I've been thinking for a while about getting a new 3/4 length sleeping pad, but can't make up my mind which offers the best value. I was going to get a Thermarest prolite 3 short, but was put off by the fact that although the claimed weight is 370g, the one in the shop I weighed (they had a pair of scales) was about 420g. Is that much of a difference from the stated weight common? If it is, I might as well get the Alpkit wee airic, which, at least in the current edition of TGO, is said to weigh 432g. A third the price, for just 12g extra, makes it seem pretty good. But can anybody with a wee airic say if theirs actually does weigh 432g -- or perhaps even less? I suppose the other alternative is a Torsolite, but it's expensive and looks a bit on the small side. Anybody any opinions?
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 A RidgeRest is warmer and lighter that a Prolite 3. But nobody uses them as they make you look like a 70s hiker with it strapped to your pack.
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 "they make you look like a 70s hiker" lol ptc! Yeah they do take up about three times as much room as a Prolite 3 and can annoy you when it gets in your way while walking as they are pretty wide when rolled up.
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 Guy, I almost bought a Prolite 3 short when they first appeared but had the same experience as you - weighed in the shop it was 420g, the same as the existing Thermarest I was thinking of replacing. I've also had a couple of mats from Insulmat in the US, both of which turned out 10% to 15% heavier than the stated weight - which is a pain because I'm not going to ship them back (I use them and they're good mats but it's irritating to be misled when you're trying to choose with weight as a key criteria.) I also have a Torsolite and the stated weight of 280g IS accurate. I've used it for a few nights, including a week long trip to the Pyrenees, teaming it with my rucksack for my legs. It is big enough to sleep on, just (I'm 6 ft), and surprisingly comfortable for its size (it's the same thickness as a Prolite 3 I think). BUT I found it very uncomfortable when I became stormbound for 24 hours in the tent - it just wasn't big enough to spend that much time lying on, changing positions, trying to stay comfortable to read, inspect maps, just live on for that length of time. So yes, it will do the job in a spartan sort of way, but now I only choose to use it for single night trips when I'm really trying to keep the weight down, but I prefer something a bit more substantial for multi-nighters. Oh, and I also carry it as an emergency bivi pad in my winter kit on ski-tours, since it packs down to virtually nothing.
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| Edited: 09/02/08 20:54 |
 I dont know how how heavy my wee airic is but I'll weigh tomorrow in work. Its a good wee mat though and well worth the money I'd say. I wouldnt consider a T'rest with these being so cheap. I fold mine in half then into thirds and it slips down the back of my sack in with the hydration bladder.
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 According to Alpkit, the Wee Airic weighs in at 460 grms.
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Aye, but does it really? Great if it does and fairplay to Alpkit - who certainly don't seem to be the type to deliberately mislead, far from it - but with dodgy weight claims flying around from both Thermarest and Insulmat it'd be reassuring to get an actual weight from someone......
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| Edited: 10/02/08 09:21 |
I start work at 7 tonight so I'll weigh it then and post back here.
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Just spotted another contender which looks interesting -- http://www.prolitegear.com/montbell_ul_comfort_system_pad_90.html -- of course getting hold of it's not as easy, but it does look quite good. I particularly like the fact it's as wide as the prolite 3, and it would provide padding for shoulders and hips. Don't suppose any OMers have has used it, tho...
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 I've bought Montbell stuff from their Swiss website. Just e-mail them and they are easy to deal with. I bought a Flatiron Parka from them and the shipping was only about a fiver. http://www.montbell.ch/
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 I have a Montbell 150cm mat - and it's 0.6 of an ounce lighter than the website weight. It's meant to be slightly warmer than the Prolite 3, but the main reason for my purchase was the length - with a stuff sack as a pillow, it's full body coverage. Out of interest, my Prolite 3 weighs 381g, which is fairly close to the stated 370g.
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 ptc I do still like my RidgeRest mat, and don't at all mind looking like a Seventies hiker when out and about using it, with it stapped to the outside of the pack. It is by no means as embarrasing as having the actual whole backpack covered by an elasticated edged pack cover that, when using military PLCE style clip-on side pouches, makes one resemble one of the Ninja Turtles; seemingly appearing to have a big shell on ones back! That is much more embarrasing I can tell you!
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| Edited: 10/02/08 18:10 |
 my thermo prolite3 3/4 comes in at 431 - pretty dissappointing. ive allways fancied an insulmat, possibly the uber lite at 250g cant justify the purchase,...yet
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Just weighed "wee airic" and he comes out at 485g not quite the 460 stated but its not that much out. I weighed my "Laser competition" there as well just to see what difference there is with various Ti pegs , a dry bag I'm carrying the inner in, new guylines etc and it comes out at 1120.
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My Insulmat Max Thermo 2/3 claimed 430g i.e much the same as a Prolite 3 3/4 but with far higher insulation value. However when it arrived from the US it tipped the scales at 520g - very disappointing! I fired off an email to POE, the manufacturers, really just to register my dissatisfaction, and to my surprise they offered to send me a new, lighter mat from their next year's production, which they did - an AO Lite 2/3.  Claimed weight - 360g, Actual weight - 440g!! 
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I have a Thermarest Prolite 4 Womens version and on the Thermarest website it says 680 grams. The actual weight of both of ours is 758 grams. I suppose its not too bad but still nearly 80 grams out. Some kit items like sleeping bags, tents and jackets and fleeces are often out though.
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All just confirms that many manufacturers put the best gloss possible on their products, even if it means spending weeks finding the lightest mat/bag/tent or whatever from their production line and then claiming that as the real weight of the whole line. Or, perish the thought, having a few special ultralight versions of a product made. A 5% error factor might just about be OK, but 10%+ seems downright careless, or worse. Back to the point tho. I think I'll try and get hold of the Montbell pad -- I known somebody in the US who should be able to send one over. And thanks for all the comment and advice.
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 Seems to me it's about time some kind of concerted effort was made to force manufacturers to stop understating the weight, especially of lightweight gear that is bought specifically because of the weight. Technically they are breaking the law: false advertising etc.
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 How about a coordinated campaign of returns to shops under the "as described" part of the sale of goods act? I've been checking kit recently as soon as I get it home and I think I might return stuff next time it isn't what it was sold as. Bizarrely, since I've been looking at weights as a key factor when making purchasing decisions this hasn't happened. In fact, several things have been slightly below the quoted weight Maybe this is a measure of how those at the cutting edge of lightweight are more honest. Torsolite - 257g Stuffsack - 16g Repair kit - 9g Total = 282g (I've temporarily lost the little compression strap but the above is the most you'd logically carry)
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 There's always the slightly daft Balloon bed as featured here: http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/news/article/mps/UAN/3914/v/2/sp/ Personally, my definition of the lightest weight sleeping mat is the one that keeps you warm and comfortable enough to actually sleep on for the least weight. That's not a flippant remark - if you can't sleep on your sub 400g mat, then it'll be a very heavy 400g in the morning! Think strategically. There's little advantage in having reducing weight from a full to 3/4 length mat if you end up with the same weight of condensation in the foot of your sleeping bag. Especially if you had a bad night's sleep. If you do opt for 3/4 length then make sure you can insulate your feet with your rucksack or sit-pad. The difference between the claimed and actual weights are pretty appalling. I have gone back to using a full length closed cell (mechanically blown) mat and now look to save weight elsewhere.
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