Cascade Designs, Inc., the Seattle-based industry leader in the design and manufacture of premier outdoor equipment, is proud to announce that the company’s Therm-a-Rest® NeoAir™ mattress has been honored with the Derryck Draper Award for Innovation from the UK-based Outdoor Writers’ and Photographers’ Guild (OWPG).

Founded in 1980, the OWPG is the only UK-based organisation of creative professionals working in the great outdoors, with several members from other nations. Each year, the committed outdoor specialists at OWPG collaborate to select one outstanding industry innovation—a product, marketing campaign or event—for the award. The Award for Innovation is named for the late Derryck Draper, former chairman of the Guild.

The Therm-a-Rest® NeoAir™ mattress was released in early 2009 with much anticipation and demand in the marketplace due its innovative technologies. The compact three-season air mattress provides warmth and comfort without the added weight of insulation, packs to the size of a one liter-bottle and weighs only 14 ounces for a regular size. A patent-pending Reflective Barrier keeps the user warm by reflecting heat back to the body and blocking cold from the ground. A second patent-pending technology, the Triangular Core Matrix, contributes to the warmth by creating a multitude of air cells that minimize air movement and convective cooling. This matrix also creates an internal truss system that virtually eliminates the instability generally found on large tube-based air mattresses and assures that the user will shift less while resting comfortably on a 2.5 inch-thick mattress. Since thermal efficiency is achieved without the aid of down or fiber insulation, the NeoAir™ mattress can be blown up directly, without the added weight of an air pump or having to worry about exhalation moisture wetting insulation and decreasing performance.

Information on the OWPG can be found at www.owpg.org.uk

About the Therm-a-Rest® Brand
Seattle-based Cascade Designs, Inc. has been the market leader in premium outdoor comfort for more than 35 years, designing the finest portable outdoor sleeping and seating solutions available under the Therm-a-Rest® brand. The company’s commitment to quality manufacturing and innovation ensures that every product offers unrivaled comfort and reliability. All Therm-a-Rest® mattresses are made in the Seattle, U.S.A. and Midleton, Ireland manufacturing facilities. For more information on the Therm-a-Rest® brand, visit www.thermarest.com.