Therm-a-Rest SpeedValve Revolution VIDEO
Therm-a-Rest got it’s start designing and producing sleeping mats in 1972 and a few weeks ago I had a first hand look at exactly how they do this in their Seattle, Washington factory. I was amazed by how much hands-on time was involved to produce one of their mats. I’m not just talking about the quality assurance aspect of the process either, but rather the involvement of actual people at every step along the way. To watch a sleeping mat be created by their skilled manufacturing team was pretty impressive but what shocked me was the shear number of mattresses models they currently create. I counted over 29, and this doesn’t include all the various sizes and options for each mat. If you look through their line up of sleeping mats there’s one designed specifically for every type of camper.
While at Camp Therm-a-Rest on Orcas Island last month I got to test out a few of their newer models. Rather than go for ‘glamping’ comfort I wanted to test out something better suited to backcountry, camping, and also something that incorporated their relatively new Speedvalve technology. I settled on the NeoAir All Season SV. As the name suggests this is a mat suitable for all seasons as its R-value rating is 4.9. Weighing in at just 650g / 1lb 7oz for the regular version—this is a relatively light mattress for the warmth and comfort is provides. The regular version is 51 x 183cm / 20 x 72” so it fit my 6’1” frame just right. If you’re looking for a wider mat so your arms don’t touch the ground when you sleep then the RW (regular wide) model is for you. It measures 63 x 183cm / 25 x 72”. There is also a Long version that gives you an extra 5” of length, for those over six feet in height.
The secret sauce of the NeoAir All Season wasn’t it’s weight or comfort but rather the ease of use. There’s nothing more challenging then inflating and deflating a sleeping mattress quickly and easily and Therm-a-Rest has perfected these processes with their SpeedValve technology. The SpeedValve is essentially a huge opening at the top end of the NeoAir All Season Mattress. This opening contains an inner sleeve that allows air to easily go into the mat but not escape while you inflate it. When you are ready to deflate the mat this inner sleeve folds inside out with the escaping air pressure and the mat deflates literally in under a second. It’s that fast and easy.
When you are inflating the NeoAir All Season the SpeedValve uses the “Bernoulli Principle” which combines the surrounding air with your breath to fill the mat more quickly. You don’t place your mouth on or close to the opening when you inflate the mat, you keep it a good 4 – 6” away which forces the surrounding air into the mattress along with your breath. You can inflate the NeoAir All Season in as few as 6 or 7 breaths, that’s faster than most people can unfold their inflation bag for other competing brands of mattresses. There’s also a smaller, secondary valve that allows you to micro-adjust the air pressure inside the mat to your specific comfort requirements.
I’ve been using the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir All Season Mat for over a month now and I have to say that it’s the most comfortable mat I’ve used to date. The horizontal air chambers minimize air movement inside the mat so that when you move your hips your head doesn’t bob up and down as it does with vertical baffle mats.
Bottom line, give this mat a try if you are in the market – you’ll be glad you did!
For more info on Therm-a-Rest’s new Tranquility Tents click on over here, where you’ll see a video of both the Tranquility 4 and 6 tents.
Also be sure to check out a recent post about Therm-a-Rest’s innovative Treo and Uno Chairs, again there is a video overview to watch as well.