Really enjoy your reviews....your voice is easy to listen to, you cover all the facts needed and with comparison shots, it is all down to earth, practical and great stuff....you certainly help us make buying choices too....many thanks!
I really enjoy your reviews mate. I live in Korea and plan to do a lot of winter camping this year since I can't travel. It's so hard to find solid reviews about winter gear since most people don't camp when the weather is below 20. Keep up the good work.
I’ve been sleeping on sheepskin because I’m afraid to put my life on plastic that may fail at the wrong time. But this xtherm seems much more durable than others, and it will be a huge space saver in my pack. Thanks for the review! I think I’m sold! 🙏🏻
Thanks for a great review! I have an old Neoair Trekker I bought second-hand a year ago. In total it has about 50 nights of use and it seems to going strong. I'm a bit paranoid about puncturing it so I usually use a thin foam pad underneath, but it does seem a bit excessive. It does however increase warmth as I believe this iteration of Trekker only has an r-value of 1.5. I have the regular version so the dimensions are equal to your pad. When sleeping, I pile extra clothes or gear under the pad to lift it up under my head. Therefore, I have no need for a pillow that might fall off the pad during the night if I'm tossing and turning. I'm a type of sleeper who requires a pillow in order to sleep well, and I have found this option to be very comfortable for me. I'm 6'1 and I find the 6'0 pad easily long enough for me with this style of no separate pillow setup.
Very nice review, entertaining to watch and informative as well and it probably convinced me to go for the XTherm instead of the XLIte. Living in Norway, it's probably better to choose warmer pad over a lighter one anyway, and the difference in weight between those two is not that huge. The different in price is not too huge either. And in Norway, everything's expensive, but I'd rather get more value - what you said in the end about that you won't need to upgrade to a warmer pad convinced to spend the few more extra crowns. I'll go for the mummy sized regular though since I'm 5'3'' and will have another pad lying close beside me anyway, for the dog ;) Thanks for making such a great review!
I own NeoAir Xtherm Mummy Regular size. The annoying part is when my elbows fall to the ground because it's width just too narrow for my size. I'm 172 cm in height, 51 cm elbow-to-elbow width. The most comfortable sleeping pad for me is always from Sea To Summit, especially Etherlight XT Insulated, which its elbow-to-elbow width is 55 cm. But its "R-value to weight ratio" still far below NeoAir Xtherm.
Darn it! If I only knew you could use the XTHERM as a toboggan...😂.. would have never bought the NeoAir XLite!!! Great review as always! I seriously considered this mat but was afraid it would be too warm in the summer... thats why I chose the XLite.
Thanks! If you backpack in hot environments and don't do any winter camping (and you're not as concerned about durability or crinkling), then the XLite is a cheaper and lighter alternative. It also comes in the torso size which is a nice option that you don't get with the XTherm. To some degree, it also depends on the sleeping bag/quilt that you have and whether you buy the pad first or the bag first. If you've pushed your bag to its limit and still need just a little bit more warmth, then you may consider upgrading your sleeping pad to the XTherm. If you're not sure, the XTherm is more versatile in the temperature ranges that it can cover. Both are great choices though. Some people don't understand the concept of r-value but trust that a Therm-a-Rest will keep them warm.
Great review! I love my x-therm, I sleep cold and even though I have a -9 and -30 (C) bags, I still have gotten cold on other heavier winter pads (I liked my Exped until it delaminated one November - thankfully just an overnight, but not the most pleasant night!
Great review!! I appreciate how you actually got on the x-therm multiple times. Gave me a very good idea about its actual size in relation to someone on it. Very thorough! Your review on the snow makes me want to go winter camping with the x-therm! Thanks so much! The x-therm sled idea seems especially enticing particularly if one wanted to try out the patch kit! Lol! Keep up the great reviews!
I haven't slept on the ground in a long time as all of my backpacking for the past 5 years or more has been hammocking. However, I'm thinking about returning to the ground for a while just because. I think I might pick one of these up. Good review.
Excellent Review! You could make living doing this. I thoroughly enjoyed all the points you make and the likes and dislikes. Do you think you could do a review on your Garmin Fenix watch? I really want to know how cold that watch can handle, how accurate is the altimeter, charge life in the cold , tracking features, etc... Thanks
Thanks Sealander. I could answer those questions about the Garmin Fenix 3 really quick. I've taken it down to -21C without major problems (though it sometimes freezes temporarily as I'm trying to get it to change screens..har har). Altimeter is not as accurate as I'd like it to be, but there are settings to tweak this. Basically, you can rely on barometric pressure or GPS location to determine altitude. I always seem to be directionally consistent (e.g. 1000' of elevation gain is 1000' of elevation gain) but sometimes my starting elevation reading is different than what is marked on a map. I run it on the battery saving setting, where it pings a GPS signal once every minute. I run this at a much higher frequency of once per second when I'm on my bike, but when I'm hiking this once-per-minute setting helps to prolong the battery life to about a week of recording (~50-80 hours of record time). On the flip side, I lose accuracy when doing switchbacks etc. Seems to draw about the same amount of power regardless of temperature. And I would say my iPhone has a more accurate GPS most of the time (certainly when I'm within range of cell towers, but also sometimes when I'm in the middle of the Sierra).
