The Therm-a-Rest Dream Team is a group of fun-loving ambassadors that will be packing some of our favorite pieces of gear on their adventures. They share our draw to the great outdoors and also share our desire for a better night outside. Without further ado, we introduce you to our Summer 2018 Dream Team.
Lizzy Van Patten @lizzyvanpatten
Where is your favorite place to spend a day?
Hanging on the side of a giant rock face in Washington Pass.
What is your favorite piece of Therm-a-Rest gear?
My sleeping pad the NeoAir XTherm MAX. I can go without food, but I can’t function without sleep. My sleeping pad has been with me on every important climbing adventure I have ever been on. Plus, I don’t have to sacrifice comfort to save weight.
Paulina Dao @paulinadao
What is your most embarrassing backcountry moment?
My friends invited me to hike Half Dome. It was my first “big” hike and I was so unprepared. I drank three liters of water and ate like seven Clif Bars before the halfway point. The group kept having to wait for me to pee every five minutes.
What is your favorite piece of Therm-a-Rest gear?
The Honcho Poncho is the best piece of gear to ever grace this planet. It’s so cozy and amazing for napping on my crash pad. It is absolutely obnoxious and ridiculous, making it a great conversation starter. When they see it, they want one.
Dylan Blackie @lifeinthelittlering
How did you find your passion?
I’ve always loved bicycling and over the years it has played different roles.
Where is your favorite place to spend a day?
The Angeles National Forest! Some of the best forest scenery and bicycling is just about an hour of pedaling out my front door.
Jordan Ingmire @jordaningmire
Why is resting better outside important for you?
I spent one surfing trip thinking my board bag could suffice. One beautiful morning, I peeled myself off my bag in agony. I was camping on cobblestone in a dried up creek bed. My board bag was no match for the terrain and I cut the trip early to go home to my bed! Resting better makes sure that I get to enjoy my entire trip to the fullest.
Where is your favorite place to spend the day?
I feel best in the wilderness. Hopefully with some decent weather (or gear) and a friend.
Justin Kauffman @justindkauffman
What sport do you really want to learn?
I’d really like to learn more about highlining or skydiving. Both of those sports really inspire me and I’d love to be able to do both.
What is your dream adventure destination?
Two places I really want to go are either Morocco or Turkey. I would love to visit these countries, learn about their cultures, explore the desert and see all the hot air balloons in Capadoccia!
Our Trailing Thought @ourtrailingthought
What is your greatest triumph in the outdoors?
Hiking the Continental Divide Trail is my greatest outdoor accomplishment. Both of us hiked it this summer and it was better than solo hikes on the PCT and Cumberland Trail. The weather, navigation and distance made it one of the hardest things I have ever done.
What is your dream adventure destination?
Alaska. It’s a paradise for all the things I love to do. We want to paddle the Yukon 1000 mile race on paddleboards as well.
Sammy Spence @well_wandered
What is your greatest triumph in the outdoors?
The first time I went backcountry skiing…with snowshoes. I didn’t have any skins or touring skis so I strapped my powder skis to my back, along with my ski boots and toured up the mountain in feet of snow with my snowshoes strapped to my rubber winter boots. It was the best and hardest day of my life.
Why is resting better outside important for you?
As a guide, it’s important that I am well rested. Whether I am guiding backpacking trips through the mountains with troubled youth, or guiding clients through the San Juan Islands on kayaks, it’s important that I am able to do my job clear headed, awake, and mindfully.
Timothy Howell @tim_howell_adventure
Where is your favorite place to spend a day?
Anywhere with my fiance where we are amongst the mountains.
What is your greatest outdoor accomplishment?
My greatest triumph has probably been my endeavours on the Eiger, though I still have more on the list to do. So far, I’ve climbed the North Face, skied down from the summit on the west flank and wingsuited off the mushroom over the North Face.
Two-wheeled Nomad @twowheelednomad
What are you passionate about?
Having learned to ride a motorcycle serendipitously, I undertake the wordcraft by documenting the tales from the trails. I need an affecting outlet and it helps to keep the wheels rolling through our published content in moto publications in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and France.
What is your dream adventure destination?
Iceland’s interior. It’s steeped in as much ice as uniqueness. The place effortlessly achieves a state of otherworldliness and I think the surrealism would take hold with such intensity.
