I was always so tired by the time I got to camp at night, no matter what I slept on, I would have a good night's rest. That was always my philosophy about sleeping pads until about 6 months ago. I was talked into buying a Therm-a-rest ToughSkin sleeping pad. I got a screaming deal on it and was told that it was Therm-a-rest's newest and best pad.
It only took about 2 overnighters to realize that sleeping on a self inflating, 5.2 R-value, puncture resistant Therm-a-rest was the way to go. I not only threw away the old foam pad but swore that I'd never put myself through another night of sleeping on anything other than a Therm-a-rest again.
The cool thing about the Therm-a-rest ToughSkin is that it uses Therm-a-rest's Puncture Resistant Technology. It is designed to withstand punctures from thorns, rocks, or any other sharp objects that you may encounter while camping. It has a base layer of closed-cell foam on bottom and a layer of open-cell foam on top which sandwich the air holding seal. This puncture resistance is life-time guaranteed. And if the un-likely event of a puncture does happen while you're in the mountains, this pad still offers superb warmth and comfort.
The Therm-a-rest ToughSkin is a good option for the all around camper. It's not the lightest or smallest pad but can still be used for backpacking and expeditions. It weighs only 2lbs. 8 ounces and rolls up to 21x5.4 inches. It provides an inch and a half of padded comfort when inflated fully which is more than enough to guarantee you a good night's rest.
Overall: Excellent choice for durability and overall comfort. It is a little big for a backpacking pad but is definitely worth the extra size and weight if you're willing to carry it in.
Rating: ***
-Posted on August 7th, 2007
by Trevor Thompson
No comments:
Post a Comment