Well who’d have guessed it? There are loads of people out there who think that thermarests are pretty damn cool. I have to agree – they are… but I just wanted to do some basic number crunching comparing thermarest with exped.
So – we’ll take my Exped 7 DLX as the base and then compare that with a ‘comparable’ thermarest and then the smallest thermarest.
Stats on the 7 DLX
Cost: £115
Size: 193×65 cm / 76×26“
Thickness: 7 cm / 2.8“
Weight: 1170 g / 41 oz
Packed: 30×15 cm / 12×6“
The nearest thermarest I can find is the LuxuryCamp™ XL
Cost: £104.99
Size: 196×76 cm / 77×30″ (3cm longer, 11cm wider)
Thickness: 6.3cm / 2.5″ (1cm thinner)
Weight: 2295 g / 5lbs 1 oz (a massive 1125g heavier)
Packed: 76×14 cm / 30×5.6″ (wow – this is the biggy – it’s 46cm wider but 1 cm thinner when packed)
What I can’t quite work out is that if this mat is thinner when you’re lying on it where does the extra come from when it’s packed – ahh it’s because it’s 11cm wider – but that still doesn’t account for it being nearly .5m wider than the exped – that’ll be the down at work.
In order to get a thermarest that packs to the same size as the exped you have to go for something like the ProLite 4™ (large) which packed comes in at 13×5.1in. (33x13cm) but is only 3.8 cm deep… not that comfy.
Obviously both brands have smaller and larger mats – but I just can’t get over the difference in the weight and pack size for a more comfortable mat that can also deal with a greater range of temperatures and comes with all the same bells and whistles like chair conversion kits and strap on pillows (from the pack cover).
Nice comparison mate. However it’s not always about like for like. I use the ProLite4 and it does everything I need it to do – a basic kip mat that is comfortable, affordable, durable with a small pack size – I do have one of the other thermarests – it’s very good but it’s far to big to take on a bike. However comfort is a personal thing really.
Yeah actually that’s spot on – I’d not thought about it before but comfort is a very personal thing – I think sometimes we think that things like this are universal – but of course we’re all very different!
Howdi!
Delighted to read you’re a Thermarest fan. It’s not about the thickness but about the warmth factor. The single most important camping item after the tent.
Take care out there and don’t frighten the camels with your wheelies.
Hey good to hear from you 🙂
I wouldn’t be without my exped now – I think I’d ditch the tent as long as I had my mat and sleeping bag I’m happy!