UKC

Interesting. I bought a £20 high gear 3/4 ultralite mat this weekend. Its good. How do testers decide what products they review on here? Why didn't they include the cheap and cheery Hi Gear model in the review? My friend has the £95 thermarest, I took a good look at it, didn't think it was as good as the old style thermarests they used to produce about 10 years ago, they've changed the material somewhat. Not all change is progress IMHO.

In reply to Blizzard: the new thermarests are lighter, use newer materials and less durable than the older models, but thats all due to customer demand. as far as reviews go, I wouldn't wipe my ass with some reviews that go into some magazines as they are often biased towards who has paid the most to win.

The articles in most climbing mags are certainly unbiased but you just need to look at who is advertising in the mag to make the correlations between 'best in test' reviews and who is paying them for advertisement!

In reply to Blizzard: I agree, would prefer to see reviews of 4 different lightweight mats to help you decide which is right for you. We generally choose our gear by comparing it to similar items, its a nice article showing the full range of products including the extremes but it doesnt really help make the final selection

In reply to higherclimbingwales:

Its was a UKC article

I don't want a thermarest made of cheaper lighter thinner material. I want one that will last and wont puncture, hence I wont shell out £80 on one. Shame I have lost two of my old thermarest's, dunno where, or when!! I move around a lot and mislay stuff!

In reply to Blizzard: They were still making a heavy duty puncture resistant one, never saw it in the UK as market is pushing "light is right"

In reply to Blizzard: I thought you might be offering to stress rest them with one of UKC's single white females...

In reply to Blizzard: I'm planning a Review/What's Available of budget outdoor gear for later in the summer. Perhaps I'll start with these sexy boots: http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/special_buys3_19220.htm The mat you recommended looks interesting too. Any recommendations of other budget outdoor gear would be appreciated. Trekking poles, camping mats, socks, jackets: what's cheap but 'does the job' as well as top brand stuff?

Cheers, Sarah

In reply to Blizzard:

ALPKIT.com

In reply to Sarah Stirling - UKC/UKH:

Army surplus gear is always a good cheaper option.

Trouble is these days, for some people it is about looking cool, having the latest colours and technology. Don't get me wrong, a lot of it is good kit but an armed forces thermarest type mat that you get issued with, is basically as good as any thermarest I've used:

http://www.badgertac.com/products/tactical/accessories/sleeping-equipment/b...

Also,one of these:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=357
http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/news.php?id=3601

or one of these:

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/17228340

:0)

In reply to Blizzard: another vote for ALPKIT stuff fitted the full family out with mats at a fraction of the cost for what seems similar spec'ed offerings from bigger name brands, also some of their other gear rates highly aswell.

In reply to wayno265:


))

Yes please... Any takers out there? (ROFL)

In reply to Blizzard:
I like a warm mat! I want weight and R value.
Cold makes everything ache, I'd pay well for warmth and comfort that was carriable.

In reply to Blizzard:

I'd like to see an objective review of Ron Hill trackies.

In forty years of walking and climbing, Scottish Winter, Alps, USA, and having spent a fortune on all the latest, most technical gear, I have reached the conclusion that the best, most practical legwear for me is a pair of Ron Hills under some polyester Regatta trousers.
Windproof, warm, and very quick drying.

Thanks for your comments and emails everyone Sarah

Just picked up a couple of Aldi self inflating mats. Nice and comfy and at 5cm it should be warm enough, not tried out in anger yet but i'm not into winter stuff so should be as least as warm as a branded 2.5cm.

They are definately not light or small so wouldn't be suitable for hiking but if you're a car camper or have a short approach it should be a good substitute for something like the Alpkit Wideboy (its just as wide) for a third of the price.

In reply to Sarah Stirling - UKC/UKH:

I got the eurohike adventurer cookset with burner over a trangia set for half price. Seems to do the job well enough so far.