Loading Image...Thermarest Neoair
Lynn and I recently returned from our TGO challenge in Scotland. One of the best pieces of kit we took was the new Thermarest Neoair mattress. If you’re not familiar with it, Brett has a great “first impressions” review.
I took a Neoair “small” and Lynn took a Neoair “regular”. They were very generously sized and extremely plush and comfortable. The small comes in a 47” with the regular a whopping 72”! I’ve included a comparison picture below.
We really liked the Neo air for comfort during our trip.
Pros
- Treated with non-slip compound which helps ensure you stay on the pad – I never slipped off at all.
- Super light weight – 9oz for a 47” pad is amazing
- Easy to inflate (the small is super fast though Lynn complains it takes her a while to inflate the regular)
Cons
- Can be a little cold due to low “R” value (R2.5) – we found ourselves a little cold on some nights. I would not recommend this mat alone for four season camping. Thermarest recommends pairing it with the Z-lite pad which will add R2.2 making a very respectable R4.7 pad at only 19oz (size small).
- Does not ship with a puncture kit – this is absolutely essential
In short I would highly recommend the Neoair to ultralight backpackers. Like most ultralight gear, there’s a tradeoff – with the Neoair, it’s with the R value; the comfort is very plush and much nicer than other mats I’ve slept on. There was a lot of Neoair’s on the TGO challenge and almost everyone was raving about the sleep experience. On sizing I find the small to be fine and stuff extra clothes/backpack under my feet to ensure they stay warm and elevated off the tent floor.
Unless you’re fanatical about weight, you might consider the size medium which weighs in at 13oz but gives you a very generous 66” of length. An alternate (which I’m thinking of doing) is to buy the Thermarest Neoair seat which is 10” x 20” (2.5oz). This could easily double as a foot rest giving you an extra 10” to your Neoair small. Plus you get a plush seat mat out of the deal too.
One nit is that the mattress does not ship with a puncture repair kit. For an inflatable mattress, this should really come as standard.
Rating: Highly Recommended
Thanks for the review – how do you find it works with the ULA Conduit as a “frame”?
Ian, I’ve never tried using the Neoair as a frame in the Conduit. I have a frame pad from ULA (came with the Conduit as an option) that works great and also doubles as a seating pad. I would think it’s possible to use as a framepad but think it would be somewhat fiddly to get your stuff packed in. The Neoair doesn’t have much structure to it so unless you inflate to some pressure, it’s going to be very flexible and not necessarily stay square as you jam gear into your pack 🙁
There’s lots of discussion on this topic in the BPL thread at https://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=15373&startat=100.
Nigel and I just hiked for the better part of a week in the Pasayten Wilderness in NE Washington State. I got a screaming deal on an older model Exped Downmat 7 short ($55 USD) and had to have it. I sleep cold, and suffer from Renauds, so this baby appealed to me:
Manufacturer: Expedition Equipment
Year of Manufacture: 2006
Manufacturer’s Website: https://www.exped.com/
MSRP: US$130
Listed Weight: Pad — 20 oz (580 g) ; Stuff sack — 4 oz (100 g)
Measured Weight: Pad — 21.1 oz (597 g) ; Stuff sack — 3.7 oz (104 g)
Listed Dimensions: Pad — 47″ L x 20″ W x 2.8″ H (120 cm L x 52 cm W x 7 cm H)
Measured Dimensions: Pad (when flat) — 47″ L x 24.5″ W (119 cm L x 62 cm W) — including 0.5″ (1.3 cm) seams on each side
Pad (when fully inflated) — 46″ L x 20.5″ W x 3.1″ H (117 cm L x 52 cm W x 8 cm H) — excluding seams on sides
Listed R-value: 5.9
The pad is sweet. I almost felt like there was a bit of a heater under me and, in wet conditions, where the pack stays outside in the tent vestibule, I would use the new Exped pillow as an extension. Both the pillow and the mat have little tabs on them that you can run a string through to attach so it doesn’t escape from restless sleepers during the night.
I found the pad to be extremely durable as it endured Jilly claws (Nigel’s 35 lb. BC mix) digging into it each night as she attempted to secure her place on the mat (which is why I’ll get the Downmat 7 when camping with Jilly in the future). It was also, in my opinion, more comfortable than the NeoAir.
My biggest gripe about the Downmat 7 was the storage bag (4oz) that was intended both for use as a pump and storage. The bag was useless for inflating the mattress as it kept popping off. I had an older verson of the Exped Pillow pump and that sucker took care of the Exped mat and the NeoAir with no hassles.
One issue to be aware of with the Downmat is that you MUST use a pump. Using your lungs to inflate it introduces moisture to the system – bad for down. Consider the Exped Synmat.