Let’s face it:  No matter how much you love backpacking or camping, sleeping on the hard ground is, well, hard.  Really hard.  It was way easier when I was younger and a full-time outdoor junkie.  These days, I’m a 30-something, post-baby, weekend-warrior.  Between a husband who snores and a 1-year-old who thinks it’s time to party at 2am, I barely sleep through the night in my own bed, much less in my tent.  Add in my curvy hips, digging into the hard ground all night long and all I do is toss and turn.  Finally, after a lifetime of backcountry camping, I decided it was time to invest in a little comfort and I went on a mission to find a new sleeping pad!

 

The Choice:

My new sleeping pad had a few standards to meet:

1. It must be self-inflating, ultra-light and insulating.
2. It must give me a little more padding where I need it most… in the hips!
3. It must hold up to my loyal and trusty trail dog, Scotty.

Yes, I considered my dog when shopping for a sleeping pad.  His favorite thing in the whole world is getting to snuggle with us at the end of a long day on the trail.  We have a spacious 2-person tent, but add in a 60lb dog who loves to be in the middle, and my husband and I usually spend the night crammed against the walls of the tent, while the dog sprawls across our sleeping pads like he owns the place.  A big dog in a small tent means any sleeping pad needs to hold up to dog claws.  Because of this, I’ve always been very nervous to try an air mattress style.  Not only are they kind of a pain to blow up, but they might pop and then you are screwed.

I have been a Therm-A-Rest devotee for many years.  I rocked a Therm-A-Rest 3/4 length self-inflatable for what seemed like an eternity, until I finally decided to retire it.  Then, I moved on to a Z-lite foam pad to save weight, but it is very thin and doesn’t provide much (ok, ANY) comfort.  My Therm-A-Rests have been utterly bomb-proof over the years, so I was interested in checking out their latest and greatest.  After doing my homework, I decided to try the Therm-A-Rest EvoLite.

 

 

Features:

The Therm-A-Rest EvoLite is a sleeping pad that combines the best of both worlds: a self-inflating mat with the cushion and weight of an air mattress.  I got the regular-length version (I’m tall) and it comes in at a mere 17 oz.  Compare that to my old 3/4 length self-inflatable, which was in the neighborhood of 21 oz.  It alternates self-inflating foam channels with air channels, so it’s stable and not weirdly squishy like a full-on blow-up air mattress.  The EvoLite packs down smaller than any sleeping pad I’ve ever owned.  When it’s rolled up in the stuff sack, It’s only about 10″ x 4″. Setup is easy…. just unscrew the cap and let it self-inflate while you are putting your rain fly on your tent or cooking dinner.  Come back and give it about 3 good breaths and you are all puffed up.  It’s also tough.  It’s covered with the same rip-stop poly used in Therm-A-Rest’s other self-inflatables.

 

 

The Test:

Fresh out of the box, I took it for a test drive, backpacking to Upper Cataract Lake in Colorado.  We had a big storm blow in around 8pm, which didn’t let up until about 8am the next morning.  I spent a solid 12 hours in my tent, which is a long time!  Despite the lightning and rain, I’ve NEVER slept so good in a tent.  My boney hips didn’t even touch the ground, so I was blissfully comfortable all night long.  It was like sleeping on a sturdy little cloud; supportive, but with a little bit of float.  I didn’t have to toss, turn or squirm to get comfortable.  In the morning, I sprang outside, feeling well rested, which rarely happens at home, much less on the trail.  My dog walked, jumped and rolled all over that sleeping pad, when he was anxious to get outside.  The EvoLite held up great, despite my fears, and had no damage.

 

The Downside:

The EvoLite is not perfect. I’ve now used that sleeping pad for almost a year, with a dog, husband and small child in my tent.  I DID manage to get a very small tear in it, although I’m not sure if it was from dog claws or my pocket knife.  The self-inflating foam channels still kept me warm and off the ground, but I lost all the comfort.  While I was disappointed that it wasn’t 100% bomb-proof, it was a super easy fix with some Gear Tape.  I haven’t had a single problem ever since, despite using it almost every weekend, so all-in-all, I still rate the durability fairly high.

 

 

Who It’s Best For:

– Backpackers who need to shave weight, but also like to sleep comfortably at night.

– Car campers who need their gear to pack into a small trunk.

– Side sleepers with hip bones who can’t get comfortable on a thin, self-inflating or closed-cell pad.

 

The Final Verdict: 

Even though it’s slightly heavier than my Z-lite, the comfort is worth every ounce of weight.  It still has a weight advantage over most other self-inflatable sleeping pads.  Use caution, or pack a small patch kit, because the material CAN tear, but it really takes a lot of abuse.  Hands down, this is my favorite sleeping pad ever!  I am stoked to use and abuse it for many years to come.

 

*I was not paid or compensated in any way by Therm-A-Rest to write this review.  I purchased the EvoLite on my own dime and all the opinions are my own..