Therm-a-Rest
NeoAir Mattress
Tester
Information:
Name: Pam Wyant
Age: 51
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight: 170 lb (77 kg)
E-mail
address: pamwyant(at)yahoo(dot)com
Location: Western West Virginia, U.S.A.
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Backpacking Background:
Pursuing
a long-time interest, I started backpacking
five years ago. In addition to
day-hiking and weekend backpacking trips I try to do one longer trip
each
year. A couple of years ago I began a
project to section hike the Appalachian Trail (AT), accruing a little
over 250
mi (400 km) so far. My backpacking style
always seems to be evolving somewhat, and I like trying different gear
and
techniques. I can probably best be
described as lightweight and minimalist; cutting as much pack weight as
I can
without sacrificing warmth, comfort, or safety |
Initial Report - March 26, 2009
Product Information:
Manufacturer: Therm-a-Rest
Year of manufacture: 2009
Model: NeoAir
Color: Lime green and silver/grey
Size: Regular
Manufacturer specified weight: 14 oz/410 g
Measured weight: 14.3 oz/406 g
Advertised dimensions: 20 x 72 x 2.5 in (51 x 183 x 6.3 cm)
Advertised rolled size: 9 x 4 in (23 x 10 cm)
Tester measured sizes: Consistent with advertised
Website: http://www.thermarest.com/
MSRP: $149.95
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Product
Description:
The NeoAir is a light weight inflatable air mattress that uses patent
pending technology to provide warmth without added synthetic or down
insulation. The mattress uses both a reflective barrier and
Therm-a-Rest's Triangular Core Matrix technology. The system
provides stability in addition to three times the warmth of any other
uninsulated air mattress, according to Therm-A-Rest.
The mattress top is lime green in color and the fabric feels and looks
like a coated rip-stop nylon. The bottom of the mattress looks
like the same fabric but in a silvery grey color. A black plastic
twistable air valve is located in the upper left corner of the
mattress. The Therm-a-Rest logo, website address, parent company
name (Cascade Designs Inc) and location (Seattle, WA), the words
"Patent Pending" and "Limited Lifetime Warranty" appear in white and
brown ink on a clear label slightly below and to the right of the valve.
The NeoAir is available in four different sizes. I am testing the
regular size mattress, which is
only 40 grams or 1 oz more than the medium size that is 6 in (15 cm)
shorter, according to the specifications posted on the manufacturer
website.
The mattress that I am testing has 43 horizontal baffles, each just
under 2 in (5 cm) wide. A flat bonded seam joins the mattress top
and bottom on all four sides and protrudes 1/4 in (0.5 cm) beyond
the air filled portion. The rolled up mattress is truly the size
of a 1 L water bottle, as shown in the photo above.
The NeoAir has an R-value of 2.5 according to Therm-a-Rest's website
and packaging, which is slightly warmer than their ProLite or Z-Rest
series which each claim an R-value of 2.2, but not quite as warm as the
RidgeRest's R-value of 2.6 or the ProLite Plus R-value of 3.8.
This means the mattress should be warm enough for 'three-season' use,
but likely not warm enough for camping on snow or in very cold weather.
Although the mattress is very light, by rubbing the fabric between my
fingers when the mattress is either uninflated or partially inflated, I
can feel the interior baffling system through the thin outer shell.
Trying it out:
The mattress seemed incredibly light and small when I pulled it out of
its box; so much so that I double checked the packaging to see if I was
actually sent the regular size. Once I unrolled it, but before I
inflated it I found it was about 6 in (15 cm) longer and 1 in (2.5 cm)
wider than its inflated size.
I found I could blow it up to a comfortable, but not full, thickness
with about 25 breaths but I felt a little dizzy afterward. Using
a slower pace and slightly shallower breaths it took about 35 puffs to
fill the mattress completely. As with most air mattresses, it
seems to be a little more comfortable when not completely filled with
air. The NeoAir is noticeably more stable than other air
mattresses I have used that have vertical baffles, even when it is
fully filled. I was able to roll from side to side and onto
my stomach without feeling like the mattress wanted to throw me off to
the side.
