Chris, Therma-rest are made in Co. Cork which may be a plus or a minus! IMHO they're really good kit. They're thin though, as their main advantage over other makes is they pack down to nothing. I think you'll need a thicker base by the sounds of it. There are plenty to choose from but they can get bulky to carry. I got a decent one from Aldi's a while ago but made the mistake of blowing it up too much and the internal foam seperated from the cover making it twist into some interesting shapes! Full on air beds pack up small and you can inflate them with a 12v pump, try one of those.

If your planning on doing that long a trip im sure spending a little extra on comfort would not go a miss.

I have a Thermorest 3/4 mat and find it great. I didnt go for the full length one as i needed it for hiking so small as possible was needed. The 3/4 length is great you dont really need anything to hold your feet off the ground really if your in a hot enough climate, and he you do need the extra warmth use your motorbike jacket over your legs or trousers or wear a pair of socks in the sleeping bag.

as for the difference i think i remember reading about its the way the make up of the foam and air is. In the thermorest you get small pockets of air where as in other you just get one massive air pocket. Both work ok but on the one with only 1 massive air pocket if you push too hard in one place like your hips or bum will push the air/foam from here away and your body parts might even touch the ground. (depending on size and wieght of user) Where as with the other multi pocket idea the air only moves slightly from one pocket to the other still keep all body parts off hard ground.

Best way as most have said it try before you buy. Go in a shop and just tell the guy your looking at sleeping mats and need a good inflatable one for your biking hoilday, they should allow you to blow them up, lye on them etc etc

I have a 3/4 therma-rest and it kills my knees when I sleep on it. I have to put something at the bottom to keep my feet level. Funny, we're all different. I sleep on my side and even that tiny amount of downward pressure gets me in the end. I just put my waterproof trousers at the bottom and it solves it. You can fold it in half longways before you roll it up and it packs down to a 11"x4" roll.

For long trips I carry my big mat as well which is 72"x25" and use the small one in my chair kit. It rolls up inside the big one so is no extra carriage. It's worth the effort for long trips. If it's raining at least you can sit up inside your tent using the chair kit, it's brilliant.

bought thermarest for myself last year but I have to admit the ones sold at Decathlon are quite good for a fraction of the price, not much difference after all.

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... and Nelly The Elephant packed the trunk and said goodbye to the circus...

I have a Thermarest 'trailcomfort' which is the slightly thicker version (5cm) which seemed a lot more comfortable on the shop floor than the 'lite' version.

I bought the full length version for comfort/thermal insulation from the ground (I have problem knees too), and as Flyingdoctor suggests, if you fold them in half lengthways before you roll them up they pack away really small... same size as my 3 season sleeping bag in a stuff sack.

One thing I would say is that Thermarests are quite narrow - it can feel like you're sleeping on a (albeit comfortable) plank... They do do a wider version (in America at least) which is nice if you sleep on your back/have big shoulders?

xxx

I noticed this 2, im a big guy and find that you can sometimes wake up half on/off the mat. Not really a big problem but can get annoying after a few days waking up mid night.

As for packing it this is where the advantages of getting a 3/4 and a thermorest come into play. The 3/4 mat is even shorter than most mats ast eh name suggests which means it doesnt make as big a size once roled up. As because its a thermorest they designed to towards a body shape (not just a big rectangle where say 10-20% of the mate doesnt really get used) there for it rolls into an even smaller size. It mighten sound much but when packing either a rucksack for hiking or a bike to touring it makes a big difference + they normally give you a wee bag with it when you buy is so once rolled up doesnt unroll everywhere like some others do.

Just bought a 3/4 mat from Alpkit (UK) for £17.50p. Buy two and they deduct £6 - second one costing £11.50. Not bad I thought, so I did.

Haven't used it yet, but what's there to say? Blew it up tight to check for leaks and it's still ok after 6 days. Choice of colours, sizes, etc.

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I've a feeling I'm not in Kansas anymore.

I bought a cheap (£15) mat (sorry forget the brand, will check) from a camping shop and did exactly the same as you. I though I would be giving myself an extra bit of comfort by putting in a few lung-fulls after the mat had self-inflated. Once I lay on it, I started to hear a strange crackling noise which I eventually realised was the fabric separating. It still did the job though, and kept me snoozing for the rest of the 5-week tour.

Next tour, especially if I go anywhere cold, I am planning to treat myself to the Exped down mattress.

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Seek Truth

15 countries in 40 days. Tanks, crashes, minefields and Kalashnikovs

I've tried many options but after using the EXped 9 DLX, won't be using anything else...ever...Air and down, has it's own inflation bag - 2-3 minutes to full inflation, which keeps you about 4 inches off the ground less if you deflate a little - It's warm, comfortable, durable, smaller than Thermarest or thermalite - deflates in 1 minute or less - reasonably lightweight...

...if you haven't already spent money on something else, do yourself a favor and try/buy the EXped.....it really is good gear!!



(You can get a slightly smaller version if you are a smaller person - 7 DLX - I think)...

S