Camming up the Thermarest

[Shrek1985]

Hi. I just got one of these great Thermarest foam sleeping mats; it's a real upgrade from the simple foam roll i have now. problem is; it's yellow and silver.

guys in my unit have just sprayed theirs green an been done with it, but my very outdoorsy brother in law suggested spray paint will eat the foam and obviously i don't want this thing to disintegrate on me.

any thoughts? i think dye might work on the yellow side...maybe, but the silver no way.

thanks for your time.

 

[ballz]

Any chance you can still get a refund? Then you could just buy a green one...

 

[cld617]

Spray cans are just paints with thinners. If you get something safe for plastics, there's no reason it would harm foam.

 

[PuckChaser]

I googled it quickly, and RC plane modelers use acrylic craft paint for their foam planes. You could also try a water-based latex, that shouldn't be harmful to the foam.

 

[acen]

Given the yellow and reflective bottom, I'm guessing you got a z-lite sol (http://www.mec.ca/product/5027-423/therm-a-rest-z-lite-sol-sleeping-pad-unisex/?q=z-lite).  Thermarest, and the parent company Cascade Designs actually does a lot of work for the US military and generally has military friendly colours available. In the case of the z-lite, it is available in coyote and dark gray (http://www.cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/mattresses/fast-and-light/z-lite/product) which many people choose to use. Otherwise, there is the always classic RidgeRest, which also has the alumized portion to reflect heat but green on the other side (many people also use this, myself included). The RidgeRest SoLite is a little thicker and rated a little more insulative than the z-lite (R2.8 vs R2.2) which may make a difference for you.

If you are hellbent on keeping the Z-lite Sol in big bird yellow, hop by your local Canadian Tire and pick up some krylon paint for it. In my opinion though, you are better off just spending the 28.50 and getting the RidgeRest than spending the equivalent in krylon paint. I've had mine for years and though the alumized coating has almost worn out, it has done me very well and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase again. Remember, the shiny side goes up when you are bedding down for the night, it is so that you can have the radiant heat reflect back towards you. It works very well on their very high end mattresses (like the neolite x-therm which I also own for winter camping).

 

[Kat Stevens]

Get a cheap fleece sleeping bag liner and use it for a cover.

 

[VIChris]

I leave mine in the biv sack with my sleeping bag and roll it all up in one happy burrito. Easy care and setup, no mucking about getting it in a separate tube for storage, and the colour never shows in the field.

 

[Shrek1985]

Any chance you can still get a refund? Then you could just buy a green one...

Nope. The folks were on my back for an an idea for xmas and gods bless em; they WILL NOT shop online. So...no; CDN Tire and no receipt. Nice piece of gear though, besides the colour.

I was actually really touched by the gift. My folks are usually pretty baffled by me at xmas; but insist on getting me something and on me providing a list, but then they normally get me something nice I never thought of and the list was a waste of time. So when they actually go to that much effort, it's pretty touching.

 

[Shrek1985]

Given the yellow and reflective bottom, I'm guessing you got a z-lite sol (http://www.mec.ca/product/5027-423/therm-a-rest-z-lite-sol-sleeping-pad-unisex/?q=z-lite).  Thermarest, and the parent company Cascade Designs actually does a lot of work for the US military and generally has military friendly colours available. In the case of the z-lite, it is available in coyote and dark gray (http://www.cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/mattresses/fast-and-light/z-lite/product) which many people choose to use. Otherwise, there is the always classic RidgeRest, which also has the alumized portion to reflect heat but green on the other side (many people also use this, myself included). The RidgeRest SoLite is a little thicker and rated a little more insulative than the z-lite (R2.8 vs R2.2) which may make a difference for you.

If you are hellbent on keeping the Z-lite Sol in big bird yellow, hop by your local Canadian Tire and pick up some krylon paint for it. In my opinion though, you are better off just spending the 28.50 and getting the RidgeRest than spending the equivalent in krylon paint. I've had mine for years and though the alumized coating has almost worn out, it has done me very well and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase again. Remember, the shiny side goes up when you are bedding down for the night, it is so that you can have the radiant heat reflect back towards you. It works very well on their very high end mattresses (like the neolite x-therm which I also own for winter camping).

That's the one!

I'll try and salvage it.

 

[Shrek1985]

I leave mine in the biv sack with my sleeping bag and roll it all up in one happy burrito. Easy care and setup, no mucking about getting it in a separate tube for storage, and the colour never shows in the field.

I guess a valise is not involved in this?