The mattress is easy to deflate by opening the valve and lying on top
of it, which forces most of the air out. Following the
instructions I then folded it in thirds lengthwise, and began rolling
it
at the end away from the valve. When it was about 2/3 of the way
rolled up, I found I needed to press some of the remaining air out with
my hands, and to continue doing this until the mattress was completely
rolled up. Then I simply twist the valve closed to keep air from
seeping back in.
Preliminary Impressions:
The NeoAir is impressively light and small, as well as very comfortable
to lay on in my preliminary indoor test. If it proves to be as
comfortable in the field as it is on the floor at home, and has
reasonable durability and warmth, this mattress should prove to be a
real winner in my book with a great weight to comfort ratio.
Field Report - June 9, 2009
Field Conditions and Use:
In mid-April, I took the NeoAir on
a short (3 mi/5km) overnight backpacking trip in southern West
Virginia, on a trip where a friend and I were teaching beginner
backpacking. My shelter was a Double Rainbow Tarptent, shared
with my friend for the early part of the night. Around 11
pm one of our participants became ill and my friend ended up hiking her
out, so I ended up spending most of the night solo in the 2-person
Tarptent. Temperatures were around 40 F (about 4 C), clear, with
only a small breeze every now and then. I also brought a 1/8 in
(0.3 cm) Gossamer Gear ThinLight pad since I wasn't sure how warm I
would find the NeoAir. I did not have to resort to using the
extra pad, and slept fairly well, but felt slightly cool several times
during the night on the NeoAir.
I next used the NeoAir on a 6-day section hike of the
Appalachian Trail (AT) in North Carolina, from Winding Stair Gap to
Fontana Dam. I used it two nights in the typical 3-sided shelters
found along the AT, and two nights in my hammock. To the right is
a photo of the NeoAir in my hammock on this trip. I did not use
the NeoAir at all one night of this trip, as I stayed in a bunkhouse
complete with a thick mattress at the Nantahala Outdoor Center
about mid-way through my section hike. Sleeping temperatures
ranged from about 35 F (2 C) to around 55 F (13 C). The first day
and early night were rainy and windy, and after that weather conditions
were dry with only light breezes.
I again brought the 1/8 in (0.3 cm) Gossamer Gear ThinLight pad.
I was happy to have it, as I used it on top of the NeoAir in a shelter
on the coldest night, and to one side of the NeoAir in my hammock on
two of the more moderate nights. Due to the way a hammock wraps
up around a sleeper, the 20 in (51 cm) width of the NeoAir was
inadequate to keep me fully insulated from convective heat loss through
the thin sides of the hammock, so I used the NeoAir on my left side to
provide extra insulation for my shoulder, hip, and knee. I did
not have a good chance to test this out before my trip, but I was glad
to find it worked very well. Even though the 2.5 in (6.3 cm)
thick NeoAir is much higher than the 1/8 in (0.3 cm) ThinLight, it
worked out to be surprisingly comfortable in the flexible hammock to
have the
main part of my body on the NeoAir with the overhanging shoulder, hip,
and knee on the ThinLight. I do not imagine this would work well
at all for ground sleeping, but it certainly proved to be a viable
option in the hammock.
Experiences and Conclusions:
On each trip I packed the NeoAir inside a small (5 in/12.5 cm x 10.5
in/26.5 cm) stuff sack intended to hold a lightweight jacket. The
small stuff sack was amply sized to hold the NeoAir plus a small piece
of thin plastic that I packed along to keep dust and dirt off the
bottom of the NeoAir when I used it in the shelters. The NeoAir
packs down so small that it took up very little space in my pack.
