women's Regular
(WR) |
20 x 66 in (51 x 168 cm) |
*The Women's Trail Comfort packaging lists available sizes as small,
women's regular, regular, and large. The dimensions for the small size
Trail Comfort are not listed on manufacturer's website.
|
|
Product
Description and Initial Impression
Printed on the manufacturer's product packaging: "Maximum insulation in
the foot and torso for superior warmth. Extra-thick but light and
compact enough for backpacking.150D ripstop polyester offers
exceptional durability."
The Women's Trail Comfort is a four season self-inflating mattress with
an initial design of the Trail Comfort with added comfort for women.
The Trail Comfort is the manufacturer's warmest and most
comfortable backpacking mattress. The key features of the Trail
Comfort are the added comfort, durability, and the ease of transporting
the item. The mattress is constructed of expanded foam that
reduces weight and pack size. The use of the Trail Comfort is for all
types
of camping and backpacking. The Women's Trail Comfort is the
manufacturer's warmest women's mattress, has added cushioning, and is
sized especially to fit a women's body. The R-Value on the
Women's Trail Comfort is rated at a 6.2 and is higher than the rating
of 5 for the Trail Comfort.
The surface of the
mattress is constructed of 150D polyester with a polyurethane
coating. The surface has textured appearance near
the top (where my head was located while lying on the pad)
and 3/4 of the way down the length of the pad (where my thighs
were located while lying on the pad). The texture and contours on the
mattress are a result of a different foam design in those
areas. These textures and foam contours are located on both
sides
of the mattress. The surface is
not slick on either side of the mattress. The top surface of the
mattress is called Aura which is an aqua color. The
underside of the mattress is a dark gray color. The plastic air valve
of the
mattress is located in the upper left corner of the mattress near the
Therm-a-Rest Logo.
Please see my Initial Report for additional product descriptions and my initial impression.
Field Testing
Locations
Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah: 1 night
Sleeping Elevation: 8,220 ft (2,505 m)
Daytime Temperatures: 58 F-65 F (14 C-18C)
Nighttime Temperatures: Upper 30's F (3 C to 4 C)
Weather: Sunny in the daytime, clear in the nighttime.
Performance: Inflation time was approximately 3.5 minutes with 2
breaths added into the valve to fully inflate. Minimal loss of air
noted in the mattress overnight.
Uinta Mountain Range, Utah: 1 night
Sleeping Elevation: 10,354 ft (3,156 m)
Daytime Temperature: 75 F (24 C)
Temperature inflating the mattress: 59 F (15 C)
Nighttime Temperatures: Low 40's F (-5 C to -3 C)
Weather: Partly sunny with a few thunderstorms in the area in the daytime. In the nighttime partly cloudy.
Performance: Inflation time 5 minutes with 3 breaths of air added into
the valve to fully inflate. I did not notice a loss of air in the
mattress overnight.
City of Rocks National Reserve, Idaho: 1 night
Sleeping Elevation: 6,183 ft (1,885 m)
Daytime High Temperature: 97 F (36 C)
Nighttime Low Temperature: 59 F (15 C)
Weather: Rain sprinkles in the daytime and mostly clear in the nighttime.
Performance: Inflation time approximately 3 minutes. I added two
breaths of air into the valve to fully inflate. Added one breath of air
in the morning to fully inflate the mattress. I slept on the mattress
at this location on a large granite rock. I was impressed how
comfortable it was. I experienced no body aches during the night and in
the morning. I did not experience any areas of pressure and I was
unable to feel the surface or the cool temperature of the rock beneath
me.
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming: 5 nights
Sleeping Elevation: Ranged from 6,772 ft (2,064 m) to 11,100 ft (3,383 m)
Daytime High Temperatures: low 70's F (21 C)
Nighttime Low Temperatures: mid 20's F (-7 C)
Weather: Sunny in the daytime and clear at night. Frost seen on the ground and on the rainfly of the tent each morning.
Performance: Inflation time at these elevations was approximately 5
minutes. I did need to add two to five breaths of air into the mattress
to fully inflate. I did notice that the colder the temperature and the
higher the elevation the more breaths I had to add into the mattress. I
am impressed with how warm the mattress is. I could not feel cold air
or the cold ground surfaces beneath me. I did notice minimal loss of
air overnight.
Testing Performance
| Performance Areas Tested |
Results |
| Fit:
Is the women's regular size
sleeping pad the correct length for my body?
Does it fit into my pack when rolled up? Is it wide enough
that when I
roll at night I still have the mattress beneath me? |
When
I am in supine and side lying position on the mattress my whole
body fits. However, I have difficulty sleeping in this position in
elevations above 9,000 ft (2,743 m). Above 9,000 ft (2,743 m) I generally sleep on my side
or in prone position. In the prone position when my ankle
is plantar flexed the distal portion of my foot hangs off the
end of the mattress. The portion exposed is about 50% of my foot. I
resolve the issue of my feet becoming cold by placing extra clothing or
a jacket at the base of the mattress. I am able to roll and still have
the mattress beneath me.
