The humble beginnings: from gardening to the first insulation mat

May it be large and comfortable or rather unpretentious and lightweight, you are sure to always make a good choice with the outdoor equipment specialists. After all, the founding of the brand happened out of the need to come up with a pleasant sleeping opportunity to simply count the stars, as well as take a rest from a long and demanding activity. John Burroughs, being an experienced alpinist, was well aware of the mats which had been on the market and complained toward his friends, Jim Lea and Neil Anderson, who were able to completely identify with his problem because the two were experienced climbers. All three went on to develop their first insulation mat. So, the idea to found Therm-a-Rest was born.

Therm-a-Rest´s story begins with the attempt to create the one comfortable, durable, and practical insulation mat of their dreams. At the time, John Burroughs was still under contract with Boeing. His two friends had just lost their jobs, when they decided to start this project. The pivotal idea, however, came to John while he was working in his garden. He knelt on a leaky foam-padded pillow and when the air started to escape, he was struck with the idea for the construction of the perfect insulation mat. His idea consisted of working with open-cellular foamed material and air leak-tight chambers. By using the right combination of air and foamed material, the mat insulates warmth and becomes self-inflating. After a year of intense testing and fiddling, they made it. They had just developed a self-inflating insulation mat, surpassing anything else in terms of comfort and functionality.

©BenMatthews for Thermarest

This nifty product was introduced into the market in 1972. It was immediately very well received by a plethora of well-experienced outdoor enthusiasts. Only six years later, the label Therm-a-Rest had meanwhile become a household name, the founders came up with the RidgeRest®, an ultra-light and incredibly functional insulation mat for every occasion. In the following years, the company experimented a lot and continuously expanded its product range. The excitement of the fans grew and, so, the company was one of the first to be awarded with the Backpacker Magazine´s Editor´s Choice Gold Award. Meanwhile, Therm-a-Rest has been around for over 40 years, the gear continues to develop, but still, you can find some “good ol´” and proven classics in every collection. Among the latest products, there is the NeoAir®, a well-insulated mat with an especially small pack size and the LuxuryLite® sleeping bag.

©Thermarest

Today, Therm-a-Rest is looking back at a 45+-year history and uses this knowledge in the crafting of insulation mats, pillows, and camping accessories in order to give you the opportunity to have the right equipment for your outdoor adventures in your tent or under the star-spangled sky. Therm-a-Rest promises camping comfort with an incomparable price/performance ratio.

©Thermarest

The US and Ireland: Therm-a-Rest´s centers

Preferentially, Therm-a-Rest tries to produce in the US. This gives the company the benefit of having production, repair, and consulting all in the same place. Furthermore, the customers can contact specialists a lot quicker. These specialists know best, just because they were an important part in the developmental process of the gear. At the same time, the founders soon realized that the customer requests, especially from Europe, kept soaring. Because of that, they decided to simultaneously produce in the Republic of Ireland. With an additional production site in Europe, Therm-a-Rest avoided all kinds of tedious and polluting transportation and created a destination for the growing European fan base. Ever since, the US and Ireland have become the corporation´s focal points, where the company continuously works to improve their products.

Therm-A-Rest focuses on sustainability

Therm-A-Rest has deserved our WIR DENKEN UM label. It honors particularly sustainable working companies. If you want to know more about the criteria of the label, get more information in our Blog.

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