Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite Review | Outdoor Life

For years, folks have liked to complain in regards to the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite. The valve was rubbish. The pump sack was no good. And that noise—there was by no means a query of what crinkling pad was making all that ruckus on the neighboring campsite. But, together with the NeoAir Xtherm, the NeoAir Xlite is among the bestselling sleeping pads on the market. It additionally occurs to be the sleeping pad I exploit on nearly all of my outside adventures. 

The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite isn’t the lightest sleeping pad in the marketplace (that will be the NeoAir UberLite) or the warmest (that will be the Exped Dura 8R). However, it’s is the most effective stability of heat and weight. At 12.5 ounces for a regular-sized pad, it’s as gentle or lighter than its opponents’ ultralight pads. And with an R score of 4.2, it’s lots heat sufficient for each alpine and shoulder season adventuring. That versatility has made it a mainstay for all method of backpackers, from weekend warriors to thru-hikers. Finally, Therm-a-Rest resolved the primary criticism of the Xlite within the allegedly 83 p.c quieter NXT mannequin.

Key Features

• Available Lengths: 66 inches, 72 inches, and 77 inches
• Wide Option: 72 inches x 25 inches
• Height: 3 inches
• R Rating: 4.5 (Upgraded from the unique Xlite’s 4.2)
• Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Exterior Fabric: 30D ripstop nylon
• Includes: Pump sack, stuff sack, and restore equipment
• Limited lifetime guarantee

Material

Maybe, like me, you thought the explanation the NeoAir Xlite is a lot louder than the remainder of the greatest backpacking sleeping pads is its shell material—that 30D nylon that the web site describes as “lemon curry” hued. Not so, because it seems. The materials making all that ruckus is the very skinny metalized movie contained in the pad that gives its insulating powers, what the corporate calls Thermacapture. While Therm-a-Rest wouldn’t share what this materials really is, they did inform me that there are solely so many supplies that present a suitable stage of insulation whereas nonetheless welding collectively. Those supplies occurred to be extraordinarily loud and crinkly. 

So that is the tradeoff on the coronary heart of Therm-a-Rest’s NeoAir pads: You don’t get that prime insulation with out the crinkle. Now, the up to date NXT model of the pad claims to have considerably decreased the noise stage, by as a lot as six occasions. To obtain this, they decreased the dimensions and elevated the variety of Thermacapture layers contained in the pad from one layer (as depicted above) to a few thinner layers.

R Value

In addition to turning the quantity down, this alteration additionally elevated the R worth from 4.2 to 4.5 with out altering the load. An R score of 4.5 is nice for year-round use. Your sleeping bag‘s temperature rating is designed to accommodate its max low with a 4.8 R value pad, but at this weight, 4.5 can’t be beat.

For anybody who’s unfamiliar, “R value” refers to how effectively a sleeping pad resists, or insulates you in opposition to, the chilly of the bottom. One is the bottom quantity on the R worth scale (actually the identical as sleeping on the bottom) whereas 10 is the very best, usually solely wanted in essentially the most excessive circumstances.

In years previous, R worth measurements had been the wild west with every model conducting their very own checks utilizing totally different protocols, or generally simply guesstimating. But in 2020, R rankings had been standardized by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM): “Standard Test Method for Thermal Resistance of Camping Mattresses Using a Guarded Hot Plate Apparatus.” While Therm-a-Rest checks their sleeping pads in-house utilizing a chilly chamber on-site of their Seattle warehouse, different sleeping pad producers ship new merchandise to Kansas State University for testing. So whereas which R worth is best for you and your subsequent journey is subjective (totally different folks have totally different inner thermostats, in spite of everything), the comparative heat supplied by every pad is standardized. 

Weight

The NeoAir has the most effective R score for its weight by a mile—it’s not even shut. Let’s check out how the competitors stacks up: 

Testing the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite within the Field

I’ve used varied Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlites for years, together with on the Pacific Crest Trail and Colorado Trail, and have been persistently impressed by their sturdiness and flexibility. Each pad I had simply lasted for hundreds of miles earlier than it developed holes (simply repaired), had the inner insulation begin to break down (changed by Therm-a-Rest’s restricted lifetime guarantee), or turned moldy (my fault—don’t put your gear away moist, folks). I usually pair this pad with both a ten diploma or 20 diploma quilt, which is lots to maintain me heat in nighttime temperatures that dip all the way down to freezing. 

