Monday, September 14, 2009

Product Review: Therm-a-Rest ProLite Plus


There are two things that matter to me when picking a sleeping pad: will it insulate me from the cold and is it comfortable. Luckily for me, this summer I found a pad that did both very, very well. I have been using Therm-a-Rest products for quite some time, but managed to get my hands on a ProLite Plus for my guiding gigs on K2 and Broad Peak this past summer.

Getting some sleep on big mountains is easy for me, but getting a good night's sleep is crucial. My large ProLite Plus was long enough and wide enough to make sure that my feet and shoulders stayed off the ice and felt like I was floating while sleeping. I used the pad at 8000m on K2 and 7100m - the high camp on Broad Peak - and spent over 50 nights total on the pad over the season never regretting using it. If you are looking for a very solid, warm and comfy sleeping pad the ProLite Plus is a phenomenal choice! In Base Camp I would layer the floor of my tent with Z-Lite pads and slept very warm and very well when combined with my Marmot CWM EQ (-40 degree sleeping bag).