How to Choose the Best Sleeping Pad for Camping and Backpacking

Ultralight and durable, the full-rectangular Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm NXT MAX sleeping pad boast a 7.3 R-value, giving it a warmth-to-weight ratio suited for extremely cold backcountry pursuits.
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Made in USA.
View the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir NXT Product LineView all Therm-a-Rest Air PadsBest Use | Backpacking |
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Sleeping Pad Type | Air |
Sleeping Pad Shape | Rectangular |
R-Value | 7.3 |
Repair Kit Included | Yes |
Stuff Sack Included | Yes |
Packed Size | Regular Wide: 5 x 11 inches Large: 5 x 11 inches |
Sleeping Capacity | 1-person |
Pad Thickness (in.) | 3 inches |
Dimensions | Regular Wide: 72 x 25 x 3 inches Large: 77 x 25 x 3 inches |
Weight | Regular Wide: 1 lb. 7 oz. Large: 1 lb. 8 oz. |
Gender | Unisex |
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That oh- so dreaded noise when you roll over in your tent; your pad shifting underneath you and pray that crinkle did not echo like you feel it does and wake your partner. Luckily, no annoying noises emanating from this xtherm NXT pad like one of those biodegradable chip bags. This mat is also very warm (R= 7.3!) without weighing more than other pads so that I am seriously needing only a quilt on top and ditching my traditional full sleeping bag unless I am camping below 10F. Bonus, not easily generating leaks from having my dogs trying to hog it. The fine tune firmness adjustment on the valve is ingenious, just open the valve and lightly twist the yellow flange. Easy to maneuver even while laying down.
The air valve was defective out of the box and would very slowly let out air (over a few hours until completely empty) when sleeping on it. Unfortunately I didn't discover this until I actually tried to use it on a multi-day backpacking trip, which made for some very uncomfortable and cold nights with a completely deflated sleeping pad. If you choose this pad I recommend checking yours by letting it sit overnight with representative weight on it BEFORE you actually use it for backpacking. Checking with actual weight is critical... mine was fine overnight with no one using it... but add the weight of a typical adult and it would slowly deflate.
I am a side sleeper and have hip pain but can sleep on this mattress comfortably. I like that it is quiet. It seems like it would be a lot of work to manually inflate which to be fair, I haven't tried. I rely on my electric inflator. Would like to see it deflate a little smaller for a backpack in size but the comfort over rides the size.
The therma rest neo air regular was easy to set up, provided excellent padding (like it was pretty thick) for a good nights sleep and was easy to pack away when needed with the twist valve deflate and then just roll it up-no sitting on it required. I used it at the 24hr Spokane MTB race and It was fine just on the ground with a sleeping bag, though the temps have been a bit warmer than usual. This would probably not be great for anyone above 5’8. I had a friend and my husband both try it out during the day and it’s a little short for my husband but did fit my friend (she is 5’8). For reference I am 5’4 and this was plenty big enough for me with a lot of room on either side. I got the rectangular one because even though I don’t move a lot in my sleep I tend to fall off the tapered end of air mattresses in the middle of the night-I didn’t have this problem with the neo air. This a very perfect camp mattress (it is pretty lightweight for what it is) and I would definitely recommend it to friends.
I have not field tested it yet. I bought one in January, used it twice, it was flat both times in the morning. I loved it other than that. I you folks replaced it, 'cause Thermarest was giving me a run around............I just haven't taken it out of it's sleeve yet.
Very uncomfortable. This mattress is like sleeping on a giant zip-lock bag with air in it. There needs to be separate channels/chambers with several air intakes so that the mattress does not bulge every which way whenever the user moves a little. For this price, I expected a functional design with good support. This mattress does not come close!
Very warm and relatively quiet pad. It has treated me very well on two 8 day backcountry backpacking trips with temps dropping into the upper 30s
I used this last week for a 5 day hike, 9-13K altitude. It gave me a comfortable nights rest and was easy to pack, blow up and deflate. Grateful to have this gear!
Excellent comfort and warmth. My only criticism is that the material is very slippery which causes the pad to slip on the tent floor and the sleeping bag.
Seems to work very well. Used for MC Adventure camping trips.