Worth the cash? Thermarest Neoair

[Neo]

So im third time unlucky with a Nemo tensor short air mat. Two warranty replacements for seperate issues, the third now goes down slowly.
I havent searched for a leak but suspect the valve is dodgey like the second one (none were the new flat valve model).

Should I now fork out for a genuine short neoair, or buy a paddock-basher for the same price? Or a comfy ewe.

Maybe I should harden up and sleep on 2mm ccf, rake up some leaves to save weight..?

[QueenLucyVanPelt]

I'm all for the 2mm ccf and leaves. Count those ounces!!

But in all seriousness, I've had great success with my Neoair xlite (womens). I thru-hiked with it in 2017 and only busted it after about 2000 miles. It was only a tiny puncture somewhere on it; nothing to do with the valve area. Thermarest replaced the entire mattress for me, brand new, through their warranty program. My newer one hasn't began to leak, yet, and I've used it on some rough, stealthy surfaces racking up about 400 mile. Fingers crossed!

If you are wanting to save weight even more, look into the uberlite. It's a different material and weighs about 4 ounces less than the womens Xlite, but you sacrifice temperature. It's a lot colder to sleep on, but certainly packs down a lot smaller, too.

[Neo]

Cheers QLVP

[Lamont]

viewtopic.php?f=58&t=29538

Or how about

viewtopic.php?f=58&t=29721
Its go time Neo.

[Neo]

Yeah but nah, I like about 7cm of syntheric atmspheric holding insulated air between me and the earth mutha for a good nights rest.
(bladder calls excluded)

[crollsurf]

Love my Large Neo Xlite. Doesn't quite handle snow so maybe the Xtherm if you do a bit of that or sleep cold. They're also noisy so not great unless solo.

Got a short version as well which is only about 50g lighter and I don't think is worth the weight saving. Depends on your system but I use my pack as a pillow so have nothing else to keep my feet off the ground, which isn't a problem if the ground is warm.

If you're buying Thermarest here, the prices are extortionate, so you need to buy OS.



Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

[Mark F]

If considering the Neo XLite short it is worthwhile adding the Neo XLite Womens to the choice. Better R rating 3.9 vs 3.2, and longer 168cm vs 119cm but at the cost of a 120g. When I was playing around with mats it certainly was for me a step up in comfort (80kg and 180cm) although I have finally moved to a wider mat the S2S XT Womens Large (R 4.2, 183 x 64 x 10). Once you get around R 4 the addition of a thin foam mat pushes the system to a level for snow.

[threshold]

I found neoair mattresses really uncomfortable.. Much prefer the s2s ultralights. Just my 2c.

[philm]

Yes agree the SToS Etherlite insulated is a great mat and a lot more comfortable and only a little heavier than the Neoair

[GregR]

Neo, I've had my Neoair for 7 years and love it. Warm comfortable and never had a leak. I probably spend 20 nights a year on it worth every penny in my book.

[scoha]

Took my new neoAir Xlite to the Pyrennees this year for the HRP - one of the best bits of gear on my back! So comfortable!! Get one.

[Neo]

Thanks for all the input folks!

I slept soundly on 4mm last night, but that was thanks to a long week, grassy, not having walked and too much red wine.

[fixa]

I found neoair mattresses really uncomfortable.. Much prefer the s2s ultralights. Just my 2c.

I'm the same, but haven't found anyone else that shares that view! I also have a Big Agnes insulated mat which is so comfy, tried the neoair and just didn't like it.

[Ms_Mudd]

Thanks for all the input folks!

I slept soundly on 4mm last night, but that was thanks to a long week, grassy, not having walked and too much red wine.

I can comfortable sleep on bathroom tiles after too much red wine

[Neo]

Found a leak in the Nemo. Could hear it, on the underside so my fault not the mat.

Have decided to harden up and get used to sleeping with no mat in summer. With luxury pilow though

[wallwombat]

Found a leak in the Nemo. Could hear it, on the underside so my fault not the mat.

