There's lots happening with Therm-a-Rest for 2009 with
their lightweight Prolite mats getting lighter and warmer at
the same time plus a brand new air mattress targeted at the
likes of Exped launching...
Prolite Rationalised
Therm-a-Rest's Prolite series mats have always been up there with
the lightest on the market, but for 2009, the company's pulling out
the stops to open up the gap over their competitors.
For a start, the slightly misleading Prolite 3 and 4 taglines have
been dropped, instead there's now a straight Prolite and a Prolite
Plus. The thinking is that three and four-season US ratings don't
really relate to the UK where a Prolite 3 is plenty warm enough for
year-round use.
On top of that, the mats themselves have some serious upgrades.
The corners top and bottom have been savagely rounded off to save
weight and bulk, but it's on the inside that things have really
changed. The die-cut holes in the internal foam are now cut at a
slant, which saves weight but also increases warmth.
The new versions, say Therm-a-Rest will be lighter than the
existing ones - the Prolite Plus weighs in at 680 grammes compared to
720 grammes for the Prolite 4 - which is impressive for a full-length
mat. At the same time, it offers a claimed 20 per-cent more
insulation.
Available early next year.
NeoAir Air Mattress To Launch
Therm-a-Rest has also been keeping an eye on the lightweight air
mattress end of things where the likes of Exped have down-filled
mattresses to prevent heat loss through convection.
The new NeoAir is their answer and is, they say, 'better than
anything else on the market'. First off, the air tubes run
horizontally, which is claimed to make for better stability, but it's
the internal engineering that really matters.
Inside the air tubes, the problem is to stop convection currents
from carrying heat away from the body. Therm-a-Rest's solution is a
baffling fil, but also, suspended from the superlightweight baffles,
is a reflective barrier. Because it's suspended it works a lot more
efficiently and significantly ups insulation values according to the
company.
Finally the air-tight shell material is the same as that used on
the lightweight self-inflating mattresses.
The end result is a mattress that really is absolutely tiny packed
down - it looks about half the size of a lightweight self inflator -
and weighs in at just 390 grammes. The downside is a price of
£100 once it's in the shops in February / March 2009.
Superlight Compact Chair Kit
Last but not least, there's also a super lightweight compact chair
kit, so even ultra-lighters can kick back at the end of the day.
Weight is 170 grammes, price just £20. Available early 2009.
More information - www.thermarest.com
Rocky
