Large Frame + Trail Pro = Many Sleepless Nights

By Ethan Walker Ranked #944 - Sleeping Pads August 18, 2008

First off, by no means am I giving Therm-a-Rest as a brand any negative feedback. Their quality in construction is top notch, and their customer service is great. This is completely subjective (regarding comfort), and I hope it helps someone out there who might be considering this pad who happens to have a similar size/build as I.

My rating for this sleeping pad stems from the past several uses I have put the Trail Pro (L) pad through. I am 6'-4" and 240lbs. After looking through the many selections available for sleeping pads on Backcountry, I decided that the Trail Pro was the best compromise between Weight of product, R value (as stated on Therm-a-Rest's website), Quality of Construction, and Price. I ordered two -- One for me, and one for my wife.

When I received the items, I was not disappointed with the construction at all. VERY solid product. (As an aside, I purchased a couple of Therm-a-Rest patch repair kits and valve replacement kits to keep on-hand for backcountry repairs. Thankfully I did, because when I inflated the two pads per the included instructions to let the foam expand and "learn" the proper set, one of my cats decided that she would test out my pad while I had my back turned. When I saw her sitting cozily on the pad I carefully removed her, and moved my operation elsewhere in our apartment. Turns out that just the pressure from one of her back claws as she sat punctured the top fabric of the pad -- found that out while camping, since the leak took several hours overnight to deplete the inflation enough to notice -- and I had to use a patch. The patch kit works incredibly well, and is fast at that. Kudos for ease of repair -- not so much for my choice of gear prep. location!)

In use, however, I found that I could not sleep at all well on this pad. Either fully inflated, or slightly less so, I could find no position to sleep in that I could remain in for longer than 20 minutes tops. The result was a constant battle to find a comfortable side to rest on, try to fall asleep, then reawaken later to start the process all over again. Not one night did I sleep all the way through. Both hips and shoulders felt like I was laying on concrete all night long. My wife, on the other hand (who at 4'10" and considerably less weight than I) slept soundly and didn't change positions once all night -- I can attest to that since I was up each night, and each trip we've made this past summer, and I watched her sleep soundly on each occasion.

My conclusion is that my body geometry and pressure points don't jive at all well with the Trail Pro. I've considered purchasing a different Therm-a-Rest version -- such as the base camp -- but I really don't feel like backpacking the additional weight. The Trail Pro was about the limit on weight that I wanted to haul around. So now the quest begins again to find a pad that works for me.

View Details: Therm-a-Rest Trail Pro Sleeping Pad

Helpful Votes: 1 Yes | 2 No