Got the flextailgear electric pocket pump off amazon guys for my inflatable mattresses .... inflated in about a minute ....epic and about 20 pounds sterling on amazon ...so no mildew from breath from lung inflation ...thrilled with it ...just thought ide let you all know ...comes with about 5 nozzle fittings and offers around 8 inflates per usb charge xxxx
I have owned two of these, one started leaking along a center seam In less than a week, the second in a couple of weeks. I had had only slightly better luck with thier original neoair. And I had one of their self inflating pads which only lasted about a month. Don't even consider this for cold weather. One thru-hiker I met contacted Cascade Designs for warrenty replacement. They offered to send him one which had been repaired. Imagine getting a replacement mattress that some stranger had blown his spit/germs!!!! If you want to understand Cascade Designs, look at the cost for the maintenance kit for their liquid fuel stoves. Want to spend a bunch of money for a few O-rings? I've had bad luck with their Hubba tent, one leaked after the first year (they claim that the coating is "hydrophobic", ie it doesn't like water. Really? Second Hubba had a pole break in the middle of the night, no wind, but it tore a huge hole in the rainfly. And don't think about their canister stoves - the threads are aluminum and won't last!!! Who am I? I have a PhD in geology, I've hiked over 26, 000 mile long-distance, and bike toured more than three times as many miles. I will never buy anything of Cascade Designs again!!!
It’s the warmest inflatable foamless sleeping pad. Thermarest has others that have higher R values, but they have foam in them. The luxury map models are self inflating with foam cores and have a 6.8 R value. They’re between 4 and 5 lbs and are multiple times larger when rolled up, though. Super comfy and warm, just not good for long hiking trips.
Mostly I agree. I love my neoair, but.... mine was not as durable as yours. I would never use it to slide down a snowy slope! I laid it out in the sun on a rocky beach to dry. The rocks were smooth but it was windy and I laid rocks on the corners to hold it down. Never again. That night I had multiple impossible to repair holes in my mattress. I was only saved by my hiking companion having packed an extra foam mattress pad. Now I treat my new mattress very carefully.
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm Leaks out the WingLock Valve /// I got a new one and does the same! slow leak.. Test your Valve by using a bowl or pool or anything that you can get the Valve underwater, test closed and open and see if your mat does leak before you go on the trail.. I even pop the top off and i was surprised it does not seat down to the rubber gasket! This would be easy fix for them, they just need the inside of the cap to have the round plastic under the cap to set more into the Tube around the rubber seal.. I do love this mat! But i wont ever use it on Hiking trip ever! I hope none of you have this same problem, no way to stop the leak, when it not coming from the mat it self.
I'm buying a pop up camper this week and am planning a 14 day trip in mid to late November on the Canadian border. The camper comes with a heated mattress but I don't know how warm that will get and I am always cold. Should I buy one of those sleeping pads that are rated 4 or above and put it on top of the heated mattress or would that not be effective? Are these pads meant only for tent camping? Would the warmth from the heated mattress heat the camping pad all the way through so that I feel it in my sleeping bag? Temps are supposed to be in the 20's but I want to be prepared for worst case. Note that I am always cold.
I have the Xtherm Neo Air Max large. I cannot tell which side is which. Is the side that has the Thermarest yellow logo the side you sleep on, or is it the other side?
Awesome review, definitely makes me want to get the larger size as I am 6'1" Do you ever have issues being too hot in warmer climates or summer temperatures? I dont want to get a sleeping pad that will be too hot
I almost never sleep in night time temperatures above 55F. I did once with this pad and had to compensate by reducing the insulation I had on top. But it wasn’t hot enough that I would sleep without a quilt or bag in just my hiking shirt.
Jeremy, I'm a Wildland firefighter so I sleep out far more than most people throughout the year, including in a huge variety of conditions. While I'm very thankful that I bought this pad for the cold nights, I haven't noticed any hindrance on warm nights either. Overall, I'm extremely happy with this pad. It is a touch crinkly, but I sleep like a baby on it. Also, I'm 6'2" so the L version is the way to go.
I wonder if anyone has had experience with the NeoAir UberLite. With an R value around 2 it seems comparable to the Z Lite pad in that respect. I'm thinking about using it in SoCal mountains for 3 seasons.
Excellent review. Would you consider folding the xtherm in half? I use several (or just two) smaller pads in a hammock and lock them to head and foot diagonal sides.
The internal structure popped while sitting on it (like the horizontal lines) .. was useless after, no way to repair it and a few horrible nights out in the mountains sleeping on cold ground.. switching to a closed cell system now. (I'm not that heavy btw lol.. guess you're not supposed to sit on them)
In Scandinavia a lot of winter trekkers complement their air pad by placing a closed cell foam pad above it. That way your body does not heat the air inside the air pad as much. Does a closed cell foam pad such as a Therma-a-rest RidgeRest sit well on top of the Xtherm?? Have you tried this??
