lighter thermarests

“ok, that's less that 14ozs for new prolite thermarest 3/4 including a stuff sack”

“Wow that is light, cascade designs doesn't have it on their website yet.”

“Cool, I'll watch for those!
Thanks for the head's up”

“is there a point where they are so light and thin you get no insulation and/or comfort properties? heck..take the foam out and just blow them up=the lightest!!”

“If you don't mind the money or the nudity on their website check out Stephenson's. 22 oz. down filled air mattress. Best money I ever spent.”

“NEW PAD

The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir mattress packs to the size of a one liter bottle and weighs only 14 ounces for a regular size, making it the perfect choice for people with strict weight and space limitations. When inflated, the NeoAir mattress is warm to sleep on, thanks to a patent-pending Reflective Barrier that reflects heat back to the user’s body and blocks cold from the ground. A second patent-pending technology, the Triangular Core Matrix, contributes to the warmth by creating a multitude of air cells that minimize air movement and convective cooling. This matrix also creates an internal truss system that virtually eliminates the instability generally found on large tube-based air mattresses and assures that the user will shift less while resting comfortably on a 2.5 inch-thick mattress. Since thermal efficiency is achieved without the aid of down or fiber insulation, the NeoAir mattress can be blown up directly, without the added weight of an air pump or having to worry about exhalation moisture wetting insulation and decreasing performance.

The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir mattress is slated for market release in April of 2009 and will be available in four sizes, ranging in retail price from $119.95 to $169.95 USD.”

“Thanks Fridge for looking. They are pricey, I am considering the short, at 9 oz. as a supplement to my GG Nightlite torso which is used as the support for my new pack.”

“I'll prolly get one darn it.....Trying to stop buying gear is hard for me.”

“It looks like the trick is that they're not self-inflating.

So.... no open-cell foam inside.”

“I'll prolly stick w my ridgerest, and when it's really cold the blue foam back-up. Bulky, yes, but less than half the price, and they will both strap on the bottom of my pack..”

“how difficult is it to be warmer than an uninsulated air mattress?

is it as warm or warmer than a foam mattress?”

“I was looking at Campmor or someplace the other night and they had a list of mattresses and their R-value which is helpful when selecting a mattress for your purpose. I may try a piece of 2" foam I have first to see if I can cushion my shoulders a little that way when I try my Nightlite pad. I'm a little more comfortable sleeping at home. I guess if I slept better when bping, I would go more. On another forum I belong to, a MSR rep posted about the Neo Air, saying it was the most comfortable pad he had slept on. A piece of gear, made to be used for a lifetime. Surprised last week when my Thermarest LE pad, which is three inches thick, fit in my new SMD Starlite pack and seemed to work ok, but I ordered a GG Nightlite pad anyway to see if a combination of pads would be just as good as a thicker pad, but at a weight savings of almost a pound hopefully.”

“Hell, for half the price and just a few more ounces you can get the insulated InsulMat.”

“It is supposed to have an R value of 2.5 which would be about the same as a ridgerest, but just as light and 2.5" thick and not bulky when packed. It is however very expensive considering its main competition will be with Big Agnes IAC and the like.”

“They are sending me one next week..ye haaa I take it to FYAO in the daks and see if this new pad will insulate better than previous models.”

“Should be on the market by April.”

“That's not right! Back to the end of the line.”

“http://www.getoutdoors.com/goblog/uploads/neo_air.jpg

Now on the Market.”

“Cool!
last edited: 4/05/09 10:23:00 PM”

“So Fridge, no report from you. Are you not impressed with it? No other comments from anyone and they have been shipped from what I have heard a couple weeks ago in the regular size. Hmmm.”

“Well the pad id light and does reflect your own body heat back. Surface is not slipperey,feels like a fine thin rubber finish, and does not lose it's loft during the night. No insulation and the baffels are small and the way it's designed , you don't slide or the pad doesn't move all over.
Very light weight.”

