Therm-A-Rest NeoAir XTherm Sleeping Pad, Regular

An ultralight but damn well-insulating winter sleeping pad used by mountaineers and alpinists worldwide. When you need insulation from frost giants but don’t want to carry too heavy crap, this is an excellent choice. Thickness 6,4 cm and R-value 6.9. Read further to find out what they mean.

Features

This boasts to be the warmest ultralight sleeping pad on the market. Weighing at 16.6 ounces, this pad has an R-value of 6.9, which refers to the pad’s insulation level. The higher the number is, the warmer your ass stays. To give you a reference point, the summer pads are usually around 1-3, the three-season ones 3-5, and the winter ones 5-7. Really thick pads can go to double-digits, but they aren’t usually very viable for camping without a cargo helicopter.

The top fabric is 30D rip HT Nylon and the bottom fabric 70D Nylon. These sleeping pads are thick enough to provide quite a bit of comfort but thin and packable enough to fit in a side pouch of your pack. Of course, if you require the princess level of comfort, there are thicker pads out there but they also take a lot more space.

With the lightness and R-value maximized the pad has a drawback: the fabrics produce a serious rustle from body movements, almost like a bag of chips (or crisps if you're in the UK). This seems worse indoors than it is in actual use but if you're a light sleeper, take earplugs with you as a precaution. The rustling can be silenced quite a bit with a closed-cell foam pad on top of this one, even a very light and thin one helps a lot.

The pad comes with a pump sack, carrying bag, and a small field repair kit. The color of the pad is one of those lovely fifty shades. The WingLock™ Valve maximizes airflow for easier inflation and quick deflation. One-way inflation enables you to save your breath for cursing the snow and loud squirrels.

Sizing

This is the size Regular sleeping pad, which when inflated measures 183 x 51 x 6.4 cm (72” x 20” x 2.5”). Low-bulk materials make the mattress ultra-compact, so when deflated and rolled, the bundle is just c. 21 x 12 cm (8.3” x 4.7”). Weight 16.6 oz. / 470 grams.

Made by Therm-A-Rest

Therm-A-Rest is a well-established name among outdoor gear manufacturers. For example, the company can take a humble kip mat and think it over, blowing new life to the simple design. What's best, they make their stuff in the USA or Ireland. This pad is made in the USA.