Have decided to harden up and get used to sleeping with no mat in summer.......

I can't think of one good reason to ever willingly do that.

[CasualNerd]

If you're interested in a very lightly used short neoair xlite, I was thinking about selling. Only used for a couple of nights but I'd rather carry the extra weight for a full length mat.

PM me if interested anyway !

[Neo]

I may get the Thermarest one day but they need to fix their stocks. Too hard to find a short one in Australia.

Have bought a Sea to Summit ultralight in yellow. Didn't realise they made a short one and it was on the shelf, reduced for $112.

A little longer, heavier and thinner at 5cm but it does the job quite well. Not as comfy as the nemo or an Exped but much better than 4mm!

Also the 40D material feels quite robust. Why don't they make air mattresses thicker on the underside and UL on top?

[wildwanderer]

Why don't they make air mattresses thicker on the underside and UL on top?

I've damaged a few top sides in the past. Needle thin twigs etc get caught in clothing/sleeping bags then rolled on top of at night.

[ribuck]

I've had two mattress punctures, and both were on the top.

[Birdman]

I have both the NeoAir Xlite and the NeoAir XTherm. The Xlite is usually sufficient. I used it at down to -4°C and it was sufficiently warm (just). However, if I had money for just one, I would get the XTherm. You'll never be cold. I used that on the PCT and it was great.

I have had punctures with the Xlite, but never catastrophic ones that couldn't be compensated with a few short puffs when it started sagging during the night. When I tested it back home in my bathtub, I discovered 4 tiny punctures, 2 of which were on welds. Failing welds are covered by their life-long warranty, so I got a brand new replacement.

[Tino B]

Thermarest has just updated the xlite and xtherm range so sites like Backcountry.com have the old models on heavy discount. Might be worth buying and using a mail forwarding service, even with the low AUD.

[matchhead]

I got the updated Xtherm from backcountry.com a few months ago and got it shipped to AUS. ~$360ish all up including forwarding service. Best slept I've had out in the field.

Considering we spend a third of the time in the bush on the ground sleeping, highly recommend getting a good quality sleeping pad/mattress. Useful at home for extra visitors too if stretched.

[Moondog55]

I thought people were boycotting that store because of the *&%$#! act of trying to copyright and trademark Backcountry for their exclusive use

[Huntsman247]

So I just got an xtherm... Boy it's crinkly...
Comfy though. Has anybody had any success in reducing the crinklyness of the xtherm? Does it quieten down over use?

[Zapruda]

So I just got an xtherm... Boy it's crinkly...
Comfy though. Has anybody had any success in reducing the crinklyness of the xtherm? Does it quieten down over use?

I have both the xtherm and xlite

The crinkle does goes away. Roll it about 20 times at home to expedite the process.

I tend to blow my pads up rock hard so the crinkle is never a problem.

[Huntsman247]

Good to know Zapruda. Give that a go.

[north-north-west]

So I just got an xtherm... Boy it's crinkly...
Comfy though. Has anybody had any success in reducing the crinklyness of the xtherm? Does it quieten down over use?

I have never heard a thing from any of my Thermarest mats. Of course, it's been quite a few years since I have been able to hear anything at all. Maybe you just need a good dose of deafness?

[Petew]

So I just got an xtherm... Boy it's crinkly...
Comfy though. Has anybody had any success in reducing the crinklyness of the xtherm? Does it quieten down over use?

I have never heard a thing from any of my Thermarest mats. Of course, it's been quite a few years since I have been able to hear anything at all. Maybe you just need a good dose of deafness?

I am deaf in one ear, very handy. Just sleep with deaf ear up if it's noisy...

[Kott]

After using S2S mats for a long time, i took the plunge and got the Xlite from another user from this site. I was worried about the noise too because I'm reasonably light sleeper. But no such fears. Its crinkly for sure but I'd say its the same if not better than S2S when you blow it up properly. I do think their valves are crap compared to other brands - just takes sooo long to blow up but then again its not really a problem and makes you fitter