Therm-A-Rest Ridgerest SOLite: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Therm-A-Rest Ridgerest SOLite: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
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Recently, I decided to start looking for ways to reduce my pack weight. When I looked at my Big Agnes Air-core pad, I was sad to see that it weighed a staggering 27 ounces. So, I decided to seriously downsize to a closed cell foam pad.

The Ridgerest SOLite is one of the most popular foam sleeping pads in the history of the whole entire universe. Well, maybe. I hear it's pretty popular, though.

Big S. Big O. Big L. I hope that SOL doesn't mean what I think it does.

The Ridgerest SOLite weighs in at 14.4 ounces. That's quite a weight reduction for me.

One thing I noticed right away is how bulky it is. I don't usually strap things to the outside of my pack, so I was concerned about durability.

I've read that this pad is nearly indestructible. I don't know about that, but it didn't rip or tear when I walked through thick brush and briars. You can cut down the size a bit to save bulk and weight, which is what I may do.

I chose the Regular size, which is 20 inches wide by 72 inches long. Same size as my BA pad.
I'm about 5 ft 9, and I had a couple extra inches that I could trim off.

The thickness of this pad is 5/8 of an inch (0.625 inches). The Aircore was a hefty 3.25".
It's not really fair to compare the Big Agnes pad to the Ridgerest SOLite, so I'm just showing this so you'll know what I was used to sleeping on. Quite a difference. I was concerned that I would be miserable going from such thickness to such thin...ness.

I hope you appreciate this visual (the quarter). I had to go break a dollar to do this.
Better make sure there aren't any rocks or sticks underneath this pad when you lie on it, or you're gonna feel every one of them.

Because it's so thin, side sleepers will probably have a bad time on this. Very little support for your hips. This pad is best for those that sleep on their backs, like me. That's the only way I could get comfortable on it. I have back pain from time to time, so I have to be picky about what I sleep on.

Strangely, I didn't find myself waking up a lot through the night, trying to get comfortable, which was nice. I'd give this maybe a 5 out of 10 on comfort.

One side of the pad is aluminized. Somehow the sleeping pad scientists at Thermarest managed to add a thin sheet of reflective material to this pad without adding weight. This causes your body heat to be reflected back at you.

Also, those little valleys are there to trap warm air, helping you to stay even warmer. The pad has an R-value of 2.8. Pretty nice.

You can just throw this pad down and it's all set up. One thing I won't miss about my Big Agnes pad is all the work it takes to blow it up. A quick set up is nice when you're tired and just want to sleep.

So here's the Good, Bad and Ugly about the SOLite:

The Good: It's very lightweight, durable and you can cut the size down to suit. It's inexpensive and warm.

The Bad: it's bulky. It's not terribly uncomfortable, but if you have back problems, you may want to find yourself something softer.

The Ugly: The pad is thin, which makes it very uncomfortable to sleep on your side. If you're a back sleeper, you'll have better luck.

I'm gonna miss the thickness of my Big Agnes pad, but I'm saving 12 ounces and I can still get a decent amount of sleep with the Ridgerest SOLite.

Thanks for watching, folks.

Therm-A-Rest Ridgerest SOLite: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
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Therm-A-Rest Ridgerest SOLite: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Thanks for watching!

[Frip]

They make a folding / accordian one that's not as bulky.

[eqlzr]

I just got a shorty one of these, so it's 20" X 48". If you roll it tighter than you did, it's actually reasonably compact, much more than your 72" long one. I don't care about sleeping on it. I got it for sitting mostly for me and my wife. I may even cut it in half to share the weight/bulk with her. From my research on this Ridgerest pad, it's beyond tough. Sure you can poke a sharp stick through it if you try hard enough, but it doesn't really matter in terms of it's use and function. Seems like a very solid deal for $19, and it lasts for many many years with little if any deterioration (my research again).

[michalurbanful]

Is this the bigger one? Because the "regular" size seems do be much smaller ...

[TotallyL]

Don't worry about durability. I've had a second hand ridge rest for over 10yrs now. It's probably 15yrs old. I've had everything from campfires, an axe, and even a rat try to destroy my ridge rest to no avail. My first night on the trail with my inflatable neoair mattress and the zipper from my sleeping bag tore it wide open...

[kupg]

It's light but it's massive to carry & very thin so if ants run under it it's going to be like a massage...
The folding square ones work out smaller & don't try curl up because they are stored rolled up.(roll mats are by design going to do this & also are compressed slightly by the rolling which overtime de shapes them.
For me this is a car camping matt not a backpacking Matt..it's sooo big carrying a foam roll...
I use the overpriced inflatable thermarest neo air it's about the size of a pint & it's proven to be tough & much more comfortable/insulating than any foam pad.
If you just want a foam roll just get a karrimore for £10
I have all these products the Karrimore loses shape a bit over time & I think the thermarest is a bit warmer but this roll design is unacceptable unless you have a car..

[duprelufkin]

I have a 3/4 length and I've been rolling it in a loose roll and placing it down in my backpack and then spreading it out wider in the pack, which creates an open space for all of my gear. It actually worked great for my Granite Gear Vapor trail and added more support for the top loading pack. Actually worked out great, but not sure how a full size would do?

[savedpurplecat]

Nice review I think they look like a good pad to put down on the snow and then the inflatable on top

[highonimmi]

problem is they suck with the comfort.

[barrekelley]

Good content, voice is too soft and music is too loud

[Thomas.Pferns]

Not comfy enough? What a girl . . .
I guess I will never understand people that go camping and complain that it is not exactly as at home.