I packed it vertically in the mid-section of my Osprey Exos, on top of
my sleeping bag and hammock, nestled next to a JetBoil PCS stove and my
clothing bag, and under my food and ditty bags. The size and
shape made it convenient to pack this way, and it was easily accessible
once I arrived at the shelter or camp area.
The one downside I found to the NeoAir is that it takes a lot of breath
to inflate it. When I was tired at the end of a long day of
hiking (most days were about 12 mi/19 km of hiking with 3000 ft/900 m
or so of elevation change), I generally used about 30 moderate breaths
to fill the mattress about 3/4 of the way full. I am a side and
stomach sleeper, and I found this was more comfortable than fully
inflating it - the slightly under filled mattress better cradled my
body and I slept better that way. The one night that I completely
filled it and slept on it during the early part of the night, I did not
rest well on the firm surface, tossing and turning until I partially
deflated it.
When filled just right, the mattress was very comfortable, giving me a
great night's rest. I like the horizontal baffles, which
really do seem more comfortable and stable when I turn over when
compared to vertical baffles. One particularly nice thing about
the NeoAir is that the regular length (72 in/183 cm) is long enough
that I can rest my head on my crossed arms at the top of the mattress
when stomach sleeping and still have plenty of room at the bottom to
keep my feet completely on the mattress even when my toes are pointed
down. So even if I am wearing every bit of clothing I brought, I
still have a warm surface under both my head and my feet even when I am
stretched out full length.
Being used to sleeping on a heated waterbed at home, I find that I
enjoy warm sleeping conditions on the trail, but I like to keep things
as light as possible. For all trips with the NeoAir so far, in
addition to taking the Gossamer Gear ThinLight pad, I have used the
same sleeping insulation system - a 12.7 oz (360 g) Nunatak Ghost quilt
customized with a bit less down for warm weather use with a MontBell
U.L. Down Inner Parka and synthetic insulated pants (Cocoon UL 60)
added as needed.
So far the NeoAir seems to work pretty well for me as a single sleeping
pad into the low 40 F range (around 6 C). Once the temperature
drops below that, I like adding the ThinLight closed cell foam pad to
the top of the NeoAir for extra warmth. This has actually worked
out pretty well, as it gives me a durable sit pad for use during the
day as well, for only a little extra weight and bulk, and is
still lighter than an insulated air mattress I have used previously.
Overall so far I consider the NeoAir to be performing well. I
haven't experienced any leakage, and it has been simple to deflate,
fold, and roll. I usually help the deflation process along by
opening the valve while I am still lying on the mattress, then kneel on
it to press out extra air before trying to fold and roll it. I've
found it easier to pack if I leave the valve open and roll it up the
first time primarily to get rid of extra air without trying to make it
into a perfect cylinder. I then close the valve when all the air
is out, unroll it, re-fold more neatly, and roll it more precisely for
a neater bundle that fits better inside the stuff sack.
The surface of the mattress has been comfortable to sleep on by itself
under a quilt, using a thin base layer, or with my insulated jacket and
pants. It did slide some in a gradual manner on the uneven ground
when I used it in my Double Rainbow, and a bit in my hammock as I was
settling in, both of which I consider normal. Once I had settled
in my hammock I did not notice it sliding further during the night.
Summary:
So far I've found the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir nearly the ideal backpacking
mattress for me. It's thick and cushy when inflated, relatively
warm for its weight, and very compact when packed. It has turned
out to be very versatile when combined with a thin (1/8 in/0.3 cm)
closed cell pad for extra warmth on colder nights or to add insulation
for my shoulder, hip, and knee while hammocking.
Long Term Report - August 11, 2009
Field Conditions and Use:
In mid-June I used the NeoAir in our large family tent on an overnight
car camping trip in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.
Temperatures were pleasant - in the upper 70 F range (around 20C)
during the warmest part of the day, and around 60 F (around 15 C)
during the night. I used an inexpensive rectangular
synthetic sleeping bag with the pad. I don't recall the
temperature rating of the bag, but it has been suitable for comfortable
use down to about 50 F (10 C) for me. As I've become used to, I
inflated the NeoAir about 3/4 of the way full for optimum comfort.
