Review by Right off the bat, sleeping in a tent isn’t the same as your luxurious bed at home. Unfortunately, most people skimp on their sleeping system (sleeping bag, pad, pillow, etc) and make their camping experience even worse. Having had friends who highly recommended self-inflating sleeping pads I bit the bullet and went shopping for one.
I found the brand name sleeping pads (mainly therma-rest) to be incredibly expensive. After a little research I decided to buy MEC’s version of the therma-rest, the Apogee sleeping pad. A cheaper, but better valued alternative. As I’m over six feet tall I was extremely grateful that they made a “long” version of the pad.
What’s great about the pad is that it is comfortable as can be. I would say as comfortable as similar therma-rests I’ve slept on. The padding is comfortable enough so that when your tent is set up on some small roots or rocks you can’t feel them. The pad also performs its second job well, insulating you from the cold ground below. The pad provides adequate separation between you and the cold ground/floor. I’m not sure if it would be enough when camping on snow but as the year presses on I’ll let you know.
I’ve found the pad has two annoying drawbacks. The stuff bag that comes with it is annoyingly small and has “apogee long” in HUGE TEXT across the side. The bag is so small that even when I roll the pad up as tight as I can it still is hard to get in without hearing a few stitches rip in the bag. The other complaint is that it is a tad large when rolled up and put into its bag. While the largeness isn’t inhibitive, I find it is a little larger than a Therma-rest packs up.
All in all the pad is a great value and extremely comfortable. I’ve gone and purchased a second for my significant other and a “couples kit” to keep them together to make one big pad.
Copyright © 2004-2008 silverorange. All rights reserved.
The more stuff you own, the less happy you will be - so be sure and own good stuff!
Comments
Peter Rukavina - July 6, 2004 11:46 am
My friend Stephen Badhwar used a Themarest as his home-bed when he lived at 425 Stewart Street in Peterborough. The perfect choice for the ascetic who wants a little comfort.
Jimmy - July 6, 2004 3:36 pm
You might want to throw <a href="http://www.bachelorette.com/fununfortwo.html" title="Fundies Undies!">some of these</a> in with your "couples kit". Happy camping.
Mitch Cormier - July 7, 2004 10:56 am
You'll certainly find the self inflating pad keeps you warmer in the winter. Resist the urge to blow a little extraair into the pad in winter, the moisture from your breath will freeze and stick to the inside of pad, meaning you're sleeping on a layer ice.
A tip for rolling the pad: roll it with the valve open to let out all of the air, at the end of the roll, close the valve to make the pad the hold its rolled up shape. It makes it much easier to fit inside the stuff stack.
Don't forget to store the pad flat and inflated. My Thermarest is a decade old and still serves me well.