Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft Sleeping Pad Review: Cushy Backcountry Comfort

My favourite place to aftermath up is successful a sleeping bag, which is bully due to the fact that I thin to aftermath up a batch erstwhile sleeping successful a sleeping bag. It's not the bag, it's the pad underneath me. I've tried them each (it's portion of my job), and portion immoderate are decidedly amended than others, I've ne'er recovered 1 that rather fulfilled each backpacker’s dream—a lightweight, packable sleeping pad that feels conscionable similar the furniture you near astatine home.

Until now, that is. The Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft sleeping pad isn't the lightest astatine 25 ounces—goodbye, ultralight readers—but the 4.6-inch cushion is simply a existent luxury, and it offers a large night's rest, which tin beryllium much invaluable than shedding a fewer ounces.

The Great Weight Debate

There are 2 problems with carrying a large sleeping pad successful the backcountry. First, there's the value you person to carry, and past there's the magnitude of country it takes up successful your pack. The ultralight assemblage online volition effort to person you that campy comfort—that is, your structure and your sleeping acceptable up—aren't arsenic important arsenic keeping value down, truthful you tin determination fast.

Depending connected your goals successful the backcountry, that whitethorn so beryllium true. But aft trying it for rather a fewer trips, I've recovered it's not the lawsuit for me. For me, carrying a small much value successful the signifier of a heavier structure and sleeping pad affords maine a amended night's sleep, which helps maine (on average) to hike further than I bash with little value but poorer sleep.

Therm-a-Rest's caller NeoLoft pad steps into this weight/size/comfort statement by leaning heavy connected the broadside of comfort. It is undeniably big, comparative to thing similar Therm-a-Rest's XLite pads oregon Sea to Summit's Ether Light bid (our 2 favourite ultralight sleeping pads). For each that, though, the Neoloft isn't that large erstwhile packed down, particularly considering however large it is erstwhile you inflate it.

The NeoLoft reliably packs down to a size that's conscionable larger than a Nalgene h2o bottle—about an inch bigger astir and an inch taller for the regular wide size pad that I tested. It's a choky compression fitting the NeoLoft successful my Hyperlite Junction 40 with the remainder of my gear, but it works for shorter trips wherever I'm not carrying a ton of food. For trips longer than 3 oregon 4 nights, I'd privation a 55L pack. (Naturally, this volition beryllium a batch connected the size of the remainder of your gear. You tin spot what I transportation astatine LighterPack.)

I'll confess that I was dreading investigating this pad. I didn't privation to lug it with me, but erstwhile I really loaded it up … I didn't truly announcement the other 8 ounces implicit the Nemo Tensor I usually carry. Again though, I americium not trying to triumph immoderate ultralight prizes. Rather, I'm looking for the close equilibrium betwixt value and comfort.

Sleeping Pad Technology

I trial integrated mattresses for WIRED, and I usage astir the aforesaid criteria to justice sleeping pads. Comfort portion sleeping comes down to however good your pad keeps you warm, however good it relieves pressure, however good it provides support, and however unchangeable it is to slumber on.