Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest vs Z

Slice and dice, then use some strong tape (duct tape or Gorilla tape) to put it back together, with fold allowances so it folds easily and flat.

Having seen a video of how its made, it seems like a big steel plate comes down and with heat, presses the shape. So, if you had a hot bar or something, you could press in fold seams (alternating sides of the pad). The issue is not to melt through… just press it thin to make a crease fold. Try pressing a hot nail into the corner to see if it hold the form, now im curious.

A good part of the reason that the Z-rest is space efficient is because the sections nest when they fold. The pad is designed so that the "hills" on one section fit into the "valleys" on the adjoining one. I'm not sure that you'd be able to accomplish the same thing with the diagonal bosses on the Ridge Rest.

Just a thought.

-Steve