Image Source: https://www.pariaoutdoorproducts.com/products/recharge-s-insulated-sleeping-pad

Paria Recharge Sleeping Pad Review

Hi folks. Today on the blog, we’re going to be taking a look at a very competitively priced sleeping mat you can find on Amazon: the Paria Recharge Sleeping Pad. This mat caught our eye as an affordable alternative to some of the high-end Thermarest mats out there. But will it stack up in terms of performance? Let’s dive in and take a look!

Size & Weight

The Paria Recharge Sleeping Pad comes in a bunch of different sizes, ranging from the smallest – and lightest – ‘S’ model, to the double size, two-person ‘DW’. There’s a UL version which is full length but tapered into a mummy design – thereby saving a bit of weight, but not quite as light as the S. There’s also an XL version which gives the most comfort and room of the single-person designs.

If we take the ‘XL’ pad as our example model, the Paria features a 76 x 48 inch sleeping surface. It’s a plump old 4 inches thick, which should definitely help you get a comfortable – and warm – night’s sleep. Some side sleepers find it tough to get a pad that’s comfortable, as the way that weight is distributed on your side puts you in closer contact with the ground. But with 4 inches of thickness on this pad, this shouldn’t be an issue and the general feedback from side sleepers seems to be very positive for this mat.

Paria Recharge Sleeping Pad Review
Image Source: Amazon

The pack size is 8 x 5 inches, and the Paria Recharge XL weighs in at 26 ounces. I know some might baulk at that weight, but remember this is the largest single person variant of the mat! If you’re looking for weight savings, you’ll certainly find them in the ‘UL’ and ‘S’ variants of this sleeping pad.

Design

The pad has a single valve that’s used for both inflation and deflation. While you can use pure lung power to inflate the pad, Paria also sells an inflation pump sack as an optional extra. It’s a bit of a shame that Paria didn’t make the stuff sack double as an inflation device – like we’ve seen in some Klymit mats – but no biggie.

The Paria Recharge features a horizontal baffle design, a little bit like the Thermarest NeoAir Xlite. The Paria is advertised as a 3 season pad, with an R rating of 4.7.

Paria Recharge Sleeping Pad Review
Image Source: Amazon

Materials & Construction

The pad itself is made from 40D diamond ripstop nylon. Inside the pad, there’s high-loft synthetic microfiber insulation laminated on to the interior. This helps not only for the comfort of the mat but also with creating that impressively toasty R-value. A standard repair kit is included with the pad for the unlikely event of having to deal with any punctures or leaks. The most important thing to know about the durability of the Recharge? Paria offers a limited lifetime warranty for the mat. That should tell you how confident they are that it will hold up!

Warmth

So, about that 4.7 R-value. It’s up there with expensive, high-performance pads such as the Thermarest NeoAir Xlite – but the Paria Recharge is offered for a fraction of the price of those high-end mats. There’s always a tradeoff to be had of course, and in this case, it will be weight. The Paria will be a bit heavier – that’s just a fact of life.

But the important point is, not by much. If you’re the kind of hiker who counts every single gram, then prepare to surrender your wallet and pay for something high-end. But if you can live with ‘good enough’ – a totally solid & reliable option, for a fraction of the cost – then the Paria Recharge is exactly the kind of place you can make some savings in your gear list.

Paria Recharge Sleeping Pad: The Verdict

The Paria Recharge Sleeping Pad is a great value buy. The R-value is very high for a sleeping pad in this price range, and although it may not be the lightest pad out there, it’s a very attractive alternative for anyone not wanting to go ‘full Thermarest’. And a plumpy 4 inches of thickness should ensure a comfortable night’s sleep, even for side snoozers! The limited lifetime warranty should ensure you get the most out of the Recharge for years to come – maximum thrifty points!

That just about does it for this week folks. I hope you enjoyed this Paria Recharge Sleeping Pad review. Be sure to check out the rest of our blog for more thrifty tips, tricks, and gear reviews from the trail. Until next time!

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