Therm-a-rest Neoair

Author: Holger

Category: Gear reviews

Created on Thursday, 22 July 2010 23:10

Written by Holger

Early this year I got myself a NeoAir, Thermarest's newest addition to their extensive range of sleeping pads. The NeoAir is not a self-inflating mattress like the other Thermarest mattresses, but    it's an ultralight air mattress. The most outstanding features are the unbelievably small pack size and the low weight. The regular sized NeoAir weighs in at a mere 410g and packs down to 23x10 cm, while the large NeoAir weighs only 550g and packs to the size of a 28x11cm (1 L bottle). All NeoAirs have a R-value of 2.5.

Most air mattresses have one disadvantage though- they don't insulate you very well, because the air inside the chambers circulates between the warm body and the cold ground. That circulation constantly takes body heat away, replacing it with colder air coming up from the ground.  But Thermarest wouldn't be Thermarest if they hadn't thought about that problem, and addressed it in a very clever way. They have included a reflective barrier inside the mattress, that returns the warmth to your body, stops the circulation and reduces heat loss to the ground. The NeoAir keeps you three times warmer than any other uninsulated air mattress. When inflated, the patent-pending 'Triangular Core Matrix technology' creates an internal truss system, resulting in the most stable non-self-inflating air mattress on the market.

Comparison: A large Camprest (green, 196x63 / 5.5cm thick / 1820g ), a regular Ultralight ( brown, 183x51/ 2,5cm thick / 860g ) and a large Neoair ( 196x63 / 6.5cm thick / 510g ). While the NeoAir packs down smaller and is lighter than the Ultralight, it is thicker and has the same dimensions as the large Camprest when blown up.

As mentioned before, the Neoair is not self-inflating, but needs to be blown up by mouth. That takes about 2 minutes for a regular, probably closer to 3 minutes for a large. But let me tell you something- it is absolutely worth it. The Neoair is easily the most comfortable sleeping pad I have ever slept on. Without a doubt! You don't feel anything pushing through from the ground, and you sort of 'melt' right into it. Simply brilliant!

When I first held a NeoAir in my hand it felt somewhat thin and fragile compared to other Thermarest's I own. That is just because there is no foam core inside it. The outer material is the same as all other Thermarest's, so there is no reason to worry about durability. After about 20 nights good sleep on it, I am convinced it is every bit as durable as all the other Thermarest's, and they have withstood my abuse for 20 years. 

My conclusion: Super small, super lightweight and super comfortable. Not cheap, but absolutely worth it!