Therm-a-Rest Z-Lite Sleeping Pad

Lightweight and very quick to pack up, but not worth the night's sleep that comes with it. My husband and I both tried new Z-lites one night in Shenandoah (around 30deg) and were warm enough, but miserably uncomfortable. Our 15yr old Trail Thermarests were a welcome sight. Probably a better choice for soft ground or an additional barrier under another pad.

This thing weighs next to nothing and packing it is as easy as picking it up and attaching it to your pack. However I always woke up in the mornings feeling not totally rested so I ditched it. Works great for an extra pad during winter camping.

Nice size to wt ratio. Folds up to pack easily INTO my pack. Just finished two snow shoe winter expeditions in the Bighorns using the pad directly on the snow floor of a quinzhee with a thermarest inflatable on top of it. No condensation issues were noted. Have NOT slept directly on it, but if you have a gore-tex bag, it shouldn't be an issue.

Is waking up in the morning to numerous little 'cups' of condensation that seem to form in the z-rest. Not enough of a problem to warrant three stars, but I don't tend to have this same problem with a ridge rest.

Pretty good pad for the money. After two weeks of on it thought you will notice the egg crate will start to crumple and wont be as comfortable as when you first purchased it. Great pad if your a weekend backpacker or trying to save weight, but for me a good nights sleep is worth a little bit extra money.

durable, comfortable, inexpensive, waterproof. sometimes starts to fold up if you move around in your sleeping bag. I'm a wiggler, so that's a pain in the butt for me.

Light, cheap, and effective, though not the most comfortable. Definitely gets the job done, but not the most comfortable. Almost everyone we ran into on the PCT had one.

The reason I bought one is because it makes the framesheet for my Gossamer Gear sub-one pound backpack. I also need to carefully scoop out shoulder and hip divots from the dirt before laying it down to make myself BARELY comfortable. I'm going to go back to a self-inflater and get some sleep.

Call me old school, but I prefer closed cell foam mats. I use the z-rest primarily for summer camping, but have been on some trips when the temperature has dropped and had no issues. The best part of this pad is that if packs really small for a closed cell mat. Much smaller than my ridge rest. The egg carton shape is comfy. A nice little trick with this pad if you are used to sleeping with multiple pillows at home you can neatly fold a couple of the sections underneath your head and it props you up a bit.

Nice and light weight..good for a sitting rest..just enough mattress to let sleep well at night and it is a good float for your pack in the slot canyons

I got this as a base for winter camping. One great thing is you can cut a piece of the end (3 sections or so) and now you have a belay seat that will keep your rear end warm and dry, and a nice perch for sitting around melting snow. I may attach a couple strips of velcro to keep the pieces together at night. It is a bit firm for my tastes for just sleeping on hard ground, but when you consider the weight savings and the fact that there is zero possibility of getting a leak in the backcountry, it is well worth every penny (and why carry a belay seat and pad when you can have both).

I bought the small size for each of my children (ages 7 & 9) to take to camp. They are on the short side - both the boy's feet hang off the end. But, the pads are light and easy to pack. My boys don't mind their feet hanging off. And, the price was great!

Just completed a 70-mile 8-day trek across the Sierras and the Z-Lite became one of my best loved items on the trip. Not so much for sleeping--which was still the best I've found at such a light weight when I used it in my bivvy sac, though most days I slept in my hammock--but as a great trail "rest pad". On long, strenuous climbs it was heaven at rest stops to just unclip the Z-lite from my pack, throw it down on almost any surface and have a pad so comfortable that my hiking buddy frequently found me napping when he caught up with me :)

Too short and too narrow, otherwise it is good for hiking

Pros: light, durable. Cons: little bulk, pretty firm. Too firm for me, but at 35 bucks it's better than nothing.

was sent a small one waiting on regular fit one.......nice though just too short

The z-light is indeed super-light and very effective if lightweight is your top priority. Just don't expect the same comfort level as an air mattress.

Perfect for ultralight camping and hiking. Folds neatly and easily. Even though it's really thin, you still get a good night's sleep. Buy a larger size just in case! What more could you possibly want?!?

Leave it to Therm-a-Rest to design a totally different sleeping pad. This is the easiest pad to pack. No more squeezing the air out, simply fold, a big + when breaking camp. The Z-Lite is the lightest, full size sleeping pad on the market & at 3/4" thickness, it's fairly comfortable. Good choice for ultralight backpacking.

