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Long Term Report:
Therm-a-Rest Trail Comfort Self Inflating Mattress
Jennifer Koles
November 12, 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
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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
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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 Agnes Seedhouse SL two 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.
Long Term Report Field Testing
Locations
Please see my Field Report
for a listing of the locations that the Therm-a-Rest was tested in
during the initial two months of testing. I have used the Trail Comfort
while backpacking for 13 nights during the four month reporting period.
Canyonlands National Park, Utah: 3 nights
Sleeping Elevation: 3,942-5,716 ft (1,202-1,742 m)
Daytime Temperatures: 95 F (35 C)
Nighttime Temperatures: 60's F (16-21 C)
Weather: Sunny and dry all three days.
Performance: Inflation time was approximately 3 minutes with 2
breaths added into the valve to fully inflate. No loss of air
noted in the mattress overnight.
Zion National Park, Utah: 2 nights
Sleeping Elevation: 7,050 and 5,069 ft (2,149 and 1,545 m)
Daytime Temperature: 50-64 F (10-18 C)
Temperature inflating the mattress: approximately 38 and 50 F (3 and 10 C)
Nighttime Temperatures: 19 and 43 F (-7 and 6 C)
Weather: Sunny, partly cloudy, rain, and snow.
Performance: Inflation time 4-5 minutes with 3 breaths of air added into
the valve to fully inflate. I did notice a slight loss of air in the
mattress overnight, this was during the coldest night.
Testing Performance
Please see my Field Report for performance areas that were tested and results during the initial two months of testing.
| 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? |
I still find that when
I am in supine and side lying position on the mattress my whole
body fits. 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
resolved 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.
I placed the
mattress on the outside of my pack to allow me the necessary volume for
necessities. It did fit however, I am not a fan of items dangling off my pack.
I like to transport the mattress by rolling it up and then
unraveling it around the inside perimeter of my pack. This method
provides me with more pack volume than when the mattress is rolled
up. |
| 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? 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 to 19
F (-7 C). The mattress does not slide on the floor of my tent,
when sleeping on a rock, or on a tarp. I still do not find myself
sliding on
the mattress while sleeping with or without my sleeping bag.
I had the opportunity to test it in a hammock for a few hours. The
duration of the hammock testing was shortened due to the severe weather
conditions. I was able to place the mattress into the hammock and pack
it while inside the hammock. There was no sliding of the pad noted. I
had difficulty positioning it properly because it would not slide
easily while I was lying on it. Since the mattress did not slide easily
it stayed positioned underneath me while I was attempting to sleep. My
body was insulated by the pad and I was unable to feel cold air beneath
me.
|
| 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, small stones, and some
thorns. There is fraying noted on the edges of the material where it
was cut in production. |
| Care: How easy is it to care for
and clean? |
Dirt was easily cleaned
following the manufacturer's instructions by using Formula 409 cleaning
spray. I did not have an issue with body oils staining the mattress. |
| 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
still have not noticed the mattress absorbing moisture or the surface
becoming wet at night. No condensation was noted on the
sleeping pad during the entire testing period. There has not been any valve
leakage. I can still get the mattress compressed to its original size by
following the manufacturer's directions for deflating the mattress. Fold lines are still 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. |
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 (This is one of the larger volume items in my pack)
Summary
I find the Women's Trail comfort to be super 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 found that I could save pack volume by transporting the mattress around the inside perimeter of my pack.
The mattress has been durable and there has been no punctures or tears
in the material. This mattress pad may weigh more than others on the
market, but the extra weight is worth the extra thickness and comfort
as far as I am concerned.
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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