Therm-A-Rest Neo Air

Erick — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:03:42 +0000

Therm-a-Rest Neo Air

The latest sleeping pad from a long lineage of quality products in the Therm-a-rest line from Cascade Designs delivers on it promises. Forgoing the insulation and foam that generally fills sleeping pads, the Neo Air instead uses a reflective materiel to reflect heat back to the body. This move saves quite a bit of space and weight while still managing to give the Neo Air a respectable R-rating of 2.5. The pad weighs in at a mere 13.375oz., rolls up to the size of a one liter bottle and still raises you up 2.5″ off the ground. Our testers found this to be the most comfortable mat by a healthy margin. Sleeping bags stay nicely on the mat without slipping off during the night and the horizontal design of the air chambers made for a great distribution of weight. As you would expect, the pad is constructed of very lightweight materials and gentle handling is the name of the game, although on the two week test in Glacier National Park and Gunnison National Forest, the Neo Air showed no signs of a leak. There have been some reports of some early distribution problems but these should ease with time. If you are looking for the top of the line pad and can get past the sticker shock, the Neo Air is the only choice. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a great pad that is about half the price, albeit slightly heavier and more bulky, check out the Big Agnes Insulated Air Core.

Also available in four sizes; small (20″x47″), medium (20″x66″), regular (20″x72″), and large (25″x77″) there is a surely a size for everyone.

Quick Review:

Design: Light weight sleeping pad
Weight: 13.375oz. (Regular)
Retail: $119.95 – $169.95 (Buy)

Why it’s hot:

Light weight
Great weight distribution
Great loft
Packs down small

Why it’s not:

Price

http://cascadedesigns.com/

Therm-A-Rest Prolite 4

Erick — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:47:34 +0000

Therm-a-Rest Prolite 4

The Therm-a-Rest Prolite 4 is the latest lightweight offering in a long line of self inflating sleeping pads from Cascade Designs. Designed for four season backpacking and trekking and features a tapered design to reduce weight and rolled size. Weighing in at just under a pound and a half, while not exactly ultra light, the Prolite 4 is quite light compared to other pads. Another benefit is the pad will roll down to about the size of a football. The pad is coated on the underside with a non-slip coating that works marginally well at best especially on silicon coated nylon commonly found in most tents. The top is coated nylon that allows your sleeping bag to slide at will. Adding a few dots of silicon can help to fix this. Being 1.5″ thick, the Prolite 4 is quite warm providing a manufacturer claimed R-factor of 3.2 (if you are concerned with such things). Also available are the Prolite 3 for warmer weather camping and womens version of each. All pads are available in short (3/4), regular, and long. The price of the Prolite 4 is a little tough to swallow but factoring in the many years of service it will provide it makes a worth investment.

[UPDATE: Feb-2009]: Therm-a-Rest seems to be changing the lineup. Beginning in March of 2009 the Prolite 3 will be know as the Prolite and the Prolite 4 will be known as the Prolite Plus.

Quick Review:

Design: Light weight sleeping pad
Weight: 1lb 7.875oz.
Retail: $99.95 (Prolite Plus, Regular) (Buy)

Why it’s hot:

Durability
Warm
Packs relatively small

Why it’s not:

Pad slides during the night

http://cascadedesigns.com/

Adventure Insider Online Magaine » Sleeping Pads

Therm-A-Rest Neo Air

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Therm-A-Rest Prolite 4

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