Cascade Designs Z Rest Review

"If you do get a foam pad instead of a cushy inflatable one...get this one! This is THE most comfortable and coolest foam pad out there. It is a soft egg crate design, so it has more give to it than the "ridge rest pads", which to me feel like you're sleeping on a mountain ridge. They say that the little pockets formed by the eggcrate design hold in warmth. Go in the store, pull one out and try it out. If you are a hard-core sleeper like me and can't imagine spending Therma-Rest bucks right now, this is the foam pad for you. One last thing, this thing lies absolutely flat, even when you're not on it. It "sets up in about 1 second, while other foam pad owners are unrolling their pads, you whip yours out and the accordian stretches out flat. While Therma-Rest owners are unrolling and assisting their pads by blowing into them, you can be relaxing in your simple Crazy Creek chair (another product altogether.)"

"the best foam mat possible. not too hard or to soft.
Only problem I had was that water and dirt get into the eggshell inprints. Also when you try to sleep repete to yourself "I am a Egg""

"Light, light, light, and nearly as comfy as some inflatable pads. If you go light, this pad is awesome. Nice compromise of weight and comfort. Indesructible, except for fire, and insulates well. I use one under a Thermarest inflatable for snow camping and it works well."

"Closed-cell foam pads aren't exactly the Cadillac of comfort, but this one stands out in the crowd. The accordian folding design means you don't have to constantly fight your pad's urge to roll up (my experience with the standard rollup models!). The "egg carton" design makes it fairly comfortable without adding bulk (and weight). I have since purchased a self-inflater--and for the sake of honesty I'll say it's more comfortable than the Z. But I keep my Z rest handy for desert hikes and other areas where punctures might be a problem. Also, you can't safely use a self-inflater as a bare-ground sitting pad, either."

"I cannot figure out why someone would buy the Z-rest over the ridge rest. The comfort rating is higher on the ridge rest with a 2.6 (which is higher than many self-inflating pads) as compared to the Z-rest's 2.2. The bonus is that the Ridge Rest is lighter and cheaper. You do lose compactablity, but you should not be carrying that much stuff anyway.
After trying many different mats including the LE and Z-Rest, I now use the Ridge Rest 3/4 which at 9 oz. makes all the comfort difference."