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.
