Purchased 3 new Thermarests for this years trip, still haven't put them away for long term storage yet.

Thermarest recommends storing unrolled, flat, with the valve open. I'd love to do this, but frankly we've got so much stuff already stored under our beds, etc., I've got no reasonable place to do this.

Anybody have trouble with their pads after just deflating them and rolling them back up and putting in their storage sleeves? (This is the way they came in original packaging). Or have you got a better idea?

I don't know what Thermarests you bought, but the Neo Air X-Therm can be deflated, rolled tightly, and stored in the stuff sack with the valve open.

I have a model from 1979 that I inherited from my grandfather. I actually traded several e-mails with Jeannette at Cascade Designs last May and we were able to date it as a 1979 model. It's almost 40 and spent 39+ years rolled up and stored when not in use. Zero issues with it and it gets used! It hasn't even needed a patch!
Not sure if/how things have changed with the newer models but based on my experience I'm not worried about packing them away.

"Or have you got a better idea?"

Behind/under a sofa, in the back of a closet upright? Luckily I have room to store my 5 pads!

MReid: ""Or have you got a better idea?"


Behind/under a sofa, in the back of a closet upright? Luckily I have room to store my 5 pads!"

I have one under the bed but the other is stored behind the armoire....you'd never know it was there.

I have had my thermarests rolled up in bags for an extended time with no issues. I've also had them stored inflated, with the valves closed so they'd stay rigid against a wall or against my gear room ceiling (supported by a couple of ropes) for long periods, with no issues. Do what works for you.
If I stored every sleeping bag, sleeping pad, & tent in recommended open-air, spread-out uncompressed manner, I'd have to get rid of half my stuff and/or rent a big storage unit.

I think if you want them to "self inflate" quickly in the woods, you'll get better results if you store them flat with the valve open. I have a few that are about 20 years and for years I stored them rolled up; I found I needed to inflate them myself if I didn't want to wait forever. But last year I finally started storing them flat, and it might just be in my head, but it seems that they self-inflate faster now. Regardless, storing them rolled up for a long time doesn't seem to have damaged them in any way.

I now use a Nemo Tensor air mat and I store it flat, valve open just like the self-inflating ones. I figure it's less likely to mold on the inside that way.

I have a PVC pipe that hangs in an out of the way place in my garage. I hang my pad and sleeping bags over it and leave the value open on the pad. I am not sure if this is as good as storing flat but I believe the pad inflates faster than when I stored rolled up and with the value closed.

I hang them up in my closet with the sleeping bags.

Most of mine are upright behind a chest of drawers, which holds backpacking/canoeing stuff.

However, if the pad doesn't have insulation or foam in it, I don't think there's any harm in storing rolled up, as long as moisture is out of it.

They're self-inflating foam cores, so I'm hesitant to roll them back up......

I have no place to lay them flat so out come the clip style pants hangers. Hang them in a closet with the valves open.

butthead

Since it takes like, less than ten puffs and about 20-30 seconds to blow a regular Thermarest up, I don't worry about the "self-inflating" thing. Besides, blowing into it gets it more fully inflated than "self-inflating" anyway.

butthead: "I have no place to lay them flat so out come the clip style pants hangers. Hang them in a closet with the valves open.


butthead"

same here.......