on Jun 29th, 2009
Super Pad! Therm-A-Rest NeoAir Pad
Every year a new product comes along that redefines a category. This year is no exception. The Therm-A-Rest NeoAir pad puts serious sleeping comfort into a light-weight and compact package like nothing we’ve seen before. We have the Therm-A-Rest Prolite 4 a t 1.5 lbs and 1.5 inches, the Big Agnes Insulated Air Core pad at 2.5 inches and 1.5 lbs, which are the two most popular pads in the industry. The NeoAir Regular 72″ x 20″ and 2.5″ thick comes in at 14 oz, a full 10 oz lighter than these two favorites. Even the large at 25″ x 77″ only weighs 19 oz. Big guys are licking their chops for the first pad that’s not bulging in their pack. I’ve been able to test the NeoAir a few times and I prefer the horizontal baffles compared to the long vertical tubes on the Big Agnes and Insulmat Pads. There are some other air pads that come close on weight but they have a 0 R value, meaning no insulating value for cool, or hot ground. From my own experience and testimonies from others, the NeoAir Pad is the real deal and a huge leap forward in backpacking sleeping pad technology, comfort and weight