In addition to being heat, light-weight, and sturdy, I’ve additionally discovered the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite to be comfy. But whereas I’m not a light-weight sleeper (and that does go double after an extended day of backpacking), I couldn’t assist however discover what’s undeniably its most well-known characteristic: the noise. 

Read on-line critiques of the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite and one thing that comes up time and again is how a lot noise the pad makes on the slightest motion. Words like “cellophane” and “potato chip bag” are thrown round. People describe it retaining them from attending to sleep, waking their companions up, and waking everybody at their campsite up. I even discovered a evaluate that somebody wrote simply to complain about how too many individuals are utilizing this pad and it’s retaining them from sleeping within the backcountry. 

Therm-a-Rest’s latest NeoAir Xlite NXT is basically the identical precise pad as its predecessor, however with one essential distinction: It is allegedly quieter. To confirm this declare, I employed the extremely scientific technique of inflating each the NeoAir Xlite NXT and an older NeoAir Xlite that was in my gear closet, after which rolling round on them. I’ll be trustworthy: I couldn’t hear a distinction. But my older Xlite is upwards of 5 years outdated with in all probability 100 on-trail nights. It had been rather a lot louder once I first bought it. After the insulation in my pad softened and quieted over time, it was related in sound to the brand-new NXT.

Out-of-the-box, the NeoAir Xlite NXT continues to be noticeably louder than different best-in-class backpacking sleeping pads, just like the Sea to Summit Ether Light XT or the NEMO Tensor. However, after utilizing it on varied journeys for a number of months, I carried out a second side-by-side comparability. This time I observed that the NXT model of the Xlite actually was quieter than my older mannequin, and was now corresponding to different prime backpacking sleeping pads. So for those who’re uncertain in regards to the noise stage once you first inflate this pad, relaxation assured: It will get quieter over time.

What the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT Does Best

At the top of the day, the aim of your backpacking sleeping pad is to make your journey extra comfy. By day, the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT takes up lower than a Nalgene’s price of house in your pack and places the least quantity of weight attainable in your again. At night time, it protects you from the chilly of the bottom, so that you simply don’t get up shivering in your bag. And whereas lowland summer season adventuring doesn’t name for such a excessive R worth, do you actually need to keep beneath treeline on all of your adventures? I didn’t assume so. 

What the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite Does Worst

I had hoped that Therm-a-Rest would possibly take this chance to replace a few of the particulars of the NeoAir Xlite with the discharge of the NXT model, however no cube. It nonetheless has the identical winglock valve, which is considerably much less intuitive to make use of (I’ll sometime bear in mind to reorient the wings once I’m inflating the pad) than its opponents, with out offering any discernible profit.

It additionally nonetheless has one in every of my least favourite pump sacks. It took twelve breaths to inflate the pad utilizing Therm-a-Rest’s pump sack in comparison with 4 breaths utilizing the best-in-class pump sack included with Exped’s pads, whereas weighing mainly the identical quantity. The connection level between the pump sack and the winglock valve additionally requires far more elbow grease to get on than others I’ve examined. (Although any pump sack continues to be higher than doing issues the old school approach.) 

Final Thoughts

So must you exit and buy a Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite NXT? If you have already got a NeoAir Xlite in your closet, there is no such thing as a have to exit and buy a brand new one to save lots of the ears (and Z’s) of your adventuring companions—a well-used NeoAir Xlite isn’t all that loud. Similarly, summer season adventurers who stick beneath treeline may give this one a go: You can get the R worth you want from decrease value pads just like the Nemo Tensor or perhaps a closed-cell foam pad. 

But for those who’re commonly trekking by way of the shoulder season or into the alpine, what are you ready for? You’ll sleep hotter, hike lighter—and now you received’t get up abruptly, dreaming of potato chips.