Trangoworld Skin Micro Lite vs Therm-a-rest Prolite Self-Inflating Mats

Therm-a-rest proudly state that their Prolite self-inflating mat is "the lightest and most compact self-inflating mat available" - only it isn't. Well it is and it isn't......

Their small version (119 x 51cm) only beats the equivalent-sized Trangoworld Skin Micro Lite (120 x 50cm) to this title by a mere 20g* but it does so at the expense of performance - the Skin Micro Lite is 20% thicker than the Prolite, and consequently sports a higher R-value (thermal insulation rating) - 3.41 compared to the 2.4 of the Therm-a-rest. So it may be the lightest - but only just, and not in a good way.

Neither is the Prolite the "most compact" (assuming that they mean "when packed" here) - the Skin Micro Lite packs up smaller than the Prolite. Admittedly it's close, with only about 1cm in it, but remember the Skin Micro Lite is 20% thicker so the points for achievement go to Trangoworld. 

Photo courtesy of Trangoworld

Now I'm quite the gram-counter, but on this occasion I can forgive the extra weight. And it's not just the weight of the mat I'm talking about - it's also the weight of the extra cash in my wallet; the Prolite costs three times as much as the Skin Micro Lite. Seriously, who's buying the Prolite?

I'm not going to do a full review of the small Skin Micro Lite as I pretty much covered everything in my review of the regular version (see here). But as I mentioned in my recent update of that review, it's amazing that more than half a decade later, the Trangoworld is still the mat to beat - and no-one is coming close. 

Anyone can make something lighter by cutting the amount of materials in it (and consequently cutting performance and comfort), but the fact that Trangoworld have made the second-lightest mat (with the difference in weight being less than that of an AA battery) without sacrificing comfort and performance is pretty outstanding. Oh, and did I mention it was a third of the price? Incredible...

What's even more incredible is you'll never see it appear on any lists of best/lightest mats. It's almost as if the world doesn't want you to know it exists.

Trangoworld Skin Micro Lite 120x50x3

*Based on manufacturers' advertised weights. Likewise, the regular version of the Skin Micro Lite is only 40g heavier than the Prolite, but boasts the same increase in thickness and R-value as seen with the small versions. My own Skin Micro Lite actually weighed in at 392g (406g in its stuff sack), a seemingly common issue with self-inflating mats; weights seem to vary tremendously and it appears that manufacturers state the average weight. Oddly, I've never managed to come across one that weighs less than the figure advertised.