My favourite place Wake up is in a sleeping bag. This is a good thing as it tends to wake up a lot when sleeping in a sleeping bag. It’s not the bag, it’s the pads underneath me. I tried them all (it’s part of my job), and while some are definitely better than others, I’ve never found anything that has made every backpacker dream come true.
Until now, that’s it. The Therm-A-Rest Neoloft Sleeping Pad is not the lightest (Goodbye, Ultralight Readers) at 25 oz, but the 4.6 inch cushioning is a true luxury and offers a great evening rest.
A big weight discussion
Photo: Scott Gilbertson
Carrying large sleeping pads in the backcountry has two issues. First, there are weights that you have to carry, and then there is the amount of room to pick up in the pack. Online ultra-light community tries to convince you that camping comfort, your shelter and sleep setup, is not important enough to keep your weight down, so you can move faster.
Depending on your backcountry goals, that may certainly be true. However, after trying it for quite a few trips I found out that it wasn’t. For me, carrying a little weight in the form of a heavier tent and sleeping pad gives me a better night’s sleep.
Therm-A-Rest’s new Neoloft Pad leaps heavily towards the comfort side and step into this weight/size/comfort discussion. It’s definitely bigger and compared to something like that Therm-a-rest xlite pad or Etherlite series from the sea (Our two favorite ultra-lightweight sleeping pads). But for that reason, Neoloft is not that When stuffing, take into consideration the size of the product, especially when inflated.
Neoloft is surely packed into a larger size than Nalgene’s water bottle. This is 1 inch size and 1 inch height for the regular wide size pads I tested. It is tightly squeezed to fit the neroft in me Hyperlight Junction 40 For the rest of my gear it works for a short trip where I don’t carry a lot of food. A 55L pack is required for trips of 3 or 4 nights or more. (Of course, this depends heavily on the remaining size of your gear. You can see what I have Lighter Pack. )
I confess I was afraid of testing this pad. I didn’t want to get it injured with me, but when I actually loaded it… I didn’t notice the extra 8 ounces above the Nemo tensor that normally carries. Again, I’m not trying to win any ultra-light prizes. Rather, they are looking for the right balance between weight and comfort.
Sleeping Pad Technology
Photo: Scott Gilbertson
Test your organic mattress with a wired organic mattress and use roughly the same criteria to determine the sleeping pad. Comfort during sleep comes down to how well your pads keep you warm, how well it relieves pressure, how well it provides support, and how stable it is to sleep.
