Originally Posted by
Tipi Walter
You're unclear on the width you want. 25 inches? What's the difference between a roll up pad and an accordion style??---as far as packing goes??
Quite a bit, actually. For comparison, let's just look at the regular size (20" x 72") of Z-lite vs. Ridgerest classic, since the Z-lite doesn't come in wide or long, AFAIK.
The Z-lite regular folds to 5x5.5x20 in inches. That's 550 ci (9 liters)
The Ridgerest regular rolls up into something that is 20" wide (of course) with a radius of 4". That is a volume of 1,005 ci / 16.5 liters. Almost double.
I think the reason for the difference is that the dimples of the Z-lite nest inside each other when it's folded. This generally doesn't happen with the Ridgerest's design - the ridges do not nest.
[Thermarest lists the thickness of the Z-lite at 0.75 inches, vs. 0.625 for the Ridgerest Classic. While this might make it seem especially amazing that it folds to almost half the volume, I'm pretty sure they're including in their measure the empty space of the concave dimples - i.e., they're measuring from the peak of the convex side of the dimple to the plane of the other side of the pad, not to the underside of that convex dimple. They're really not 0.75 inches thick in terms of foam. You can also just look at the weights - these two pads are nearly the exact same weight. For that 20% claimed increase in thickness, the Z-lite is only 3% heavier].
That said, I use large Ridgerests myself and in winter, two of them. My pack looks like the space shuttle with its booster rockets on the side. Recently I bought the Thermarest official stuff sacks for them to protect them (inspired by seeing yours, Tipi), because when my latest RR (Solar) was on its maiden voyage, I snagged it on a nail at Charit Creek Lodge, taking a chunk of foam out of it. Now mine are protected from such risks, and I really do like them. They cost almost as much as the pad itself, but I don't care, I don't want to lose more chunks, or get tree sap on them, etc etc.
to the OP: ALPS has a folding foam mat that is 22" wide. It's at Backcountry dot com. That's the only wide one I've seen, until your other link.