Reader Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5

I love my Torsolite, I do
Just let me count the ways
It rolls up tight, quite out of sight
It's weight it will amaze *

It gives a cushy, dreamful sleep **
(to) My pack it makes a frame ***
It's length it works up to my height ****
It should work for many days *****

notes--
* 9.5 oz
** 1" die cut foam
*** makes a dandy virtual frame for frameless packs
**** Fits my torso (I'm a long torsoed 6'2"--pad is 32")
***** durable materials and edge welding

Edited by kdesign on 08/26/2005 18:16:14 MDT.

Rating: 5 / 5

Clearly the best self-inflating pad currently available. Robust, relatively heavy weight fabric resists punctures. Its shape makes it a tad heavier than its next best competitor from POE (also a fine pad). Firmer than the most poplular brand name pads. If a full length is required, just couple it with some closed-cell foam from GossamerGear. Great valve placement - does NOT interfere with head/neck placement. Would probably give this product a 4.75 (hey...there's always room for improvement, right?), but fractional scores are not permitted. So, it merits a five.

Oh, i should mention that i'm extremely short, so this pad may prove to be just a tad too short for others of more normal height (women included).

Edited by pj on 03/06/2007 05:20:47 MST.

Rating: 4 / 5

Well, I've taken my BMW Torsolite on a few backpacking trips now, in that never end search for the perfect nights sleep for the least amount of weight.

It is true to say that this pad is nice and tough. It's robust and and is built to last and its weight is highly competitive too.

It has a tapered design, with the wider part for your shoulders and the narrow end for your hips. I found the narrow end just a little bit too small for my hips, so as i'm a stomach sleeper, I turned the pad around and put the wide end under my hip / thigh area and the narrow end towards my head. As I sleep with my arms under / around my pillow this didn't give my shoulders any problems, although I do get cold arms during the night (Not the fault of the pad)!!!!

The pad was comfortable and I have not had any problems with sliding off.

It takes only seconds to inflate.

I did try to us it as a support for my frameless backpack, (I'm currently using the Golite Breeze) but the tapered shape made this a little difficult.

Overall, I'm happy with the product, for a torso pad it's great.

Edited by waterloggedwellies on 07/22/2006 03:19:26 MDT.

Rating: 5 / 5

I switched from a Therm-a-Rest Prolite 3s to the BMW TorsoLite in my never-ending quest to save a few ounces. I haven't noticed any loss of comfort when combined with my empty Granite Gear Nimbus Ozone pack under my legs and feet. Works like a charm for those of us who need more cushioning than closed-cell pads provide.

Rating: 3 / 5

Sorry to ruin the average score of this well constructed pad, but it is simply too narrow for me. I am not "wide" by any means (not a small guy either), but I always feel like I am about to fall off the pad. That doesn't make for very restful sleep, which was the whole point of upgrading from a 3/8 inch closed cell foam pad.

I did not find it a significant increase in comfort over a 3/8 inch closed cell pad. It'll smoothen out the bumps in the ground much better, but feeling like you're precariously balanced all night is not comfortable.

It simply weighs too much for the size and comfort it provides.

Rating: 5 / 5

See description at BPL Gear Shop at:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/torsolite_inflatable_sleeping_pad.html

I just got this pad and tried it out. This pad and the BMW bivy NANO are my choices for the best buys I made this year, along with the TarpTent/GG Squall Classic, and the TarpTent Rainshadow 2 for when there is a need for a larger tent.

This is the answer to a lot of my issues with sleeping. If you are not too big to fit on it (and if you are smaller you can always do a do your own gear modification to size it to fit) this is great. A pure 5.

First, I have bought every light weight pad I could find because of a bad back and desire to still go out 'there' and sleep well. I have tried the ThermaRest light weights, the Big Agnes inflatable, and blue foam or closed cell foam. The Gossamer Gear closed cell is the best alternative and it is my standard, but now I have radically increased my arsenal of gear to allow me to sleep well on any kind of terrain in any kind of weather.

It was a reader make your own gear thread here at BPL that turned me onto the ability to use a combination of the Torsolite and a closed cell GG type pad (even glueing them together or fitting the Torsolite to a cut out shape in the foam pad -- I'll have to find that thread and edit this to refer to it).

