The only reason why I ended up trying out this, was from my own stupidity, because I forgot my Exped DownMats on our last mini tour to Wales. So we had to get a mat for me for the last two nights.
We went into PSM Outdoors in Hay On Wye where we had a great service and had a look at what they had. I didn’t want to spend a lot on a mat which I only had to use for 2 days.
So I settled for the Trekmates Mummy camper lite, which weights in at 900g and is 183cm by 51cm and 2cm thick. The mat rolled up is pretty much the same size at the Exped I got and is around 500 or so grams lighter. And also it is smaller than me, but I have become used to that there aren’t many beds that suit me at 194cm (6’4″).
It was very easy to roll out and pump up not that I had to do much since it did the most of that by itself. Since it had been rolled up for a while I let it lay for around 20min before I blew some air into it. Rolling it up and packing it up was very easy, just one roll, not like the Exped where I have to roll it up a few times to make sure that all the air is out.
It does feel nice to the touch and the quality is tip top too, I’m sure that it would last a while.
Sleeping on it now that is a different matter, since I have become used to the bed that is the Exped Downmat. It is not warm, just about kept the cold and damp ground at bay when I used it in early April. I’m sure that the temperature don’t have to be much lower before you can really feel the cold ground. If the ground was harder and more rocky then I wouldn’t have slept at all, the soft grass helped a lot. The Exped DownMat was warm to the touch where the Trekmates was cold. The only reason why I managed to sleep on it was that I was knackered after a day of fully loaded hilly cycling and had my Alpkit SKyeHigh Down sleeping bag to keep me warm.
Plus sides : It is light, easy to roll out and pack up and cheap.
Minus sides : It is not wide, thick or warm enough for me.
Rating:
I’m sure that the Trekmates Mummy camper lite would do it for some, but it is not good enough for me since I have become very used to the Exped DownMat. I’m very happy with the idea dragging the extra weight around on tour because I know I will have a good night sleep after a long day in the saddle.
LINK: Trekmates mat, Mummy camper lite
