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ProView – Thermarest Trail Pro

Of all the gear that you bring along on a backpacking trip, few things can make or break your experience like a quality sleeping pad. Even harder to find is a sleeping pad that can transition seamlessly from backpacking to car camping while maintaining an R-value that makes it versatile enough for every season. The Thermarest Trail Pro fits the bill as a self-inflating, insulated pad that is ready for any adventure that you take it on.

Thermarest Trail Pro

Product Description: For unprecedented comfort during your backcountry adventures, the Trail Pro brings year-round warmth and legendary Therm-a-Rest support. The self-inflating foam measures 3 inches (7.6 cm) and features our StrataCore construction, a design that provides the best warmt-to-weight ratio of any self-inflating foam construction. The Trail Pro’s 4.4 R-value allows adventurers to enjoy backpacking and camping year round. The versatile self-inflating pad features the high-performance WingLock valve, which has three-times the airflow rate of the classic valve thanks to a larger opening and one-way inflation. Like all Therm-a-Rest pads, the Trail Pro is made in market to ensure quality and minimize environmental impact. The pad includes a compact stuff sack.

Offer price: MSRP: $119.95 - $149.95

  • Quality
    (5)
  • Comfort
    (5)
  • Weight/Packability
    (4)

Summary

Overall I give this sleeping pad four stars out of five as a backpacking sleeping pad. My only real complaint is that it’s a bit bulky for a backpacking pad, but it more than makes up for it in comfort! 

Overall
4.7

Pros

  • Great for side sleepers
  • Quiet compared to other backpacking pads
  • Textured fabric prevents sliding 

Cons

  • Tricky to deflate the first time
  • Tapered shape gives less room to spread out
  • Large and heavy for a backpacking pad

I recently was able to use the Thermarest Trail Pro both on a backpacking trip to an alpine lake in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado and on a car camping trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota, with temperatures dropping as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Having tried a variety of other sleeping pads, I was impressed with the comfort that Thermarest was able to achieve by combining the best of their self-inflating pads with a healthy dose of insulating foam.

Fit/Comfort 

Other sleeping pads designed for backpacking tend to be crinkly, narrow, and exceedingly uncomfortable for side sleepers. The textured stretch knit fabric on top of the pad makes the Trail Pro very quiet, soft, and comfortable. With three inches of supportive loft and an R-value of 4.4, the Trail Pro allowed me to sleep on my side without tossing and turning all night.

Features

The Trail Pro features a self-inflating thermal foam that makes set up a breeze. Leave it out for a few minutes to inflate on its own and then give it a few extra puffs to fill to your desired firmness. The wing lock valve allows you to toggle back and forth between a one-way inflation valve, preventing air from escaping while blowing in those last few breaths, and a deflation setting. I really liked that the stuff sack was big enough to easily slide the pad inside without wrestling it in and risking tearing the sack. Once inside, there are two small straps on the stuff sack that can be used to cinch down the compressed pad even further.

Weight/Packability

This is not the lightest or smallest backpacking pad on the market, but with its thick foam and formidable r-value, it is not intended to be used for ultralight backpacking. For having a tapered shape it doesn’t pack down very small due to the extra thick foam, but I’m more than happy to sacrifice a few ounces of weight and a little space in my pack for a quality night of sleep in the backcountry. 

While the self-inflating feature is one of the highlights of this pad, it can make deflating the pad somewhat tricky. After trying several methods to deflate the pad and return it to the stuff sack, I found it best to first roll up the pad from foot to head with the valves wide open and without folding the pad. Once all of the air had been squeezed out, I closed the valve to prevent any air from rushing back into the pad. At this point, I could easily fold the pad in half and roll it up in such a way that it would fit effortlessly into the stuff sack.

Function/Performance

Sleeping at high elevations usually means my sleeping pad loses air throughout the night as the temperatures drop. I used the Trail Pro for three nights in a row without having to re-inflate. I actually used the easy to reach wing locks to release a small amount of air during the first night to adjust to a less firm setting. I was able to make this micro adjustment without getting out of my sleeping bag or waking up my partner and the pad didn’t immediately fall flat. Score! I recommend pairing the Trail Pro with the Thermarest Z Lite Sol pad underneath for extra insulation and comfort.

Durability/Construction

Thermarest has a storied history of quality products and this pad is no exception. From the rugged knit outer fabric to the ruggedly tested wing valve on the corner of this pad, everything about the Trail Pro is built to last. While it is hard to speak to the durability of the pad after seven or so nights of camping, I can say that the pad exceeded my expectations and continues to look as good as new after a few days of my dog stepping all over it.  Overall, the TrailPro seems exceptionally well constructed and will likely stand up to many rugged nights in the backcountry. 

Overall I give this sleeping pad four stars out of five as a backpacking sleeping pad. My only real complaint is that it’s a bit bulky for a backpacking pad, but it more than makes up for it in comfort! 

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About the Gear Tester

Outdoor Prolink Pro
lindsay-hastings
Lindsay Hastings
Professional Climber and Product Coordinator :: BOA Technology

Lindsay Hastings is a Colorado-based athlete who began climbing in 2016. She started with rock climbing and mountaineering but quickly pursued more technical climbing styles like ice and mixed climbing. This past winter Lindsay competed in the Ice Climbing World Cup Tour as a climber on the USA Ice Climbing Team and finished 11th place in the World for speed ice climbing. When she’s not training for competitions, you can find Lindsay pursuing her next thrill through hiking, photography, mountaineering, trail running, and conducting gear reviews. Lindsay works as a Product Coordinator for BOA Technology in Denver and is also pursuing an Outdoor Industry MBA!

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