Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm NXT Sleeping Pad Review

The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm NXT is an improved model of the NeoAir XTherm inflatable sleeping pad, which has lengthy been the inflatable sleeping pad of selection for cold-weather tenting and chilly sleepers due to its excessive R-value and low weight. The new NeoAir XTherm NXT is much more snug, hotter, and quieter than ever, providing a full 3″ of thickness (up from 2.5″), an elevated R-value of seven.3 (up from 6.9), and a quieter sleep expertise than its predecessor.

Specs at a Glance

• Color: Gray-green (Neptune)
• R-Value: 7.3 (ASTM F3340-18)
• Size examined: Regular (additionally accessible in Regular Wide (72″ x 25″) and Long (77″ x 25″)
• Shape: Mummy
• Weight: 16.0 oz (it actually does weigh this)
• Optional inflation sack: 2.0 oz
• Optional stuff sack: 0.5 oz
• Width: 20 in / 51 cm
• Length: 72 in / 183 cm
• Thickness: 3.0 in / 6.3 cm
• Packed dimension: 9 x 4.0 / 23 x 10
• Top material kind: 30d High Tenacity Nylon
• Bottom material kind: 70d Nylon Soft Grip

The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm NXT Sleeping Pad is an insulated air mattress designed for cold-weather tenting and backpacking. Weighing simply 16 oz, the XTherm NXT can also be light-weight, rolls up small, and is made with thick and sturdy supplies, together with a 30d high material and a 70d backside material. Weighing solely 16 oz, the brand new NeoAir XTherm NXT has an astonishingly excessive R-value of seven.3 which is considerably greater than the minimal R-Value of 5 that I like to recommend for winter tenting and backpacking on snow. Many individuals underestimate the significance of their sleeping pad of their sleep system and when you discover you’re nonetheless chilly with sufficient insulation topside, your pad might be the perpetrator.

The NeoAir Insulation System

The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm NXT is designed to lure your physique warmth and mirror it again at you while you sleep at evening. Unlike sleeping pads containing down or artificial insulation, the XTherm NXT achieves this utilizing a honeycombed development of air baffles which are coated with a reflective metallic coating. The result’s a really skinny and light-weight air mattress that rolls as much as the scale of a Nalgene bottle, making it very simple to pack. The similar honeycombed baffles are utilized in the entire NeoAir pads that Therm-a-Rest makes, though it provides NeoAir pads a crinkly potato-chip-like sound that many individuals discover disturbing at evening. More on this, beneath.

Valve and Pumpsack

The XTherm NXT makes use of a WingLock valve, first launched in 2020, which helps you to quickly deflate the pad, inflate it by mouth or with the included pump sack. The pump sack is value utilizing in winter to keep away from blowing moisture into the pad by mouth that can freeze within the valve or insulation chambers in a single day. The pump sack, which is principally a big stuff sack with a valve at one finish, also can double as a protecting stuff sack for the sleeping pad.

What’s New within the XTherm NXT?

The NeoAir XTherm NXT is thicker, hotter, and quieter than its predecessor, the NeoAir XTherm inflatable sleeping pad.

Thickness

Thicker inflatable sleeping pads have turn out to be more and more in style in recent times as a result of they’re far more snug to sleep on. While growing the XTherm NXT to three″ thick from 2.5″ offers a slight enchancment in consolation, I believe the principle cause Therm-a-Rest elevated the pad’s thickness was for aggressive causes. The greatest inflatable sleeping pads accessible immediately are no less than 3″ thick, with some as thick as 4″ just like the Sea-to-Summit Etherlight XT Sleeping Pad. However, when you already personal an outdated 2.5″ XTherm sleeping pad, it’s fairly tough to note any important enchancment in consolation and I wouldn’t improve based mostly on this cause alone.

Despite being 3″ thick, the XTherm NXT isn’t as snug as pads which have vertical baffles or ones which are formed extra like mattress springs and conform to your physique. The XTherm NXT isn’t horrible, however it’s not essentially the most snug pad. However, you can also make the XTherm NXT extra snug by letting some air out of it, though this may cut back its insulation worth considerably.

R-Value

While the R-value of the XTherm NXT elevated from 6.9 to 7.3, once more, that’s not a ok cause in my view to improve to the XTherm NXT when you already personal an older XTherm. Anything over an R-value of 6 is already going to be overkill by way of insulation efficiency in winter within the decrease 48. To be sincere, I think the R-value enhance within the XTherm NXT is tied to the rise in pad peak, slightly than being a deliberate enchancment. The enhance in air quantity most likely makes the pad hotter.

Quieter

Therm-a-Rest claims that the XTherm NXT is roughly 80% quieter than the outdated XTherm. Having slept on the NXT, I concur. It is noticeably quieter while you’re mendacity on high of a completely inflated NXT. But the pad continues to be extremely loud, like smashing potato chips, while you’re within the means of inflating it or rolling it as much as pack it away. If you attempt doing these in an Appalachian Trail lean-to early within the morning or while you arrive after darkish, you’ll most likely get shot. Until the noise of inflation, deflation, and packing is diminished, I can’t see a powerful rationale for upgrading from an outdated XTherm on the idea of sound discount, though your tent companion would possibly beg to vary.

Many individuals don’t care that a lot in regards to the noisiness of the NeoAir sleeping pads, myself included as a result of I often camp far sufficient from different those who they’re unaffected by my sleeping pad sounds. I’m additionally often so drained that the noise of the pad received’t wake me.

NeoAir XTherm NXT Max

The NeoAir XTherm NXT reviewed above is barely accessible in a tapered mummy form. If you like a rectangular-shaped sleeping pad, there may be one known as the NeoAir XTherm NXT Max, which has the identical R-value (7.3) as the mother model. The XTherm NXT Max is offered in two sizes, an everyday (72″ x 25″) and a protracted (77″ x 25″). Both are additionally 3″ thick.

Recommendation

The Therm-a-Rest XTherm NXT Sleeping Pad continues to be a dependable, sturdy, light-weight, and high-R-value sleeping pad good for chilly climate use although the enhancements to the brand new mannequin are a bit underwhelming. If you’re a chilly sleeper otherwise you desire a extra sturdy pad for higher-risk winter use, the XTherm NXT Sleeping Pad nonetheless offers a number of worth. It’s simply not as aggressive because it was once by way of weight, consolation, packability, and ease of use. If you might be in search of a superb deal on a winter sleeping pad, it is a good time to select up an older mannequin XTherm at a big low cost.

Disclosure: Therm-a-Rest donated a sleeping pad for this overview.

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