In late June I used the NeoAir in a smaller family tent on an overnight
car camping trip in southeastern Ohio. Temperatures were around
80 F (27 C) during the day, and 65 F (18 C) at night. I also used
it on an overnight in my backyard in the larger family tent with my
grandsons, in temperatures that were very similar. In both cases,
I used the same rectangular sleeping bag and the same level of
inflation for the NeoAir.
Experiences and Conclusions:
The NeoAir has continued to perform well over the test period.
While it takes a little more air to blow it up than I would like, this
is a minor annoyance compared to the cushy comfort I've
experienced. I've used several different styles of mattresses in
the past, including closed cell foam, insulated air mattresses, and a
hybrid mattress with a self inflating portion inserted into a closed
cell mattress, and find the NeoAir the most comfortable that I've
tried. The main key to comfort for me has been to fill the
mattress only part way with air. This has been a bit of trial and
error to get the exact level of air I like best, but it was most easily
accomplished by filling the mattress almost full, twisting the valve
closed, lying down on it, and then letting a little air out until I
reach the proper level of cushiness. In order to avoid feeling
light headed after blowing it up, I've found it best to take my time
and use about 30-35 short breaths to fill the pad rather than trying to
fill it more quickly with 20-25 long breaths.
Since this portion of the test period was during the warmer summer
months I did not get a chance to more finely dial in the comfort range
as far as the lowest temperature that the pad kept me comfortable, but
based upon my use during the Field Report, the pad seems that it will
work well alone during the warmer months, and with a thin closed cell
foam mattress on top to extend its use into the cooler shoulder
seasons. In the warmer temperatures I used it in, I did not
notice any real change in the fill level of the mattress from the time
I filled it to the time I awoke in the morning.
The pad stayed put very well on the floors of our family tents, which
are a woven tarp-type material. It likely also helped that the
ground in the established campsites and in our backyard was fairly
level. Although a bit of crinkling noise is noticeable when
blowing the pad up and when first settling in on it, the noise isn't
very noticeable when shifting around slightly on the pad or even when
simply turning over. One thing that I really like about the
NeoAir is that its light weight makes it easy to carry a full size
mattress, and I don't have to have my feet dangling over the edge or
thick cushioning materials under my head for insulation and
comfort. I can easily get by with a rolled up jacket or
similar clothing for a comfortable pillow since the mattress is long
enough to place the jacket on top of the mattress instead of at the end.
So far the easiest way I've found to roll the pad up into the smallest
configuration is to open the valve, and start rolling it loosely from
the opposite end. Once I've squeezed most of the air out that
way, I close the valve, unroll the pad, and fold it in thirds
lengthwise. I then start rolling it again, opening the valve as I
near the end to purge the final bit of air, then finally close the
valve again and the NeoAir is truly about the size of a 1 L water
bottle, and very easy to pack into a tiny spot in my pack or car
camping tote.
Summary:
The Therm-A-Rest NeoAir is the closest thing to a 'perfect' backpacking
mattress that I've found. It packs tiny, and is light weight
enough that I don't feel I have to sacrifice and use a short mattress
to shave a few ounces/grams over the weight of a full length one.
I also found I liked it for car camping as it saved space and made it
easier to pack my Jeep for those trips.
It does take a bit of effort to inflate the mattress, but the small
amount of work this involves is definitely a good trade off for the
comfort of a great night's sleep.
Likes:
Compact for packing
Cushy for sleeping
Lightweight to carry
Dislikes:
Slightly noisy
Takes a lot of breath to inflate
Thanks to Therm-a-Rest and BackpackGearTest.org for the
opportunity
to
test the nifty NeoAir mattress.
Read more reviews of Therm-A-Rest gear
Read more gear reviews by Pamela Wyant
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