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Reviews > Sleep Gear > Pads and Air Mattresses > Therm-a-Rest Neo Air Pad > Test Report by Jamie LawrenceTherm-a-Rest NeoAir Sleeping MatTest Series by Jamie LawrenceInitial Report - 8th April 2009Field Report - 14th June 2009Long-Term Report – 3rd August 2009Tester Information
I was introduced to backpacking/tramping/hiking as a young child in Boy Scouts and through my school physical/adventure education. After leaving school, I mainly did short daywalks until recently when I started to re-walk some of Tasmania's key routes and try others I was yet to attempt. I mainly walk in the winter months, in Tasmania's central highlands area. I prefer light gear, extended walks (3-5 days) in a group of 3 or shorter walks (1-3 days) walking solo. I would generally carry a base weight pack of around 8 kg - 10 kg (17 lbs - 22 lbs). Initial Report8th April 2009 Product Information & Specification
The NeoAir sleeping mat is the most recent addition to the Fast & Light Series of mats by Therm-a-Rest. It is not a foam based mat, rather an air mattress. As a result this mat is not self inflating nor does it have any insulation.
The key design features of this mat are the reflective barrier which returns warmth and reduces heat loss along with the Triangular Core Matrix technology which provides more stability when sleeping. The other major feature of this mat is its reduced size when deflated. Therm-a-Rest claim this mat is the same size as a 1 litre water bottle when rolled. Construction appears to be from a rip-stop style nylon which is glued. I can see no stitched seams on the entire mat. The material feels very thin but quite strong. The NeoAir is available in sizes Small, Medium, Regular and Large. I am testing the Regular size. Trying out the NeoAirThe first thing I noticed about the NeoAir is that it is seriously light and small! I have always used foam based self inflating mattresses in the past. When comparing the NeoAir to my favourite self-inflating mat, the NeoAir is tiny, and nearly half the weight. I am sure this is one benefit I will enjoy the most. Strangely enough, I was surprised when I received the NeoAir that I had to actually inflate the mattress. I am so conditioned to simply throwing my mat out and then a few quick puffs to inflate to a nice firm feel. Not with the NeoAir. I found that I needed at least 30 to 40 puffs of air to inflate the mattress to a comfortable firmness. When inflating, I felt a bit light headed at some points so had to stop and rest. In total it took me around 3 minutes to inflate the NeoAir on my first attempt. I doubt I can improve on this as I simply can't blow air any faster without feeling horrible as a result. The limited experience I've had with air mattresses in the past lead me to believe they are always made with vertical baffles and that they are really unstable. In both respects this is simply not the case with the NeoAir. Firstly the NeoAir has horizontal or sideways baffles, around 40 of them, each around 5 cm (2 in) wide. When inflated the NeoAir is actually very stable, nothing like any air mattresses I've tried in the past. Whilst I could feel my knee hit the floor of my lounge room when I first knelled onto the NeoAir, the mat was easily able to cope with my weight when I was laying and I enjoyed the full 6.3 cm (2.5 in) thickness which resulted in no pressure spots, even on my hips when laying sideways. A stuff sack for the NeoAir is available separately. This is listed for sale on the Therm-a-Rest website for an additional US$14.95. I purchased a stuff sack from my local retailer, but it is not the Therm-a-Rest stuff sack. I purchased a 2 litre sack which is a surprising tight fit. I doubt I can pack the NeoAir any smaller. SummaryBased
on my first impressions, I was surprised by the comfort and just how small the
NeoAir is. I hope to enjoy the benefits of its lightweight and small size when
out in the wilds. I guess if I wake up in the morning and notice nothing, then
the NeoAir has done its job!
Field Report14th June 2009 Field Conditions & LocationsMy initial field testing of the NeoAir took place on a recent walk into the southern ranges of the South-West National Park. This 3 day walk started at around 175 m (574 ft) and featured a steady climb to an exposed alpine plateau at around 900 m (2,953 ft) above sea level. Camp was at a rough muddy site not intended as a camp site but due to poor weather we chose to stop for the night. Constant rain fell but I am unsure of the amount or the temperatures as readings were not possible. I would estimate that the low temp was around freezing due to the ice on my tent and the ground in the morning. We aborted the walk and descended back to sea level the following day and camped by the coast on a flat sandy campsite. Performance in the fieldThe
first major difference between the NeoAir and my other mats is that this mat is
not self inflating. This has not really caused me any issues except for the
first night of field testing. As it was really wet and cold, and the tent was
not pitched on flat level ground, getting in and out of my tent was a real
hassle. I would normally undo the air valve on my self-inflating mat and throw
it in my tent to start to inflate. When I was ready to sleep I would add a few
puffs of air and then be ready to sleep. This was not possible with the NeoAir.
As a result I was forced to lean into my tent and inflate the mat. As I was
very cold and wet, this took quite some effort and I had to stop quite
frequently as I was feeling light headed. I did not measure the amount of time
required to do this, but it would easily have been about 3-5 minutes, a long
time to be standing in the wet and cold! Whilst this is no design fault with
the NeoAir, it certainly was a bit of a hassle. Having said this, once the mat
was inflated, it stayed firm and comfortable for the rest of the night, which
was around 13 hours.
SummaryOverall
I have been happy with the performance of the NeoAir during my field testing. I
certainly enjoy the benefits of the compact size and low weight with the bonus
of extra thickness. I don't enjoy having to inflate the mattress but there is
no way around this. Long-Term Report3rd August 2009 Field Conditions & LocationsMy testing continued over the 6 night walk of the Overland Track, a 80 km (50 mi) walk through the Tasmanian central highlands. This walk features a full range of environments from sub-alpine lakes and grasslands to exposed ridgelines high above the snowline. During the walk our group experienced the full range of weather from sunshine and warm temps ranging from 10-12 C (50 - 54 F) to wind rain and snow with night time lows well below freezing We recorded a low of -7 C (19 F). The lowest point of the track is around 700 m (2,297 ft) with the highest point of 1,016 m (3,333 ft) excluding any summit trips.
Performance in the fieldI have continued to use the NeoAir as my main
sleeping mat. During the 6 nights of the Overland Track walk, we utilised the
various huts along the track as our nightly accommodation, which gave me a much
different experience using the NeoAir compared to tent camping. Firstly all the
huts feature large bunks which are usually shared. Secondly, although they are
heated, it gets much colder during the night inside the huts compared to a tent
as the heaters do not run all night. I found this was a very good test of
the NeoAir's ability to retain heat.
I
have not got any faster at inflating the NeoAir throughout the testing period.
However I now use smaller breathes more frequently rather than several deep
breathes of air to inflate the mattress to avoid feeling light headed. This
does take a little longer, especially compared to my self inflating mattress,
but I think it is worth the hassle. I have continued to find that my folding
method of deflating and then rolling the mat is still the quickest way of
packing the NeoAir ready for my pack. Final SummaryI
stated in my Initial Report that if I woke up in the morning and noticed
nothing, then the NeoAir would have done its job. I now take this back. I spent
one night sleeping on my self inflating mat during the testing period and woke
up feeling a bit sore on my shoulder where I had been sleeping. After sleeping
on the NeoAir, I did notice something, I noticed just how much more comfortable
and warmer it was compared to my self inflating mat!!! Read more reviews of Therm-A-Rest gear Read more gear reviews by Jamie Lawrence Reviews > Sleep Gear > Pads and Air Mattresses > Therm-a-Rest Neo Air Pad > Test Report by Jamie Lawrence |