Therm-a-Rests Lighter And Cheaper For 2004

Another earth-shattering revelation from the Harrogate gear orgy is that Therm-a-Rests have been on a diet for 2004.

Not quite the Atkins one, but not far off with the self-inflating mats ingesting a lighter foam for reduced overall weights right across the range. The nice man from First Ascent tells us that weight savings are around 15-30 per-cent, so a short-length Prolite 3 now weighs in at just 390 grammes including a stuff bag.

The Prolite is the replacement for the already impressively light UltraLight and is some 30 per-cent lighter than its predecessor with the full length pad coming in at 570 grammes compared to 680 grammes to last year's. Price remains the same at £65.00.

New technology which involves blowing the foam in a vacuum - get us pretending to be technical - makes for more even 'better bubbles' and increased lightness. As a side effect, the new process actually cuts wastage and makes quality control easier and as a result prices have actually either been cut or remain the same despite the reduced weights.

If you never carry your mat around with you, check out the luxurious 'Camp and Comfort' series which provides bed-like levels of camping comfort - we were very taken with the 8cm thick DreamTime. Unfortunately it weighs over three kilos and costs £149.00... Bugger.

For more info on Therm-a-Rests, see the web site.