Monday, April 27, 2020

Therm-A-Rest ProLite Apex Sleeping Pad – Review





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Today Luke is reviewing the Therm-a-Rest ProLite Apex Sleeping Pad!



Agenda Free Link : https://www.thermarest.com/sleeping-pads/fast-and-light/prolite-apex-sleeping-pad/prolite-apex.html?

Price : $119.95 - $139.95 (keep in mind that these are the retail prices; you can find these for a good bit less on Amazon and with outfitters.

Sizes : Regular, Regular Wide and Large

Weight of Regular : 1lb 6.4oz with stuff bag : the sleeping pad weighs 1.5lbs

Insulation Type : Open-cell Foam

R-Value : 3.8

Inflation : Self with a top off at the end.

Packed Size :
Large: 5.1 x 13 inches
Regular: 4.8 x 11 inches
Regular Wide: 5.1 x 13 inches

Pad Thickness (in.) 2 inches

Dimensions :

Large: 77 x 25 x 2 inches

Regular: 72 x 20 x 2 inches

Regular Wide: 72 x 25 x 2 inches

Fabric type : 50D Polyester on both sides - urethane foam inside

Color : It’s a redish color that Thermarest calls heat wave – it’s ok.  Not my personal preference it’s not a masculine color if that matters to you.

From the Company :
StrataCore™ Construction yields the best warmth-to-weight ratio of any self-inflating mattress, StrataCore uses a continuous layer of thermal foam nestled between alternating ridges of air and foam.

Rugged, Self-inflating Foam: Expanding foam core self-inflates; top off with just a few breaths for personalized firmness on 2 inches (5 cm) of StrataCore loft.

Easily Fits In Your Pack: Packs down small to easily find a place in your pack during fast and light adventures.

WingLock™ Valve: Our intuitive and dependable valve maximizes air flow for easier inflation and quicker deflation. Wings toggle for one-way inflation to save breath.

Pros :

Lightweight

Compact

Comfortable

Weight to comfort ratio is excellent

Easy to use

Not a noisy sleeping pad which is important for light sleepers – just in case you don’t know, some sleeping pads can be and can sound like you are on a bag of potato chips.

Good temp range – Used in the summer with temps in the 60’s and during the winter with temps down to 10F

Made in the USA!

Cons :

Not the lightest sleeping pad; if you are focused specifically on the lightest then there are other sleeping pad options that you should consider.

Price is high for a sleeping pad but you do get a lot for that price

Inflation takes a long time and is only partially inflated – this is the case with any self- inflation pad – 35 minutes with my testing and you will want to give it a good final puff to get it fully inflated – that depends on how hard that you want for it to be – might be perfect for you depending on how firm you like for your matt to be Time wise, for most people, inflation time won’t be a problem though as they will setup and then come back.

Stuff bag doesn’t feature an inflation port so if you need to inflate quickly and turn in for the night, you will have to get creative or simply inflate via breath.  20is breaths and it is inflated.

No repair kit included

Summary :

Thermarest makes excellent sleeping pads; they have for a very long time and the trend continues here with the ProLite Apex.  I have ProLite Plus from 2012 – it’s 8 years old and has never given me any problems.

The 3.8 R-Value is a good range for year round camping for most people and in most locations.  In very cold situations; 15F and below, I would add a closed cell foam pad to the system which will protect you from even more radiant cold from the ground.

Are there less expensive sleeping pads out there?  Yes.  Can they be comfortable?  Yes.  Do they have a limited lifetime warranty and a track record like Thermarest; there aren’t many companies who can make such claims.

Is this the best sleeping pad in the world?  No but it is a very, very good one which has very few negatives.  The price is good.  The quality is good and with Thermarests track record it is a product that should last for many, many years and if you have a problem, the limited warranty will cover you as long as it is defect.  If you puncture a hole, they you can fix or send it in for repair.

In the end, I have no problem recommending this for just about anyone unless you are a gram counter and if you are, you are going to pay more money and go with an air mat. Otherwise, good for shoulders and car camping as well.

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