Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest Solar Sleeping Pad

Give the gift of good sleep to your winter camper or mountaineer. The BACKPACKER staff has long relied on the .75-inch thick closed cell foam RidgeRest for its no-fail durability and insulation against cold snow. This year, the RidgeRest gets a well-deserved facelift. The new Solar keeps everything we love about the RidgeRest and adds a virtually weightless aluminized surface layer, which reflects body heat like a space blanket.

It bumps up the insulation value and our tester (a seasoned RidgeRest user) says, “I could definitely notice the difference—the coating lessened the bite of sleeping on snow.” Used alone, it’s a spartan, lightweight pad, but pair it with a cushy inflated pad for the ultimate winter bed. $40; 1 lb. 3 oz.; reg or long; cascadedesigns.com