Why Pay More? Military Issue Therm-a-Rest Sleeping Pads – As Low As $8!
Why Pay More? Military Issue Therm-a-Rest Sleeping Pads – As Low As $8!
Most don’t know that this Therm-a-Rest Military Sleeping Pad exists….
Why spend $115 on the BaseCamp when you can get one for as little as $8!
– Therm-a-Rest BaseCamp Sleeping Pad : https://amzn.to/4cH42px
– Therm-a-Rest Military Pad : Search on eBay
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You should have never blown in it
I rather spend less amd get the military one.
I really liked those pads. Even sleeping on the deck of an Abrahms with no cover, when it snowed, it was pretty posh.
I think this is a great tip and a great find. But the details are off. It is not the same valve, newer Thermarest such as the Basecamp have winglock valves, this one is the older design. The thickness difference means ticker foam inside the pad. That likely contributes to the weight difference in addition to polyester instead of nylon. R value 6 instead of 3 is a massive difference but maybe one not relevant to most users. One is fit to sleep on snow the other one is a three season pad. They are not the same pad in anything other then shape and manufacturer IMO. Titel should be: Get a thermarest pad for cheap. Because it’s a good deal, just not the same thing.
Thanks going backpacking next week I just ordered one
Where can we buy this pad for $8?
Okay I listened, so where can you buy one for $8… Amazon is $86… come on man!!!
Mil. Spec.= maybe it will work… maybe it will self combust. Hahahaha they aren’t bad though.
I kayak the Pacific coast of North America and have used a Luxury Edition Thermarest for years. The extra thickness makes it possible to sleep on rocky beaches. So between the civilian and military versions, I would go for the thicker one.
Fold it in half and roll it up gets pretty small and if you can roll tight saves a lot of room. Pared with tight wrap woobie, anything down to 50° is a good night and light pack.
Blowing moist air into a sleeping pad is a big no no. This video feels almost like a parody. R Value 3 vs 6 is a massive difference. Having an R value of 3 and still being that heavy is quite impressive.
Where would u get the military version?
Maybe I missed it but, what size is the military version? Regular, large or extra large?
I have one of these and then bought a Big Agnes Rapid since I 4 season. For me, BA performed well down to single digits paired with a reflector base.
I want support. Thick support. Or, a sleeping platform. All I have is foam. You can buy an air mattres for home use that is very thick.
You are hurting yourself with sunglasses
I have faily extensive experience with that pad in the military. And with several personal self inflating pads in the last couple decades.
What you’re saying is accurate. It’s a good pad compared as you’re comparing it.
But I gotta tell you. I had 100% failure rate. Not punctures either. every single valve failed.
The worst was at -56C, my valve let go. Wow that’s not a fun way to wake up.
Beyond 100% failure of the military ones, and you got them right, they had NSNs, also 100% of my civilian self inflating mats failed.
I just can’t trust them anymore, so I use the egg carton style foam. Z Lite SOL knockoff.
I’ve operated from +50 to -56C, and this year I hiked 2200 km, 2.7 billion steps.
I was advanced winter warfare certified and spent 6 months at CFS Alert aside from that. Been in Norther Quebec, Northern Ontario. So I’m well versed with the cold. Chased polar bears and stuff.
I can’t recommend trusting your life to that bag. The amount that got cycled at the quartermaster is a pretty good indication. They treat them as pretty disposable kit at the QM.
I was issued this
I was expecting a review of the rolled foam pads from back when Noah was Midshipman. It’s good to see that things have changed for the better.
I’ve spent many a night sleeping on the Base Camp model. I always pack my Therm-a-Rest Sports Seat when camping or hunting.
I ordered a 20 dollar military version sleep pad from ebay.
They must have started issuing them after I left active duty in 1989. I was in the 10th Mountain Division and I ended up purchasing my own Thermarest. Huge difference in the field, given there wasn’t a single cot allowed in the entire division.
Inflated 1/2 way, these are perfect to insulate my beer keg on a camping trip.
After buying 2 of the used ones that had holes that couldnt be repaired for 20 each i finally just spent the 60$ and bought a new one from colemans surplus. A common failure point on the used ones is right where the valve ends inside of the matt. It creates a sharp edge that wears through the fibers and because it isnt a flat surface, its nearly impossible to repair. I did manage to kinda sorta fix one. But it still deflates after around 7 to 8 hours. I had to use a ton on the glue and a small quick patch and then a heavy coat of glue and a larger patch and then finished off the tube of glue over the edges of the patch and i finally managed to get it stopped. Im just keeping that mat as a back up now. The problem is, they tell you to place a heavy flat object over the repair over night, but since the valve is under the material, its impossible to do that. I ended up using 2 thick foam pieces and some clamps to hold preassurw the best i could. Sorta like a kydex press. So just save yourself a ton of money and headaches and buy the new mat.
Hey all you campers and backpackers out there, DO NOT PURCHASE Therm-a-Rest Products!!!
