ISUKA Trail Mattress Review: A mattress with excellent practicality, created by a sleeping bag manufacturer who knows everything about the mountains of Japan, pursuing comfort and ease of use.
written by Yosuke.C
Lightness is just for those who want to lighten the equipment even at 1g.
However, sacrificing comfort beyond your tolerance level is not fun, but rather just a chore
The gear we will introduce here will be attractive to those who want to keep their equipment light, but can't sacrifice comfort
We would like to introduce the Trail Mattress, a sleeping mat released in 2024 by ISUKA, a Japanese sleeping bag manufacturer
When it comes to sleeping in nature, a sleeping bag is important, but just as important is a sleeping mat
Getting a good night's sleep not only relieves fatigue, but also directly affects your satisfaction (it would be tough if you couldn't sleep at all during a mountain hike you were looking forward to)
Isuka's Trail Mattress is a sleeping mat that strikes a good balance between comfort and practicality, and has been carefully designed to allow you to sleep comfortably even in outdoor fields where it is not always possible to sleep on a flat surface
In this article, I will thoroughly review my impressions of using the Trail Mattress, including both its good points and areas of concern
table of contents
Key Features of the Isuka Trail Mattress
Isuka is a Japanese sleeping bag brand founded in 1972. They mainly sell sleeping bags, but also mountaineering equipment such as sleeping bag covers and backpack rain covers
Isuka is famous for its sleeping bags, but they also make mats, and the ``Trail Mattress'' that we will introduce here was newly released in 2024
The Trail Mattress is a three-season sleeping mat with an R-value of 2.7. It is inflated, but contains urethane foam inside, making it somewhere between an air mattress and a closed-cell mattress
The mattress is 2.5cm thick and can be filled with air for a comfortable feel without hitting the bottom. The air and urethane foam provide good rebound, allowing you to lie down comfortably
There are two sizes available: "Reg" and "Mid," the difference being the length, so you can choose the size that best suits your height
The surface of the mat is made of 20D polyester, and the design pattern is silicone printed for anti-slip effect. The back is made of 30D polyester with anti-slip processing on the entire surface, making the mat less likely to slip even in natural conditions that are not always flat
The 2-way valve can be flipped over and features an inflation valve that prevents air from escaping when inflating, and a deflation valve that prevents air from entering the mat when folding it up, greatly reducing the effort required for setting up and taking down
Trail mats are comfortable and practical sleeping mats
Favorite points
- Self-inflating mattress for exceptional comfort
- Thermal insulation that can cover three seasons from early spring to early autumn
- The back and front have anti-slip properties so you can sleep on the mat even at an angle
- 2-way valve for easy setup and removal
- A storage bag that can be folded in half
Interesting points
- There is little difference in the size of the two types available
- Large storage size
Main Specifications and ratings
| name | ISUKA Trail Mattress Reg | ISUKA Trail Mattress Mid |
|---|---|---|
| structure | Self-inflatable mat | |
| R value | 2.7 | |
| size | 51×183×2.5cm | 51×168×2.5cm |
| Storage size | Ø12.5 x 27cm | Ø11.5 x 27cm |
| weight | 520g | 460g |
| material | Surface: 20d polyester Back: 30d polyester (fully non-slip) | |
| accessories |
| |
| Outdoor Gearzine Review | ||
| Comfort | ★★★★☆ | |
| Ease of setup and removal | ★★★★☆ | |
| weight | ★★★★★ | |
| Portability | ★★★★☆ | |
| Durability | ★★★☆☆ | |
Detailed review
Self-inflating mattress for exceptional comfort
A trail mattress is an inflatable mattress that has foam inside, so it's somewhere between a closed-cell mattress and an air mattress
Although the mattress is only 2.5cm thick, when inflated properly it has a good bounce that makes it difficult to hit the bottom, and when I lay down on it I found it to be neither too soft nor too hard, making it very comfortable to sleep on
I prefer to sleep on my side, but I can sleep on my side without hitting the bottom, even though the contact area is smaller and the load on one point is greater
The Trail Mattress lineup comes in two sizes: the Regular size at 183cm long and the Mid size at 168cm long. The difference in length between the two is only 15cm, and the weight difference is 60g. As someone who wants to keep things as light as possible, I thought it would be nice to have a Short size that is even shorter than the Mid size and can cover the upper body
Insulation that can cover three seasons from early spring to early autumn
The design also has a non-slip effect
The Trail Mattress has an R-value of 2.7 (the higher the R-value, the better the insulation)
It can be used for three seasons, from early spring when the weather starts to warm up to early autumn when summer has passed its peak, and when used in conjunction with a closed cell mat, it is sufficient for use in low mountains in winter (please note that the sensitivity to cold varies from person to person, so please use this as a guide only)
The Trail Mattress' built-in foam is only hollowed out horizontally, and the entire surface where your body rests is covered in foam, so I felt that it provided better insulation than its R-value would suggest
The back and front have anti-slip properties so you can sleep on the mat even at an angle