I have not needed additional insulation beyond the XTherm so I haven’t tried this. But I would probably put the closed cell foam on the bottom for greater comfort (theoretically R-value is additive and order shouldn’t matter but if differences exist due to order of placement, I expect they would be minimal)
@@HikingNerd It is pretty well established by experts (not me) that a closed cell foam on top of a Neo Air is warmer. Read posts in sources like backpacking light. As I recall, there are two primary reasons. First, the design of the Neo Air allows heat leakage on the sides, the foam pad on top mitigates this. Second, while R values are generally additive, it does in fact matter which order the R's are stacked and the net result of that is that closed cell foam on top is warmer for this purpose. Lastly, at least back when I did a little glacier climbing, it was considered imprudent to rely solely on an air mattress when your safety is dependent on good R value beneath you. Perhaps times have changed due to improved reliability.
@@jimrice4699 I sleep cold and need to use both a closed cell foam pad and my XTherm (which I bought after this review was filmed). I will try it on top of the XTherm going forward.
There’s always some amount. Can’t be completely removed when you have metallized fabrics inside the pad, though the sound becomes a bit more “dull” compared to new.
Hi! You mentioned you used quilt along with the xtherm in -5 deg weather. Which quilt did you use?? I'm an extremely cold sleeper and hands down I'm buying the xtherm. But I was debating between a 10 deg and 0 deg enlightenment equipment quilt... any suggestions? Thanks!
Maria Nunez I have a 10F EE Revelation quilt. By itself, it is nowhere near warm enough for -5F temperatures. However, I've paired it with a lot of camp clothing and some additional insulation in the foot box (a z-seat and a pair of socks to plug the hole). With another person in the tent, I can be just warm enough. By myself, I'm pretty close to the EN standard "lower limit". In the future, I'll get a dedicated winter bag with a closed foot box and a lower temperature rating because I recently had a pretty rough experience in 4 consecutive nights of -5F and it was not worth the weight/money savings. If you won't notice 2.5 oz of additional weight in your pack, get the 0F. Better to be comfortable and well rested than trying to save that marginal amount of weight.
Oh no! Yeah nothing is worth loosing toes! So I'm thinking about getting the enigma 0 deg (due to closed footbox) but I wasn't even thinking about winter camping with it really. I was thinking it would be for just really cold 3 season camping like 15 deg nights for example. Paired with the xtherm and of course warm sleeping clothes do you think this system will work?
Maria Nunez I found that the comfort limit of my 10F Revelation was around 23F with baselayers and an XTherm, and I'm not exactly a warm sleeper. It sounds like you have enough buffer in that system where you won't be uncomfortably cold, but obviously the only way to know for sure would be for you to try it.
Depends on your top layer, ground conditions, and what you define as hot. There’a no pad that will keep the average person sufficiently warm at 0F while also “keeping them cool” at 80F. I never encounter nights hotter than 60F.
@@TB-dp8yp That’s incorrect, vapor refers to the grey color of the XTherm, and there are other pads that appear similar but have a different name and R value (Xlite, Uberlite). What is new is the NXT model that was announced 2 months ago and is expected to hit shelves in 2023 which boasts higher r values and lighter weight.
There’s a good reason that I’ve reviewed two Thermarest pads and not similar pads from Sea to Summit. But you should note that comfort is highly subjective while the rest can be objectively measured (R-value, volume, weight).
@@manfrummt Where I live this pad is absolutely not an option in the summer. It's too humid and sticky at night. There are times in the summer when I don't even use a sleeping bag though I still bring it with me. This is a great option in the late fall and winter though.
Hey, nerd, I know this is an old video, but I've no reason to think you haven't changed since you made this one. But can I make suggestion. Seeing as RU-vid is an international platform and doesn't just cater to Americans, you might find it edifying that when you quote statistics and measures with regard to products that you don't just quote them in American measurements. So don't just quote ounces and inches, but also in grams and centimetres. Because for most of the world America's dated measurement is meaningless. I mean, it's not just Americans watching your videos. I know, most Americans think the world revolves around them, but it really doensn't.
Much of this comment rubs me the wrong way but I’ll assume positive intent. I will correct your assumptions, however: 1) I am not American, 2) it’s been 6 years and my videos have changed - all you had to do was look on my channel for a more recent review video.
@@HikingNerd My, my, aren't you petulant. 1) Assuming you were an American is not an unfair assumption since that's what your accent sounds like to my ears. 2) I know it's an old video. I even say as much right off the bat. Nonetheless, the comment still stands about not using one standard of measurement (i.e. imperial) as other people are accustomed to the other standard (i.e. metric); hence why it's better to use both. You may very well have changed this since you made the video, but you could have just done the proper thing from the get-go, and that's all that I was really saying. I only saw the video yesterday because that's what came up in my recommended feed. You know, you could have taken my comment in good spirit instead of getting all tetchy about it. You could have laughed it off; that was an option for you. But instead you've made a big deal out of nothing. Sheesh!
