Therm-a-Rest Luxury Map Review
Compare prices at 2 resellers Pros: Comfortable, easy to use, warm
Cons: Softer foam means not as protective to underneath objects, large packed size
Manufacturer: Cascade Designs
Our Verdict
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Therm-a-Rest Luxury Map | |||||
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| Awards |  |  |  | ||
| Price | Check Price at REI Compare at 2 sellers | Check Price at REI Compare at 3 sellers | $179 List Check Price at REI | $144.26 at Amazon | Check Price at REI Compare at 3 sellers |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Comfortable, easy to use, warm | Warm, comfortable, easy to inflate | Bed-like comfort, easy inflation, great value | Very comfortable, large | Very packable, lightweight, warm enough for three season use |
| Cons | Softer foam means not as protective to underneath objects, large packed size | Large packed size | Too big for some single person tents | Big packed size, hard get in its stuff sack, heavy | Bouncy, a little noisy, not warm enough for winter |
| Bottom Line | A good choice for a self-inflating mattress, although there are more comfortable options | Our favorite option with easy to use valves and pump sack for easy inflation | All our favorite features we love from a camping mat at a great price | Large and in charge, this mat is as comfortable they get | A lightweight and packable mattress that is also comfortable and warm enough for most uses |
| Rating Categories | Therm-a-Rest Luxury... | Therm-a-Rest MondoK... | REI Co-op Camp Drea... | ALPS Mountaineering... | Therm-a-Rest NeoAir... |
| Comfort (40%) | |||||
| Ease Of Use (20%) | |||||
| Warmth (20%) | |||||
| Versatility (10%) | |||||
| Packed Size (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Therm-a-Rest Luxury... | Therm-a-Rest MondoK... | REI Co-op Camp Drea... | ALPS Mountaineering... | Therm-a-Rest NeoAir... |
| Dimensions | 77 x 30 in | 80 x 30 x 4.25 in | 78 x 32 x 4 in | 80 X 32 X 4 in | 77 x 30 x 4 in |
| R Value | 6 | 7 | 6.6 | 8.5 | 3.7 |
| Test Model | XL | XXL | XL | XL | XLarge |
| Length | 77 in | 80 in | 78 in | 80 in | 77 in |
| Width | 30 in | 30 in | 32 in | 32 in | 30 in |
| Thickness | 3 in | 4.25 in | 4 in | 4 in | 4 in |
| Weight | 2.13 lbs | 5.27 lbs | 6.38 lbs | 7.43 lbs | 2.34 lbs |
| Type | Self inflating | Pump inflation | Self Inflating | Self inflating | Pump inflation |
| Packed Size (inches) | 31 x 6.5 in | 9 x 32 in | 11 in x 30 in | 32 x 11.5 in | 12 x 6 in |
| Bed Material | 50d polyester knit | Polyester | Stretch polyester | 150D | Polyester |
| Valves | Two valves | TwinLock | One valve | One way | TwinLock |
| Accessories | Stuff sack | Stuff sack | Air Pump/Pillow | Patch kit | Stuff sack, pump, pump sack |
| Breaths to Inflate | 25 | N/A | N/A | 30-35 | N/A |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Therm-a-Rest LuxuryMap is a single-person self-inflating mattress. This mattress is an excellent example of a fantastic and comfortable choice that anyone would be happy with if it was the only thing they owned. However, we like to test items by comparing them to other products in their category, and only by doing this does the LuxuryMap seem like less of a mattress. But we assure you, it is not! We loved the pressure mapping technology and felt that it did indeed live up to Therm-a-Rest's claim that it provides a more even sleeping surface. Overall, this mattress is comfortable, warm, and relatively affordable but was middle of the pack when accounting for all testing metrics in our review.
Performance Comparison
Comfort
This mattress incorporates pressure mapping technology to ensure a smoother sleeping surface. What this means is that Therm-a-Rest studied the patterns of where the most pressure is exerted by the human body while sleeping in multiple different positions and then used different density foam in those places within the mattress. One would think that they would use denser foam in those areas, but we were surprised to discover that they actually cut out and removed foam in the high-pressure areas, making them less dense. The effect is that your body sinks deeper into the mattress than a typical inflatable air mattress, eliminating much of the air displacement effect in air mattresses that can cause one area to rise unnaturally when another pushes firmly against the pad. The result is a more natural feeling sleeping surface that is indeed very comfortable. The reason we didn't score this mattress higher for comfort was that these areas of less dense foam allow one to sink a little too much, potentially touching rocks and other hard objects on the ground below.
Ease of Use
Featuring two one-way valves that are clearly labeled for inflation and deflation, the LuxuryMap is very easy to use. It does not come with a pump sack or device, however, and requires blowing up by mouth. If you unroll the mattress, open the inflation valve, and give the foam a few minutes to self-inflate, it doesn't take very many breaths to reach a comfortable level of inflation, however.
To deflate, simply twist open the "out" valve and roll up the mattress. The stuff sack is plenty big to hold the mattress without full deflation.
Warmth
This mattress has an R-value of 6.8, making it warm enough for most camping purposes. While sleeping on frozen ground with only the tent floor in between, we were perfectly warm while using this mattress.
Versatility
The LuxuryMap falls into a nebulous middle ground when it comes to versatility. On the one hand, it certainly does not suffer from problems like no insulation and reliance on heavy power air pumps, but it also isn't adaptable and super small when packed up. While its superior insulation makes it more versatile than an air bed, its large packed size isn't going to inspire you to carry it very far.
Packed Size
As alluded to above, the LuxuryMap does not pack down very small. While it easily fits into its provided stuff sack, that sack is a 30 inch long tube. It is smaller than many of the foam core mattresses we reviewed but not small enough for packing it out far from your car.
Value
This mattress retails in the middle of the pack. In reality, the LuxuryMap scored well, and there are no durability complaints to be found on the internet, nor did we experience any. We found good value in this mattress.
Conclusion
The Therm-a-Rest LuxuryMap is a quality car camping mattress that is unique because of its pressure-mapped foam cutouts. This enables it to provide the most natural feeling sleeping surface of any self-inflating mattress we tested. We think that anyone who buys this mattress is likely to be happy with their purchase, and only in comparison to all the other great mattresses that we tested could it possibly be described as second rate. For those wanting a slightly more packable model but still looking for great quality, we wholeheartedly recommend this mattress.
— Laurel Hunter & Andy Wellman