Therm-A-Rest Therm-a-Rest has a long history as a manufacturer of outdoor gear, such as sleeping pads and sleeping bags. It all started with self-inflating sleeping pads, which were meant to contribute to better comfort on trips. "A better night’s rest under the stars," as they put it themselves. Therm-a-Rest was founded by John Burroughs, Niel Anderson, and Jim Lea, former engineers at the American aircraft manufacturer Boeing in Seattle, USA. Therm-A-Rest is part of a range of brands under the same name - Cascade Designs. Cascade Designs owns the brands Therm-a-Rest, MSR, PackTowl, Platypus, and SealLine. All brands contribute top quality to the outdoor world, with their different types of products.
The Therm-a-Rest moment One of the founders, Jim Lea, was doing gardening on his foam pad for his knees when the idea struck him; if you could insulate the foam in an airtight chamber, you could control the air pressure via a valve, and thus how much the foam in the chamber would expand, and thereby insulate. With this combination of air and foam, the idea of the first Therm-A-Rest sleeping pad was born; it was meant to protect campers (thermally) from cold and keep them warm, as well as increase comfort on trips. Thus Therm-a-Rest was born. The first Therm-a-Rest self-inflating sleeping pad prototypes were ready in 1972.
Only the best is good enough You can get many different outdoor gear, and in varying quality, but this is not the case with Therm-A-Rest. Therm-a-Rest only makes products of the highest quality. A quality you can always rely on. If the sleeping bag says it has a comfort temperature of -18, you can be sure you won’t freeze until we are below -20. So when they specify what the product can do, you can be 110% sure that Therm-a-Rest lives up to it.
Therm-a-Rest sleeping pads There is little doubt here, no matter which pad you choose from With Therm-a-Rest you always get the best of the best. Sleeping pads are a science, and they know that well at Therm-a-Rest. It is probably no coincidence that it is former engineers from the aviation industry who have managed to make the absolute best of their kind.
Sleeping pad with foam Foam and air are the two primary elements in many sleeping pads, but it’s the design and quality of the foam that are key to comfort. Therm-a-Rest was the first to produce a self-inflating sleeping pad. The self-inflating part comes from the foam. When the valve opens, the foam sucks in air, giving you both comfort (you lie well on a foam and air pad) and insulation. Since it’s the air that insulates and not the foam, the foam makes sure you lie comfortably and also holds the air in. Foam in a sleeping pad is not just foam. It’s a science to find the material that traps air best and holds onto it. At Therm-a-Rest, they have of course taken it a step further, for example with their Luxury Map pad. It has a self-inflating foam pad that is also body mapped. This means there is extra padding at the shoulders and hips to ensure you get the best possible night’s sleep, no matter what position you sleep in.
Therm-a-Rest tests everything
No matter which product you choose from Therm-a-Rest, you can be sure you get a thoroughly tested product.
When it comes to sleeping bags and quilts, they use their cold chamber and a full-size test dummy with temperature sensors all over the body. They have even had one of their employees spend the night in the cold chamber several times with the test dummy to double-check that their measurements are accurate. They make sure the different zones in the sleeping bag or quilt are properly sized with fill, dimensions, etc., and that they can easily meet the temperature ratings they list on the product.
When we talk about sleeping pads, excellent tests are no exception. All sleeping pads are inflated to 3 times the normal pressure used during regular use. Then they sit for 24 hours to ensure everything holds. You might think everything is perfect and ready to go. But some pads in production are still randomly checked to make sure everything still holds up. This ensures us as consumers, which is nice, as they take their products and us consumers seriously.
They are serious; Therm-a-Rest helped develop a new R-value standard for insulation performance in sleeping pads. The name is very easy to say ASTM F3340-18. They did this to make it more transparent and accurate when we as consumers buy sleeping pads in general, because previously it was a bit like the wild west regarding how manufacturers tested and stated their products’ so-called R-value.
The new standard - ASTM F3340-18
With the ASTM F3340-18 standard, it became much easier for us consumers to choose correctly and actually get the R-value we pay for. The ASTM standard was created to prevent overly optimistic R-values, so now there is a whole set of rules and requirements for specific machines and environments that must be certified by ASTM before you can rely on a true R-value. This benefits us as consumers because it’s much easier to compare across brands which model to choose, since all are now tested according to the same rules.
At Survivalstore, we have read this many-page standard, so we know everything about ASTM F3340-18 and are ready to answer any questions you may have about it.
R-value, what is it?
In short, the R-value is a number that tells you something about the insulation ability. R stands for resistance. In this context, it means how good the pad’s ‘resistance’ is against cold from below. The higher the R-value, the better it protects you from the cold.
We could write pages and pages about all the technology behind it, but for 99% of us, that’s not important. What matters is understanding that it’s about how much each pad insulates, and that’s where the numbers come in. The numbers indicate which season the sleeping pad should be used in, making it much easier to choose what you need and a better opportunity to combine several sleeping pads.
R1 - R2 = Summer
R2 - R4 = 3 seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn)
R4 - R6 = All seasons including winter
R6 and up = Extremely cold
(Note that the numbers are rounded)
Lifetime warranty
Everything Therm-a-Rest has in their range is covered by their lifetime warranty, except for their electronic products, of which they only have one, the NeoAir Micro pump, which has a 2-year warranty.
Therm-a-Rest themselves say that they only make products of the highest quality that last a lifetime. That could very well be true; at least they back it with a warranty.
So what does it cover? Therm-a-Rest obviously doesn’t cover if you’ve been lying in a blackberry bush on your sleeping pad and it’s punctured, or if the dog has eaten the bottom of your sleeping bag. But they cover all defects that can be considered factory faults, such as a molding defect in a valve that has become a problem over time, or if the sleeping pad has become leaky where it is welded together.
So, do you get a new sleeping pad? Therm-a-Rest really means it when they say they make products of the highest quality and do so with care for the environment. This means they often repair most products because they believe their products are too good to throw away, and that it's much better for the environment to take care of what you have rather than making something new.
It's the same story whether it's sleeping bags, pillows, or something else.
Not many manufacturers take their products that seriously, but Therm-a-Rest does.
If you happen to be sitting by the fire with your Therm-a-Rest sleeping bag or have lain down in a big blackberry bush, they can help you with that too. Therm-a-Rest has its own repair shop where you can get 10 holes in your sleeping pad patched for about $20. For sleeping bags, you get an estimate. Feel free to ask us if you want to know more; if we don't know, we'll find out for you.
Rest Better - Play Better
A good night's sleep is important in every way, but especially when we're out in nature. It's important that our body doesn't have to use unnecessary energy to stay warm when we're outside. Besides, nothing kills the enthusiasm for the 'project' like a cold and wet night with little sleep. In short, the better we sleep, the more energy we have for the next day, and the more we get out of our time.
We love Therm-a-Rest. Their passion is our passion. As the founder John Burroughs said, "We help people make the most of their precious time outdoors." We couldn't agree more! That's why it's our greatest pleasure to guide and help you get the most out of your precious time.
That's why we love Therm-a-Rest so much, because we know it lasts, that they keep their promises, and that's something you can understand. We have customers who have had their Therm-a-Rest products for almost 30 years and are still happy with them. It's great value for money, if you ask us.
If you want to be on the safe side and have a product you'll still be happy with in 10 years, Therm-a-Rest is a reliable choice.
Are we missing a product from Therm-a-rest? Feel free to send us your suggestion.
