For a start it’s designed for four-season use, and has a SpeedValve (SV), apparently reducing inflation time by half compared to regular valves. But looking past its moniker, how does it perform?
This mat is bright green—Therm-A-Rest call it ‘gecko’, although Kermit works better for me—and packs small for a four-season mat, with a packed size of 23 x 12 centimetres and a weight of 665 grams. When unrolled it looks like a very thin self-inflating mat with baffles, except for the bag-shaped opening with drybag fastening at the top. This is the SmartValve: it has an inner valve (a black flap of plastic) that needs to be pushed inside for inflation. Then it’s time for a bit of puff. You blow into the opening from a distance of about 15 centimetres, pausing once or twice to roll air down to the bottom, before shutting the top by rolling it exactly seven times. (Seven is the magic number for preventing leakage according to Therm-A Rest.) The process was quick – about 90 seconds – although I was left feeling like I’d blown up too many balloons. (It does have the small, standard valve as well, for fine-tuning the air levels.)
The resulting mat is really comfy, a lush 6.4 centimetres thick— no hips hitting the hard ground for me! Inside is lots of air, as well as ‘ThermaCapture’ reflective layers designed to reflect body heat inside the baffled construction for heat retention. It certainly kept me warm enough on a summer night in the Blue Mountains, as it should: by Therm-A-Rest’s reckoning, the R-value of 4.9 makes it suitable for everything but extreme cold. (They recommend R5+.)
It’s not just the initial lie that feels good: I slept well. The antislip top surface did its job, so I didn’t slide around, and it stayed perfectly inflated. The rectangular fit gave more room around the legs and feet than a mummy-shaped mat so my feet (and the rest of me!) didn’t end up on the ground.
The one negative was the noise: the fabric rustles and crinkles with movement—enough to wake me up. (I think you’d get used to it, and it would be less pronounced when tucked up inside a thicker, warmer bag.)
Deflation is a cinch: undo the clip, pull out the black plastic flap and roll up the mat, then slip it inside the roomy stuff sack. (It’s also easy to annoy your tent mate—undo the clip and they’re on the ground in seconds.)
The mat comes in three sizes—regular, regular wide and large—giving options for all. It’s made in the USA and comes with Therm-A-Rest’s limited lifetime warranty.
(Review: M Holbeck)
RRP:
$379.95 (regular)
$399.95 (regular wide)
$425.00 (large)
www.spelean.com.au