Thermarest Z-Lite Sol Review

 Disclaimer: This is _not_ advertisment or product placement. Any product shown here I have bought on my own, and in this test you only get to read my opinion about it. 

For many years I've tried many different concepts for sleeping mats. It began in the 80s when I was at the scouts with the by then common rolling mats made out of foam.  They are allright overall, but they have next to no alternative uses (I'll get to that later!) while having a bad pack size. And finally, most would call something different than these as comfortable!

With the Z-Lite at the campsite Rangau in Dechsendorf

One Day at the beginning of the 90s I would recognize the new inflatable sleeping mats, und of course that was absolute innovation. It was the first time, I could have the comfortable luxury of an air matress while the pack size compared to the foam mats was a winner. You can bet I quickly was a Thermarest customer by that time ;)

During a trip to the North Cape in Norway (by tent and car), I could test and use the sleeping mat to a good extend. But it came as it has had to happen: A flying spark of a fire was everything needed to get a hole into the airmat. Not really a problem, I could fix it by taping it quickly. But what was left was this bad feeling - in future, I would by really careful and checkout where I will use the mat, care for not being in the range of smokers or near a campfire.

With the years, it got more and more holes into it, and at some point the vent was not secure anymore. In the end I could not really find out where it loses air.

When these minimal-approach air matress became the de-facto standard, and they really flooded the market in a way that nowadays you can by them for around 15 Euros at a discounter, I have tested a few more of them. But in the end it was always the same: Either the products became air-leaking at some point, weighted too much, or they had a slippery sleep area. Always, there was left that feeling of having paid too much money for the product.

I was back to thoughts about foam mats again after all of that, after all with these I would not have all of the trouble mentioned above. I was happy to see that Thermarest offers "classic" foam mats also, and encountered the Z-Lite that way. But for me to accept the biggest disadvantage of such a sleeping mat, the pack size, it has to offer a few more critical features.

More comfort than with all other foam style mats, because of the "waves" in the matress profile. Yes, it cannot compete with an air matress concering the comfort, but compared to the usual foam mat, sleep on the Z-Lite is really good, and due to the profile you don't slip of the mat during the night.

The profile of the Z-Lite

 

Because the Z-Lite is folding, it offers different use cases:

Folded to a pack it makes a nice seat. Folded once in the middle, you still have a comfortable seat for two persons. One can also lean it against a tree in order to gain a more comfortable seat. The fact that it is folding enlarges the use cases of this matress a lot.

Heat reflector:

The "Sol"-version of the Z-Lite offers a metallic side, which is reflecting heat and light. I tried it: everyone knows the situation when sitting at a campfire and your back gets cold. If you have the Z-Lite behind you, this does not happen, it keeps you back dry and warmer due to it's reflection from the fire.

Unbreakable: this for me is the biggest advantage of the Z-Lite. Never ever I have to think about being close to a campfire, or have to take a exact look at which ground I place the mat. Of cource, also the Z-Lite takes damage from time to time, but it doesn't lead to a total failure.

3 Seasons: with a heat transfer coefficient of 2,6, the sleeping mat is easy going from Spring to Autumn. 

Lightweight. This mat weights 410g overall. Not much to say here! It is certainly not the lightest mat on the market, but weight doesn't have to hide, especially when comparing it to air sleeping mats.

The Z-Lite fixated to my backpack by using
4 carbon carbines

I had doubt because of the pack size. Would I really carry a pack size of 51x13cm around and easily fixate it to my Deuter backpack? I bought 4 carbines made of Carbon to connect it on my backpack. Deuter fortunately thought ahead when designing the rain cover for the backpack, as it easily can contain the matress too. The Z-Lite measures 51cm x 183cm when folded out to full length.

Summary: After many nights on the Z-Lite, week long camp in the wilderness with much campfires, and many uses as a day-to-day article when I'm out with the family, I can say that for me the search for the ideal sleeping mat is over ;) I love it.

The Z-Lite Sol fullfills all my expectations, and apart from my tours it is loved by the family when we're out to picknick or whatever. Because it's so lightweight, it can easily be carried everywhere.