Our Story
In 1971, a mix of unemployed Boeing engineers, a leaky foam gardening pad, and the dream of better nights under the stars came together to change how we experience the outdoors forever. By 1972, Cascade Designs was formed and began selling the Therm-a-Rest Standard 3/4 – the world’s first self-inflating sleeping pad. The rest, as they say, is history.
Innovation & Technology
Sure, we made the first self-inflating mattress but, more than that, our legacy of groundbreaking technologies continue to define the entire category of outdoor comfort. Over fifty years of experience means we’ve spent decades more than anyone focused exclusively on crafting innovative solutions to outdoor comfort so you can make the most of your time outside.
Advocacy & Sustainability
We are vested in doing all that we can to preserve and advocate for the wild places we all love and rely on. From locally adopting trails and supporting conservation organizations, to globally making the right choices in materials and manufacturing in-market to reduce our footprint, we believe that doing it right matters now for a bright future.
Therm-a-Rest Today
In many ways, we now operate in much the same way we did over 50 years ago. Although we are bigger, we're proud to maintain a single-minded commitment to quality and innovation by designing every product from a wealth of personal experience and producing the majority of what we sell with our own hands.
Made Locally
Between our company-owned manufacturing facilities in Reno NV and Cork, Ireland, the vast majority of our sales world-wide come from products that have been built by the hearts, minds and hands of Therm-a-Rest employees. In business-speak, this is called vertical integration and we’re committed to it because it results in huge benefits when it comes to innovation, quality, stewardship and service.