Ice Tea bottles on top of the faithful Ridgerest sleeping mattress.

This sleeping mattress is a classic for hikers. It is lightweight (400 grams for regular size) with a smart ridged design that captures air in it’s deep ridges without adding to the weight.

This is a no-nonsense sleeping mattress that has served me very well through the whole summer of 2009. During the winter, the down in the sleeping bag is compressed under my body so that the insulation is greatly reduced. Some people tape two ridgerests together for winter use. I have used this sleeping mattress in combination with the NeoAir. The combination evens out the ground making for a comfortable nights sleep while the RidgeRest protects the inflatable NeoAir sleeping mattress against thorns on the ground. There are plenty of them along the Great Wall.

The Ridgerest is not very thick, so if the ground is uneven, you will feel it at night. It is pretty bulky so I have had it dangling off the bottom of my large rucksack. That means it takes quite a beating every day, particularly when walking through thick and high bushes and thorns. It’s a little less tough in tear and wear than other ‘traditional’ sleeping mattresses I have used. Probably due to its lightweight materials. Lately, I have fastened it higher up on the rucksack which helps a bit.