USGI Self-Inflating Sleeping Mat

Nothing beats the cold, hard ground better than a Therm-a-rest*. And we were delighted to see that the US military picked great contractors for these self-inflating mats. At 20" wide and 72" long, it's a perfect mid-sized sleeping mat for backpacking.*we have another variant made by Vinyl Technology, another contractor who made the same design under the same NSN. While it's no inflatable mattress, a sleeping mat's main goals are to elevate your body off the cold and moist ground. Air is an excellent insulator and cushion, so by bringing you a mere inch or two off the ground, you're going to be a lot more comfortable and warm than just being on the bare ground. So why bring this instead of an air mattress? The answer is obvious - bulk. Self-inflating sleeping mats are far more packable for backpacking. The 'self-inflating' process is as simple as opening the valve and allowing air to enter the mat. If you want you can inflate it with your mouth a little faster, but its not typically rec