I bought 2 sleeping pads from them about 20 years ago because it supposedly had a lifetime warranty.
Well, back in November I checked them and one of them leaked in a seam and was unpatchable, so I submitted as claim on November 27, 2024.
Finally, today, two months later, they emailed me and stated "Your product is of considerable age and while we are honored that you have committed years of experiences to this piece of gear, unfortunately it is beyond the ability to be serviced at this point."
So instead of replacing it or repairing it, they gave me a 30% discount code. This was $60 pad, 20 years ago.
About the same time I contacted Big Agnes because the 2 pads I had of theirs also leaked and they gave me a $150 credit towards a new pad, what I’d paid for them about 15 years ago. In less than a week a new pad was in my mailbox.
The moral of this story: Buy Big Agnes products, avoid Therm-a-Rest like the plague!!! Big Agnes stands behind their lifetime warranty, but not Therm-a-Rest!!!
Buy two of the military used ones for under 20 dollars. Sew your own sleeve out of fleece from a fabric store that will ‘just’ hold both pads together. Enjoy your 6 inch, R6, quiet pad for very little money and in the color you chose. WIN!
Hey Luke, I hope you and your family are safe. I live in Eastern Tn and I am aware of how bad it is in western NC. Stay safe!
Why do you never write what kind of tarp or whatever you have underneath you? Would be nice to know what it is.
He is making it sound more comfortable than it really is
Have two of them, I can sleep well on one but have been thinking about double stacking them. Just don’t know if I want to carry the extra thickness. Of them rolled together.
Still using my thermarest from the 80’s.
Just found one at my local surplus store for $30 brand new.
You will feel the difference between R3 and R6 when it’s below 30F.
I have a question about "R" value ? You said that in the real world one will not notice the difference between R3 and R6 ? I thought a R6 will keep you warm better than the R3 in a cold situation.Im new at this and trying to buy some thing that will keep me warm since Im going on a trip this summer from Dead Horse,AK to Ushuaia,Argentina. Can you give me a hand ? Thanks.
Good option. Thanks!
I immediately thought of the sleeping pad we got issued in 2005 when i saw the thumb nail.
good video, you said this is 1 size? what is the size equivalent for the civ version? would this be the same as the regular, large, or xl?
Military grade usually means a pos… civilian versions are usually better.. depends of course. I used as much other gear as i could when i was airborne infantry. The stuff issued was always broken and when not broken usually just trash
what the ground sheet you are sing in this video ?
Be careful when blowing up your sleep mats with your mouth.. puts alot of moisture into the pad. Can be problematic down the road
There is a Marpat thermarest.
HUGE difference between an R3 and an R6 for winter camping.
So where’s the link to the $8 military pad ?
I have the coyote/od version. It has saved my back many times over the last 6 years and continues to do so. Payed $80 for it brand new in 2018.
Edit: had no idea my version is super rare. Nice!
I ordered two of these used from eBay after seeing this video. One of them leaked but the seller sent me a replace at no charge since I had paid a bit extra for “like new condition”. Overall, I still only spent around $80 for two pads including shipping. I still intend to patch the leaky one as soon as I get around to finding the leak. It’s slow so not easy to locate. Anyway, I’m excited to try them out. I get that everyone feels the need to be super ultralight these days but as someone who is just starting to branch out from car camping into some short backpack overnights, I honestly don’t see why this pad can’t work for a short trip. Obviously, it takes up some space but I think I’ll use one of the water bottles pockets and the compression straps on my pack to carry it so it’s not taking up interior room. That’s one thing I love about this channel- Luke shows that you don’t have to have the fanciest ultralight gear to get out in the wilderness. Watching other channels, it would be easy to be fooled into believing you can’t hike 5 miles with a load that weight more than 13 lbs and cost less than $800
I hate how long it takes to "de-inflate" Thermarest pads. That and eventually you "pop" them. Not worth the hassle at any cost.
Love the music and of course the video. Thanks for the tip I’ll keep it in mind for my next pad…. Nah I’ll get one next visit to Ebay. God Bless. NW ga.
This is my most hated piece of issued gear. Thing is absolute garbage. No matter what, you will wake up on a deflated pad.
i have a civilian one. i do not like it as it is very hard to deflate.
i have bought a non inflatable sleeping pad. it just folds up. not tried it yet. mid set now so most likely no ground camping this year.
( i am 65 with a broken and sore body)
but as to the R value. a better bag is key to staying warm. cover up all of the body and you can stay toasty.
i have camped to about 0 F. no need to push it lower for me.
but my mummy bag is rated for? but wrapping up with my wool blanket i get too hot. but then i sleep hot. my ex would body wrap up to me for my body heat. i would over heat as no place for all my excess heat to go. at home my feet stick out from under the covers to dump heat.
but there is a cold temp that i say more covers. as i get older.
As bulky as it us, a couple jam knots with 550 cord keep it in check on the side of my ruck. I noticed a big difference sleeping on the cold ground with it vs without. Much warmer with it!