I picked this up specifically for its light pack weight for my first backpacking trip. Unfortunately it took a lot of space inside my pack, so I ended up moving it to the outside. Because of its blocky shape it's a little awkward, but weight wise I can't complain. It really is quite light. In terms of warmth I didn't feel a huge difference between sleeping on the pad and when I would inadvertently roll off it and onto the bare tent floor. However, when weight is a concern, I'd say there was plenty cushion and support for the price. I'd recommend this for warm to mildly cool weather outings when size isn't an issue but weight is.

My friend uses the Ridgerest size small to pack light and reduce weight. But too bad your calves down have no padding. So I got the Z-lite size regular which weighs a few ounces more but alteast its long enough to cover my entire body. It's also very simlar is size folded up compared to the Ridgerest size small. Z-Lite costs more but the full body coverage and similar folded up size is worth it.

This sleeping pad is going to treat me well on my next backpacking excursion. Thanks!

Indeed quite light and cushy, keeping one comfortable on a bed of rocks. I am 5.11 and it was too large for me, so if you are petite extra small might work better. Also, as someone noted it does not do well in low temperatures, great for summer and spring.

Beyond the convenience of being compact and light, the Z-Lite gives you that little extra piece of mind that it won't go flat on you because you've parked on that one jagged little pebble that you swore you brushed away when you cleaned your site.

I love this mat! It's so light, you can hang it just about anywhere on your pack w/o affecting swing weight, and it's a million times more comfortable than laying on the ground! Adds insulation, too. Your friends will be jealous when you bust this out at the end of a 15 mile hike and they're stuck in the dirt (mine sure were).

This is the lightest weight pad I could find. Great for fast packing. You can hike so much farther if you can shave a few pounds off of your pack. This Z Lite is a good start. It's perfectly comfortable. I still sleep fine on this pad. You really don't need a full length pad (unless weight is no concern).

The Z-lite is very impressive for its weight. Haven't taken it on a legitimate trip but it stood up well on a 20 degree night without a tent. Warm for its weight.

A super light pad great for most conditions. I found it to be a bit cold on some early fall trips but well worth it considering the weight. It works great for lounging around camp and realxing.

This pad is much lighter than my previous air mattress pad. Also, laying it out and packing it in my pack takes but a few seconds. I look forward to packing lighter and hiking longer!

For the weight, I think this is it. Surprisingly comfortable!! And durable. I use this as a seat/lounge chair also, and it has stood up great.

This Z-lite pad is stellar. I already owned a Therm-a-rest inflatable pad, but wanted something lighter and smaller for a backpacking trip. This pad is lighter, smaller, and best of all -- just as comfortable. Although it wouldn't be best for winter camping (no air cushion to keep out the cold), it's great for every other camping season. Highly recommend.

Recently took this backpacking. It was much more comfortable than I was expecting it to be. Can't beat the weight and easy storage either. The regular is plenty long, and you could probably cut off a length if you were concerned, although I'm only about 5'9". Glad I bought it!

This pad is a good choice for the warmer months of the year and is very light. Overall it is a good pad and I do recommend it to all!

I can sleep on just about anything, but this is definitely one of the most comfortable sleeping mats I’ve ever used - the eggshell carton makes it cushiony, and you don't slip around, making squeaky noises. I’m a 5'6 woman, though, so when the guy offered to sell me the "short" I figured it'd be about my height, since a long would be for a grown man, right? My feet hang off the end of it about a foot (no pun intended). If you like full coverage, make sure you try this one on for size.

I like the fold-up design, super easy to pack quickly and it's compact every time. It’s worked great so far.

Not bad. We were hesitant to leave our heavier self-inflators’ at home, but found the Z-Lite quite comfortable. Being thinner without the advantage of a layer of air, we did find the cold from the ground easily migrated through the pad. Good for warmer nights, not so good for the 20F nights we've experienced so far with these pads. We look forward to spring! Overall, a good pad that definitely lightens the load.

This pad was a luxury on my last adventure and worth its weight in gold. If you aspire to go ultra light then trim the pad to cover your pressure points (hips and shoulders) as this Therm-a-rest is plenty big.

I used the Z-Lite along with a very thin Thermarest self-inflating pad. I purchased the Z-Lite for a back pack trip, so I needed the least amount of weight possible. I slept in a small dome tent on a rock and sand location and found this set up to be the best I have ever had.

It's comfortable and light and not that expensive.