In designated camping areas in mountainous regions, the fields where you set up your tent are not necessarily flat. At popular campsites, flat areas fill up first, and the availability of places to set up your tent becomes limited if you arrive late
Sometimes you can only set up on a slope, and you might find yourself slipping off the mat while sleeping, waking up cold (I've experienced it myself, and it's pretty awful)
The trail mattress has a non-slip coating on the entire underside, so it won't slip when placed inside the tent
The entire back surface is treated with an anti-slip coating
In addition, the design pattern on the surface is silicone printed, which provides a non-slip effect, so the double non-slip surface on both sides makes it less likely to slip off the mat even on an incline
The design also has a non-slip effect
There are limits to what you can do as you cannot defy gravity, but at least if you feel a slight tilt, this anti-slip feature will be effective and you will be able to sleep without slipping off the mat
2-way valve for easy setup and removal
The reason why I have not actively used self-inflatable mats with built-in foam is because it is a hassle to take them down
In particular, types with foam inside have a strong resilience and require a lot of force to compress, making them difficult to store in the dedicated bag when packing up, but trail mats solve this problem
The secret is the 2-way valve. Valves that prevent air from escaping from inside the mat are often seen in mats from other brands, but it is rare to find a mat with a function that prevents air from entering the mat
Inflation valve prevents air from escaping from inside the mat
When you remove the cap on the air-injecting valve, it can be flipped over and used as an inflation valve (top photo) to prevent air from escaping from inside the mat when setting it up, and as a deflation valve (bottom photo) to prevent air from flowing into the mat when flipped over
Deflation valve to prevent air from entering the mat
The deflation valve prevents the compressed foam from expanding even without applying force, allowing it to easily become flat
Deflation valve allows for easy compression
The 2-way valve can be fully opened to let all the air out at once, which greatly reduces the hassle of packing up
If you open it all the way, you can let the air out all at once
At the moment, there is no pump sack specifically designed for trail mattresses, so you have to inflate it manually when setting it up, but the built-in urethane foam inflates it naturally, so it's not as difficult as an air mattress. It's much easier to take down than to set up, so I found it to be much easier to use
A storage bag that can be folded in half
Along with the 2-way valve, the storage size also contributes to ease of dismantling
The storage bag for the trail mattress is sized to fit the mattress itself when folded in half, making it easy to store
Mats from other brands are often designed to be folded into thirds to reduce storage size, but have you ever had the problem of the folded mat being larger than the storage bag and spilling out? (This happens to me quite often.)
To fit it perfectly into the storage bag, you need to check the size of the storage bag before folding and rolling it up.However, the trail mattress can be folded in half, so you can store it by simply folding it in half and rolling it up without having to check the size
As someone who is lazy and not good at storing things properly, I highly recommend this point
I like the fact that it can be folded in half for storage, but I do have some concerns about the storage size
Larger storage size compared to air mattresses
I like the fact that it can be folded in half for storage, but I do have some concerns about the storage size
In my opinion, this is within an acceptable range when considering the comfort, insulation, and ease of handling, but when compared to other companies' mattresses with similar structure and insulation, the storage size is a little large
Although the difference is small, this storage size can be a concern for those who are particular about compactness
Compared to other companies' mats with similar structure and insulation, the storage size is slightly larger
Trail mattresses are much more compact than closed-cell mattresses and have the advantage of portability, but compared to air mattresses, air mattresses win in terms of compactness
For better or worse, the storage size of a cell inflatable trail mattress, which is somewhere between a closed cell mattress and an air mattress, is a concern
Summary: Recommended mattresses that balance comfort, portability, and ease of use
We introduced the Isuka Trail Mattress
A good night's sleep in nature is directly linked to your satisfaction. Choose the perfect sleeping mat for a comfortable night's sleep before heading out into the mountains!
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Yosuke
People who act with just one backpack with the motto of "as light as possible" so that they don't get inconvenient.
From spring to autumn, I chase after char deep in the mountains and go fishing in the mountain stream. We walked the mountains in search of spectacular views that cannot be seen from the ground. Camping to be healed by the bonfire. Snowboarding is a floating mountain with a mountain of silver.
A freelance writer who enjoys outdoor activities all year round. I share my own experiences and tools that I've been using.
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