The mattress fits into my pack by folding it in half lengthwise and
rolling it up.
If I do not fold the mattress lengthwise before placing it into my pack
it does not fit properly (due to weight distribution issues) in my 40 L
(2,440 in^3) pack. I prevent it from unrolling with a webbing strap.
The mattress does
take up a large amount of volume in my pack. I have no problems with
1-2 day trips with the mattress in my pack. However, I recently did a 4
day trip and my pack was uncomfortably stuffed with the mattress inside
due to extra food and my supply needs. I maybe should have placed the
mattress on the outside of my pack to allow me the necessary volume for
necessities. However, I am not a fan of items dangling off my pack. |
| Comfort: Is the 2 in (5 cm)
thickness of the mattress
comfortable? Does
it
slide when used as a mattress? Am I
comfortable just sleeping on the mattress with no shelter? Do I slide
while
sleeping on the mattress? Is the insulation adequate in various
temperatures? How comfortable is it as a camp chair?
Is it easy to place in the chair sleeve? Does
it slide when used as a chair? Is it comfortable when used as a chair
or a
mattress on various surfaces (rocks, gravel, sand, grass, dirt)? If I have the opportunity to test this sleeping pad in a
hammock I will evaluate if the pad provides me with adequate
insulation, if the pad slides, and if I can prepare it for packing
while inside the hammock. |
I
find the mattress to be very comfortable and warm in temperatures in
the mid 20's F (-5 C to -3 C). The mattress does not slide on the floor of my tent,
when sleeping on a rock, or on a tarp. I do not find myself sliding on
the mattress while sleeping with or without my sleeping bag. I slept on
a large granite rock with no shelter and I was very comfortable
sleeping on this mattress. I had no sensation of the hard, cold surface
beneath me.
I also find the mattress to be comfortable when used as a camp chair. I
use the Therm-a-Rest Trekker Chair 20 to convert the mattress into a
camp chair. Especially after a long day of hiking the extra thickness
the mattress provides in the camp chair is comforting. The mattress is
easy to place in the chair sleeve. There is no sliding noted inside the
chair sleeve. I have used the camp chair set up on gravel, rock, uneven
ground, dirt, and grass and I was unable to feel through the mattress
what type of surface was beneath me.
At this point in time I have not evaluated the mattress performance in a hammock. |
| Wear: Does the covering wear
easily? Does the
mattress become punctured by rocks, sticks, cactus needles, thorns, and
goat
heads (high desert thorns)? |
There
is no wear noted on the covering. The mattress has not been punctured
and it has been exposed briefly to sticks and stones. |
| Care: How easy is it to care for
and clean? |
The
surface is easy to clean with a damp or dry cloth. I did spill some
drops of sunscreen lotion on the surface. This was easily cleaned
following the manufacturer's instructions by using Formula 409 cleaning
spray. |
| Miscellaneous: Does it absorb moisture?
Does the surface
feel wet at night? Does
condensation get
on the sleeping pad? Does the valve slowly leak? How quickly does it
self
inflate in various temperatures? Does
it
compress to the original size? Does
it
stay rolled up? Does it
maintain fold
lines? Does it deflate quickly? Is
it
easy to deflate? |
I
have not noticed the mattress absorbing moisture or the surface
becoming wet at night. When I cleaned the pad with a damp cloth the
surface did not absorb an excess amount of water and it did not take a
prolonged period of time to dry. No condensation was noted on the
sleeping pad during this testing period. There has not been any valve
leakage. I can get the mattress compressed to its original size by
following the manufacturer's directions for deflating the mattress
(these directions can be found in my Initial Report under the Initial Impression heading).
I keep the mattress rolled up by securing it with a strap of webbing.
Fold lines are noticeable when it is unrolled or unfolded. The fold
lines are less noticeable when the mattress is inflated and they are
almost invisible after the mattress has been inflated for a few hours.
The mattress is quick and easy to deflate by following the
manufacturer's directions. At first I believed it was awkward to close
the valve and roll the mattress during the deflation process. I found
that this process removes all the air out of the mattress on the first
attempt and the mattress is compressed to its original size. |
What
I Like
- Ease of inflation
- I can remove virtually all the air from the mattress for
packing
- Comfortable
- Keeps my body warm in cold temperatures
What
I do not Like
- Takes up a large amount of volume inside my pack
Summary
I find the Women's Trail comfort to be very comfortable on various
surfaces. There is no soreness or pressure areas noted on the pressure
prone areas of my body when sleeping on this pad. I can not feel the
surface beneath the pad. I also find that it keeps my body warm in
temperatures below freezing. The mattress was easy for me to inflate
and deflate. I do not slide on the surface of it and the mattress does
not slide on the surface it is placed on. I will continue to test the
comfort level, wear, inflation times (in various temperatures and
elevations), use in a hammock, and any other issues that may arise
during the remaining two month period of testing.
Remarks
Thank you Cascade
Designs and BackpackGearTest.org for providing me with the opportunity to test the
Therm-a-Rest Trail Comfort.
Read more reviews of Therm-A-Rest gear
Read more gear reviews by Jennifer Estrella
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