“I trust Cascade Designs as far as I could throw their office building. This is a 150 dollar air mattress with an R value of 2.5 (a 25 dollar Ridgerest has an R value of 2.8). Look at the numbers and make sure to buy from a store with a good return policy. Don't forget all the other well marketed pieces of cr*p they have sold you in the past. For 150 clams you can get an Exped Downmat 7 with an R value of 4 (a LOT warmer) that I would bet is a heck of a lot tougher and just as comfy.”

“Spending $150 to sleep on somethin'...

[shakes head and walks away]”

“$26 for the 3/4 Insulmat and in the cold I have a THIN easy to roll pad (weighs literally nothing) that serves quite well as a thermal break.”

“Wimps.

Real me sleep on the gound.”

“Looks cool, but I could never spend $150 on a sleeping pad...”

“Real me

I've met you. I'm pretty sure you are real, chili.”

“You guys just don't understand. Fridge, you see, has visited winter and survived. Winter camping (our winters that is) is equipment intensive and that equipment is expensive.
last edited: 4/06/09 9:19:56 AM”

“Oh I got it. I picked upa closed cell foam mattress for free on a curb and a $15 thermarest from campmor during a sale. So, I have $135 more than fridge to spend on more gear. Pffffttt...

OK, so it's not as NICE a set up, but it works for winter camping!”

“Who's kidding who?
You gear whores know you will get one. ;-)”

“Does anyone have one? Has anyone tried it out, not just read about it?”

“sorry, i need to be comfy Chili. i gots hips.”

“sorry, i need to be comfy Chili. i gots hips.”
dizzybtch
I'm with you there. I will carry a little extra for a good nights sleep.”

“dude, with an R value of 2.5 this is NOT a winter camping pad.”

“I have a Thermarst 'Orbit' that has a rating of over 5 if I remember corectly. However, it is bulky and heavy. I forgot it at my daughter's place where I brought it in case I had to sleep on the floor and rented a 'winter' self inflator at MEC. It was inadequate, but luckily Fridge invited me to sleep in his heated tent.

I think you would need a closed cell foam pad under the inflatable one to survive up here.

No-one at MEC knew anything about the Orbit - proof that if you find something you like buy two because the bastids will stop making it (don't even get me going on the Savage M99, eh?).”

“Yogisan/ I do already own all those you mentioned but since I love gear ,I'm buying this one too. I do however agree that this pad is not a winter pad, and as far as all around best...closed cell is the best.

Is there such a 12 step program out there?”

“it's nothing personal fridge, being something of a closet gear nut myself. i just have this thing against cascade designs.”

“Well iffin you had stock with them you would understand why I do buy there gear.”

“Lol! The truth emerges!”

“I ordered a short last week from a small retailer, he called the order in on Monday, it was in his store Friday, I picked it up today as I leave to go home on Fridays after work. We'll see how it works, going on the Lost Coast trip in three weeks with a large group from our small group of NorthCA Hiking bunch.

I'm looking to trim 18 oz. of weight from my gear, with this one piece alone. Let's see now, it cost $128 for this pad, to offset the weight of the SlingLight chair at 21 oz. I added three years ago. What is that, around $6 an oz. to loose the chair weight? Not bad.:)”

“Hope you post a review. Have a safe trip.”

“Please let us know what you think about it. I'm also looking to save weight and want to know if it would be worth it.
Thanks!”

“The material is kinda crinkly. If a new Tyvek groundcloth, DriLoft bag and this were all used together, might be louder than a MSR stove.:)”

“The Lost Coast is amazing. Have a great time. The wildflowers should be stellar!”

“Cost is way too much. I'll stick to a man as a pad.”

“I'll see what I can come up with for a report, I hope the coast is great. I have only been to the coast twice since the sixties as a kid in Modesto, all in the last five years. Mendocino was gorgeous, a friend and I rode our motorcycles down from the mountains and camped close to Mendocino. We were sitting in the bar looking out the door, what a view. I was in Bodega Bay a couple years ago with Maria and Karen car camping.”

“This place is gonna blow your mind. It's become a lot more popular with hikers in the last few years but it's just as rugged as it gets.”

“Great! The view from the bar was postcard stuff. Paige and Songbyrd should have great photos.”