Air Mattress Beds

Thermarest Sleeping Pads

If weight is the most critical consideration in choosing your sleeping gear for your camping or backpacking activities, Thermarest Sleeping Pads or Mattresses might be the perfect solution.

Thermarest (a.k.a. Therm-a-Rest) is the trademark for a line of self-inflating sleeping pads invented in the early 1970s by two former Boeing engineers, who were avid backpackers. They started a company named Cascade Designs. The story goes like this...

In 1971, Seattle aerospace giant Boeing announced the largest layoff in company history, resulting in 50,000 people losing their jobs. Among the jobless were Jim Lea and Neil Anderson, both engineers who were eager to get back to work. Turning to their friend John Burroughs (an avid mountain climber) for ideas, Burroughs suggested a better sleeping mattress, specifically one that was lightweight, warm, and comfortable.

Taking their inspiration from gardening cushions that expelled air as the gardener shifted his or her weight, the duo took a piece of open-cell foam and sandwiched it between two pieces of airtight fabric. Using an old sandwich maker, they melted the fabric onto the foam, creating a bond that was perfectly airtight. After adding a valve, their prototype was ready to test.

Within two years, Lea and Anderson had partnered with Burroughs to begin production of Thermarest pads, the world's first self-inflating mattress. Under the name Cascade Designs, the private, family-owned company has grown into one of the most respected outdoor manufacturers in the world. Still based in Seattle, Cascade Designs sticks to the same fundamental principles it was founded upon - Providing relevant and innovative products, exceptional quality, and service that exceeds your expectations.

How A Thermarest Sleeping Pad Works:

Unlike the conventional air mattresses, Thermarest Pads don't rely on any air pumps. Thermarest Pads are self-inflating.

Self-Inflating is an extension on the conventional manually inflated mattress, this type is capable of self-inflation due to the open-cell foam that fills the internal cavity.

A Thermarest sleeping pad consists of an airtight nylon fabric cover filled with a sheet of low density, open-cell polyurethane foam and fitted with a valve. When the valve is opened, the foam expands and draws air into the pad. When the pad is fully inflated, the user simply closes the valve. Once a Thermarest mattress has been inflated, the firmness may be adjusted by adding or releasing air. It's quick, simple and easy.

To pack the pad, the user just opens the valve and rolls up the pad tightly to force the air out, whereupon the valve is closed to prevent re-inflation.

Please note: Thermarest Sleeping Pads are also known to some people as Thermarest Air Mattresses.

No matter what your outdoor expedition entails, Thermarest has got the right mattress for you. They offer four different series of mattresses - Fast & Light Series, Trek & Travel Series, Camp & Comfort Series, and Hunt Series. Each collection contains mattresses designed to meet the specific needs of any level camper. From beginners to more hardcore adventure seeking folk, Thermarest has got your back. Here's a list of some of the most popular Thermarest Sleeping Pads/Thermarest Air Mattresses which you can look through and select your preference:

1. Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Air Mattress

2. Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Mattress

3. Therm-a-Rest Trail Lite

4. Therm-a-Rest Ridge Rest Solar Sleeping Pad

5. Therm-a-Rest Luxury Map

6. Therm-a-Rest DreamTime Mattress

7. Therm-a-Rest Basecamp Mattress

8. Therm-a-Rest Men's ProLite Mattress

9. Therm-a-Rest Men's ProLite Plus Mattress

10. Therm-a-rest Women's ProLite Mattress

11. Therm-a-Rest Women's ProLite Plus Mattress