The Torsolite combined with a closed cell foam base (I use a 1/8" long pad usually) is now my best choice for inclement weather (cold) and ground conditions (volcanic rocky, hard and lumpy).

I have to say, using the GG torso egg shell pad is great, and I will still do it -- but for the insulation value, the waterproofing that goes along with the insulation value, and the PURE comfort at 10 oz. the Bozeman Mountain Works' and BPL sponsored Torsolite is the winner combo IMO.

If you do like I did and spend a lot of money on other self- or me- inflated pads, save the money is my advice and try a Torsolite.

Durability is not a question, because it is obvious it is built as well as any other pad. Comfort is not an issue because, like all inflatables -- self- or me- inflated -- the loft and density is controllable and easy because the valve is just as good or better than on more expensive "name" brands, and I can control what goes under it as a ground level base layer.

Given a choice between a GG torso pad for colder and more difficult terrain, which is the only other pad I would ever use at this point, the BMW Torsolite gets a 10 at 10 oz., but all I can give it is a 5.

Edited by bdavis on 12/29/2006 23:08:34 MST.

Rating: 5 / 5

After several months of use for the BMW TorsoLite, I rate it a 4.5 (if that were allowed). It is reasonably light. It is warm enough for my winter camping. My only reservation is that I wish it were twice as thick. Yet, it's a lot more comforable than any of the foam pads I've used from GG or Cascade Designs. Comfort for my back has become a bigger factor as I approach 50. I have been pleased with how the TorsoLite works as a soft frame for my ULA packs. My technique is to flatten the TorsoLite and close the valve. Folding it in 3rds, I place the pad on the back of my backpack and fill the bag with gear. Once the bag is loaded, I can inflate the TorsoLite. The TorsoLite adds a nice level of padding and rigidity for the pack.

Finally, the TorsoLite is simply a high quality piece of gear. It is a delight to use.

Rating: 5 / 5

Sleeping is roughly one third of yer time in the backountry. Comfort and good sleep truly adds to your ability to travel well.

This pad is a super nice balance between comfort and lightweight.

Please note, I glued on an MEC Evazote BIVY foam pad onto my TORSO-LITE. It's for my legs, and it helps a lot. THere is an article on this on this site.

LINK:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/make_your_own_gear_multi_pad_ground_sheet.html

Note: In this article, I advocate using a tyvec sheet as part of the system, I no longer use that, it's been removed...

Rating: 5 / 5

I have owned this pad for awhile but haven't used it until this weekend on a trip to Glacier Lake in Oregon. I broke a rib earlier this summer and needed some additional padding not provided by my GG Nightlite. It was very comfortable and definitely adequately sized for my 5' 10" frame.

Rating: 5 / 5

Just back from the CDT and I used this pad every night I camped out (probably about 100 nights). I am a side sleeper, a 5 foot 5.5 inch woman with, especially toward the end of the trip, the bony-est hips ever. This was a great compromise between comfort and weight savings.

This pad held up even in the inflate-a-pad unfriendly desert. The tapered design took a bit of getting used to when using as the support for my frameless (but kick ass) Mountain Laurel Designs Zip pack. After a few days of packing it, I got the hang of using it effectively as the support for the pack.

I love this pad!

Rating: 2 / 5

I like to go as light as I reasonably can, but there are limits. For me this pad was too small. That's subjective, I know, but those looking at this pad should consider the size carefully. The weight savings are mostly the result of its tiny dimensions.

More importantly, my pad leaked along a seam and I was unable to repair it in the field. Customer service gets a "5" for replacing it, but I slept on a flat pad for a few weeks.

Rating: 3 / 5

I have about 4 weeks of camping with this pad under my back at night. It is pretty comfortable. I like the 1" thickness and the small packed size. Having said that, I'm a pretty big fella and I roll around a lot at night. The Torso light can get a little squirrelly underneath me. I slept great on it during the summer for a two week stint, but in January in the desert, I slept poorly and woke up with a sore back every day for two weeks. I had a small leak (pinhole) and this thing is the fastest self deflating pad ever, due to it's small initial volume! The hole was easy to find, what with the pad being so small and all, and easily fixed with a dab of seam seal. I think this is a great option for a 1" thick pad, but I will also be checking out the MontBell UL90 (same weight, more area!) Anyway, best micro pad I've tried out to date.

