Therm-a-Rest Trail Comfort – Long Term Report

Personal biographical information:

• Name:  Josh Cormier
• Age: 27
• Gender: Male
• Height: 5’ 11” (1.80 m)
• Weight: 175 lb (79 kg)
• Email address:  swifteagle1 at hotmail dot com
• City: Los Gatos, California
• Date: 14-Nov-06

Backpacking background:

I started backpacking with the Boy Scouts when was 11 and have been camping and backpacking ever since. I’m now geared more toward challenging trips ranging from week-long to weekend in mountainous areas covering from 7-14 miles a day. I would classify my gear as mid weight although now I am trying to move more toward lightweight. I now go backpacking at least once a year in the Sierra Nevada Mountains as well as monthly car camping trips with the Scouts.

Product Information: (information taken from Therm-a-Rest website)

- Item Description: Therm-a-Rest Trail Comfort Mattress (Long)

- Listed weight (long): 3lb 3oz (1.45 kg)

- Measured weight (long):  3lb 2oz (1.42 kg)

- Listed Rolled Dimensions (long): 26 x 5.1in (66 x 13cm)

- Measured Rolled Dimensions (long): 26 x 6in (66 x 15cm)

- Listed Dimensions (long): 77 x 25in (196 x 63cm)

- Measured Dimensions (long): 77 x 25in (196 x 63cm)

- Listed Thickness: 2 in (5cm)

- Measured Thickness: 2 in (5cm)

- R-value: 5

- Material: 150D ripstop polyester

- Manufactures web site: http://www.thermarest.com

- Year of Manufacture: 2006

- MSRP: $79.95

Long Term Use:

The Therm-a-Test Trail comfort mattress has been my constant companion on all my overnight trips, whether sleeping outside or inside on the floor. I have used this mattress a total of 8 times in various conditions and climates during the course of this test.

I have used this mattress while sleeping out in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Oregon’s high valleys, and the rugged terrain of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The elevations ranged from 500 - 9000 ft (152 - 2750 m) and the temperatures were from 40 – 100 F (4 – 37 C). The weather was usually clear or slightly cloudy but never rainy. The terrain ranged from flat grassy meadows and dirt covered rocks to mountainous flat areas covered in stone chips.

The valve on the mattress has held up well to use over time. It opens and closes easily and does not leak any air or require me to crank it down to keep it from leaking. The ABS material the valve is made of has not become gouged or scratched from use or being gently held by my teeth as I blow air into the mattress. The valve is large which makes it easy to turn when my hands are cold and easy to find in the dark when I need to let a little more air out of the mattress. I found the valve to be easy to open one handed while lying on the mattress making adjusting the firmness level easy. Sometimes I accidentally tighten the valve too tight and getting it open again takes some effort. For these cases I hold the plastic insert in the edge of the mattress its self to hold the mattress firm while I unscrew the valve.

The seams on the mattress are still holding strong and show no signs of giving or leaking. There are some small fabric strings hanging off the seams but they have not continued to unravel.  The ripstop polyester material the mattress is made out of is very sturdy and resists snagging as well as unraveling. I was made aware of this when I accidentally rubbed it against some granite boulders on one of my backpacking trips. When I took it out of the stuff sack which was torn, there were no signs of abrasion on the mattress itself.

The material the mattress is made of also helps to keep the mattress clean. If dirt gets on it, I can generally wipe it off with a clean dry rag. If the mattress gets dirty and won’t come clean with a dry rag, then washing the mattress is simple. First inflate the mattress but don’t add the 2-3 extra breaths and close the valve. Then lay the mattress on a large flat surface and apply water, a light detergent, a soft cloth or soft bristled brush, and some elbow grease. That usually does it for me and the mattress comes out clean. To dry the mattress I lay it on its side in a V shape with the valve open. This allows the warm air and sun to dry it out without popping a seam. I have only had to wash the mattress once during testing. This was to remove some sort of grease that got on it while I was backpacking.

The mattress has held up well to all my use during the test period. I sleep very comfortably on the mattress when it is adjusted the way I describe in my other report. I have not had any performance issues with the mattress or its hardware. The mattress is simple though not easy to roll up. I say not easy because I was never able to get it rolled small enough to fit back in the factory packaging. I did get it rolled small enough to suit my needs when I packed it on the outside of my backpack. I have to note here that I was dubious about the weight of this mattress. Was the 2 extra lbs (0.91 kg) over my current closed cell foam pad worth it? After using I would have to say yes, I have never slept as comfortable or soundly as I did on the Trail Comfort mattress while backpacking. I have thoroughly enjoyed testing this mattress and I expect to continue to enjoy using this mattress for a long time to come.

Dependability:

Does the pad hold up well to use?

• The pad has held up well to my usage during the testing period. I rubbed it against some granite while backpacking and the home made cover took most of the damage. The outside seams have a few threads sticking out but this seems normal.

Does the valve develop leaks?

• The air valve has not developed any leaks during the period I tested the product. It is as easy to seal the air valve today as It was when I first received the mattress.

Efficiency:

Does the pad keep me warm at night when sleeping on cold ground?

• I never had any issues with being cold at night due to the mattress not insulating me from the ground.

Does the pad keep me comfortable when sleeping on uneven ground?

• This gets a big YES, I have slept on granite chips using this mattress and felt no discomfort. I also slept with my mattress over a protruding piece of granite without discomfort, inflation and positioning had a lot to do with this.

Does the pad keep me from touching the ground when I lay on my side?

• The mattress was able to keep my hip from touching the ground when it was properly inflated.

Ease of Use:

Does the pad self inflate as it should after being rolled for a while?

• I store the mattress in the manner specified in the instructions (unrolled in my closet). The mattress has always self inflated to the point were only 2-3 breaths were required to fully inflate the mattress.

Is it easy to inflate the pad by mouth?

• If the mattress is allowed to self inflate as much as it is able, only 2- 3 breaths are usually needed to completely inflate the mattress. The valve is easy to open, blow air into and close without losing much air.

Does the pad keep me from sliding off during the night?

• This pad is wide enough that I have not had issues with sliding off. There does not seem to be any special coating to keep the sleeping bag in place other than the usual friction.

Is the pad wide enough that I won’t roll off during the night?

• This pad is plenty wide and I have never rolled off of it while tossing and turning, nor have I felt that I was laying on the edge of a cliff when I was rolling from one side to the other

Does the long version of the pad fit in standard 2 person backpacking tent?

• Yes, I was able to fit this mattress lengthwise into the above mentioned tent. I was also able to fit another smaller mattress beside it with room to spare all the way around. (For backpacking tent please check the floor dimensions to ensure one or more mattresses will fit.)

Is the pad easy to pack up and stow away?

• Yes, packing the mattress away consisted of:  opening the fill valve, folding the mattress into 4ths, sitting on the folded mattress to let the air out, and closing the fill valve once all the air was evacuated. Once the above steps were completed the mattress could be rolled up and placed back on the pack.

Thank you, to Therm-a-Rest and BackpackGearTest for allowing to me test this great item.

Josh Cormier