what 25+ years will do..

[Michael Ray]

To be fair – I'm comparing a current small with an original full length. And my pad is still in the store packaging, but it's not much bigger once it's been inflated/deflated/and rolled up into the included stuff sack.

Here's my dad's original 1" thick, full length TaR pad and my new Prolite 1" thick, small TaR pad. Over a 2lb difference..

[Anonymous]

Ah…the good old times, before my time.

[EndoftheTrail]

Just wait another 25 years — and be amazed again when you get the Neoair pad! :)

[And E]

Harry Potter tents. That's the future.
Sufficiently advanced technology will be indistinguishable from magic, or something to that effect.

[Nick Gatel]

I thought those big pads were for car camping :)

25 years ago I was using blue foam pads. Also had a torso length Berkeley Airlift Mattress that had nine tubes (pain in the butt to inflate) and weighed 11 ounces. At the time a torso size Thermarest weighed 1.5 lbs. This was in the early 80's.

[Daryl and Daryl]

I'm happy to see the lightweight direction that gear has gone in the last 25 years.

It keeps me in the game even though my body's ability to carry weight quickly over long distances has also changed a lot in 25 years.

[Michael Ray]

I'm hoping to convince him otherwise on some of his gear (still using a Camp Trails McKinley external frame pack), but since all of the gear still works, he's not so willing to get rid of it. Should be an interesting trip in October when our philosophies and gear choices collide.

[Anonymous]

"Harry Potter tents. That's the future.
Sufficiently advanced technology will be indistinguishable from magic, or something to that effect."

Yep, my smarter E.T. buddies already have that magical science stuff down to a T, but really more to an 0 and

/ (supposed to be a triangle)
/–“,ArcturusBear”

[USA Duane Hall]

I think that far back I was using a open cell, 2" thick pad/slab still. Easily dried the next day on the outside of my too small capacity Camptrails bp. The 5 lb. synthetic fill sleeping bag made up for it all. I slept better in those days, at home and on trips. I'm sure I did not know Thermarest existed back then.
Duane

[Nick Gatel]

"I'm hoping to convince him otherwise on some of his gear (still using a Camp Trails McKinley external frame pack), but since all of the gear still works, he's not so willing to get rid of it. Should be an interesting trip in October when our philosophies and gear choices collide."

Don't let it collide. Just have fun.

My son is in his mid 20's and his kit is 2-3 times heavier than mine. But he is happy with it and I don't try to get him to change, although with would make birthday and Christmas gift shopping much easier for me. Bonus is that I can keep up with him on hikes :)

[Michael Ray]

very fair point and a good perspective to have. thanks!

[Nelson Sherry]

Hmmm. 25 years ago (okay it was really 30+ years) I weighed about 165 lbs and remember dancing over boulders with a 90 lb pack as I headed out for a 10 day climbing expedition.

Now, I carry a 30 lb pack for a similar length trip. I have gained about 35 lbs in body mass. So I have a net weight loss of 25 lbs. I travel more slowly on much tamer terrain with significantly less elevation gain and my joints hurt more. It's not fair. I'll take back the old technology and extra pack weight any day if I can get the rest that went with it . . . okay, there is a peaceful joy and confidence I get now that I wouldn't want to give back.

In the end, thank you all you engineers and pioneers, and BPL types that have helped me keep going by lightening my load!

P.S. I still use my original Thermorest from 1979, but I did buy a NeoAir Xlite last year to save pack volume. I don't like it as well as the old one for comfort.

[Kimberly Wersal]

To be fair, though, Thermarest had much smaller pads, even 25 years ago. I still have 2 Thermarests, their 80's ultralight version, and they are barely larger than the small thermarest in your photo (though probably about an R-1). They still hold air and look like new.

[Jim Colten]

25+ plus years ago I did not use a sleeping pad May through September:-) Two layers of ensolite in cold weather.

But 25- years ago I picked up a t-rest and used it for 15 years, mostly canoe camping.

Now? Neoair down to 30*F … kookabay goosepad when cold … and I ain't looking back!

I can still sleep well enough without a pad if I stay on my back … but then nobody within 25 yards sleeps at all so I don't do that.

[Author]

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