Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest Classic Foam Camping Sleeping Pad

The Therma-a-Rest RidgeRest has been a staple for backpackers and campers for decades. There are no moving parts, no inflation needed. It is very durable, very lightweight, easy to roll up and I just tie it up with a bit of twine or paracord, and usually attach it to the bottom of my backpack. I had one for years and years, and the material never wears out. I happened to lose it eventually, so I replaced it with the exact same model. It provides just enough padding and insulation to make for a more comfortable night's sleep against the little bumps of rocks and twigs and bumpy cool earth under your sleeping bag. Granted it's not rated for sub-zero Mount Everest type of snow camping, but for that type of camping, you know what you need. I've used the self-inflating type of sleeping pads, but they are cumbersome to pack, and I prefer the simplicity of this firm corrugated foam style that I can just roll up, tie up, and which is essentially indestructible, and lower cost than anything else.

Absolute best backpacking mattress for us *ahem* wider folks.- This is the large version specifically anyway. No putting a hole in this thing or dealing with leaky valves mid trip. Can be used as a shelter during pop up storms and as a float in your favorite back country swimming hole as well.

I bought this for a backpacking trip in Colorado because I had heard people talking about how lightweight it was and how well it kept you insulated from the ground. And for the $20 price tag I figured I might as well give it a try. Upon testing it out it was fairly comfortable, extremely light (I mean seriously VERY light), and what can I say? My back certainly did not get cold 10,000 feet up in the Rockies on an October night. I did not feel any coolness from the ground. I slept in my sleeping bag right on top of this (no inflating mattress) and I was happy with it.My only negative thing to say about this is that it is NOT very compact. Even rolling it as tightly as I could, it was still very large. That is my reason for not giving it 5 stars. HOWEVER the light weight factor does balance this out, and if you hang it from the bottom of your bag it does make a good cushion for those mid-hike breaks! And also you have to take into consideration that for better insulation, a thicker material is obviously required.Overall a great purchase for the price! If I was going to spend $20 on another sleeping pad, I'd buy it again!

This Therm-a-Rest is a solid mat. I used it once on a 3 night/4 day backpacking trip and it worked great! It was cold and windy at night and I definitely feel like it did help retain body heat. I've slept on your common, flat, yoga type mat that do okay for comfort but don't help as far as body heat goes. This one does! It's comfortable for me, but i can sleep just about anywhere.. a rock slab, slab of steel, most places so "comfort" isn't a major concern for me while backpacking and I was comfortable, warm, and slept well... and it's extremely light weight and durable. I backpacked in the Texas hill country/canyons and I'm definitely going to keep using it for now until it wears out. This is going back to the basics and I like that. A solid mat at a great price.

I was looking for a basic sleeping mat to keep myself off the ground. I went with the large (I'm 6'2") and it works well. I used this after a recent ultra endurance race and was still comfortable sleeping on it even with a very sore body. It is not soft by any means, but keeps you warm and provides just enough cushion to take the edge off. It's a bit bulky, but it weighs practically nothing. If I was a pickier sleepier I'd probably wish for something softer, but for my uses it works well.

The advantages of this style of pad are that it is indestructible, waterproof, light weight and it is inexpensive.The disadvantages of this type of pad are: one, it does not pack down and will need to be lashed to your pack. Two, it is simply not comfortable to sleep on. The padding and warmth this provides is similar to simply laying on a heavy blanket on the ground.It is better than no pad and it will protect your sleeping bag from being in direct contact with rocks and roots.Bottom line: if your budget is less than $40 and your primary concern is weight and absolute reliability this is perfect. If you can spend $40 or more and you are at all concerned about comfort buy something else.

I purchased this product as a sleeping mat for my dog on a deep winter backpacking trip. I only used half the mat for that. I ended up replacing the back/ sit pad of my Gossamer Gear Meraposa pack with a section of this pad that I folded in half. That turned out to one of the best last minute decisions I've ever made. It was light weight and comfortable as a backpack pad. I slipped it under my Thermarest X-Therm sleeping pad for extra R-Value and puncture insurance while sleeping at night. Most importantly, it was a fantastic sit pad that kept my body warm and comfortable sitting or kneeling on snow, ice, frozen rock, whatever. Sometimes I would sit on my X-Therm and put my feet on the RidgeRest to keep them warm or stand on it while changing cloths. I guess that torso sized section could have served as an emergency sleeping pad if my X-Therm broke in the night. It would probably be a suck night, but I'd live. My dog was happy with it as a sleeping pad too. It's surprisingly warm for as thin as it is.

It's the perfect size and price. I paid $40 and got the big one. It rolls up and fits perfectly on my handel bars on my bikepacking rig. I also use it as a base paid for my air paid. The only thing I don't like is the bulkiness. But all foam pads are bulky.