Update:
I let a friend borrow my pad for 2 weeks , so this thing now has 6 weeks of use on it. He is an outdoor professional, who cares for gear extremely well, and was pretty upset when he came back from the field. The pad held no air for him forthe entire 2 weeks.

I have since submerged the pad in a pool to find the leak, and it is leaking from no less than 8 different spots. It appears that the leaks all occur at the meeting of the diamond shaped grid in the ripstop fabric. needless to say, I am disappointed.

I will be sending the pad back to BPL for warranty, I'm curious to see what the response is.

I have had similar problems with other Pacific Outdoor Equipment pads in them past (I now call them leaky-mats instead of insul-mats). Looks like it's time to pick up that Mont-Bell Pad.

Update:
BPL Customer service is excellent and they will be replaceing the torso lite. I hope that it was a production problem w/ POE and not some recurring fatal flaw! Anyway, I'll keep using this pad on trips where I need the least bulky pad available.

Edited by ryan_hutchins on 05/21/2008 11:20:28 MDT.

Rating: 5 / 5

Disclaimer: my pad weights 8.7 ounces and this may have resulted in a slightly less warm, albeit lighter, pad.

Opinion: I think this is an excellent pad, perhaps the best (read: lightest) inflatable piece of ground insulation on the market. I currently use it under my torso with a Gossamer Gear closed cell foam torso pad under my legs. In very cold weather, I'll put the closed cell foam pad on top of the Torsolite for added warmth.

Experience: I have used this pad in several configurations so far. I've found that with a 30 degree bag, it's plenty warm down to the upper 30s (it did not get colder in my experiences). With a 45 degree quilt, it was warm enough down to the upper 40s, but below that I was chilly unless I put my ccf pad on top of it. So far I've not experimented with it below about 32 degrees because it's Springtime and most regions are warming up.

Altogether, I'm very pleased with its comfort, but due to the fact that mine is 1.3 ounces under spec, I'm investigating how warm the pad actually is. It seems good down to the 30s with a warm enough bag.

Rating: 3 / 5

I am 6'3 and 230 lbs and let's just say I enjoy my sleep. A restless night of sleep can definetly effect my hikeing the the next morning. I have used the Torsolite several times on weekend hikes and after two nights out my body starts to REBELL. I can use the Torolite for 2 nights max! If I am on a 5 to 9 day trip I will bring in a larger sleeping pad=Prolite 4- large or A Big Agness Aircore. I know they are much more heaver but in my opion it's worth every once or even pound. I am very happy w/ the Torsolite because of its small packing size, weight and it's weekend warrior use for a big guy.

Rating: 2 / 5

It leaks. I've only used it for perhaps 30 nights over the last year/18 months (when it's warm enough I normally just use a foam pad), and I've already fixed 4 leaks in 2 separate leak finding sessions.

I've always slept on it either on a foam pad or a tent floor, never directly on the ground.

Somewhat ironic given the marketing around how durable it is.

Pity because otherwise it's great: the size and shape work well.

But I'm wondering whether to go back for a third trip to the bath tub, or just buy a new thermarest.

Rating: 1 / 5

PURCHASED THE PAD ABOUT A YEAR AGO. NUMEROUS OBLIGATIONS KEPT ME FROM IMMEDIATELY PUTTING IT TO THE TEST. TRIED IT LAST NIGHT ON A WOODEN FLOOR IN THE HOUSE AND FOUND IT WOULDN'T HOLD AIR. MY BAD FOR NOT CHECKING IT RIGHT AWAY. OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE TO LEAK THE FIRST TIME OUT. NICE CONCEPT BUT INCONSISTENT QUALITY CONTROL.

Rating: 3 / 5

I liked this pad while it lasted. After maybe 10 or 20 nights it developed a leak that I could not detect even under water. I think I have had it with inflatable pads...