Therm-a-Rest make the best sleeping mats on the market, and the new generation NeoAir XLite NXT is no exception. It’s light, warm and comfy, and almost a guarantee of a good night’s sleep in your tent.
Better sleep for better adventures. That’s the tagline of Therm-a-Rest, the sleeping bag and mat experts known for helping campers get a good night’s sleep for over 50 years. The brand recognised that there’s nothing worse than a sleepless night in a tent, lying awake until 3am feeling uncomfy and unrested, in full knowledge that the following day’s expeditions will be ruined. They wanted to find a solution to this discomfort, and to help campers wake refreshed and rejuvenated after a full eight hours of joyful shut-eye.
Started by a motley crew of unemployed Boeing engineers in 1971, the founders of Therm-a-Rest started by experimenting with a leaky foam gardening pad. The design goal was simple - to create a product that would fulfill their “dream of better nights under the stars”. The crew’s innovations were revolutionary. They created the world’s first self-inflating sleeping pad and, in the process, changed forever the way the world experiences overnight adventures in the great outdoors.
53 years later and the brand is still innovating, constantly striving to improve and modernise its technology for the benefits of campers, hikers, mountaineers and backpackers across the globe. Therm-a-Rest now has an extensive range of sleeping bags and sleeping mats, which together form the lightest, most comfortable and most durable sleeping systems on the market, but the brand is not resting on its laurels. Innovation is at the heart of the Therm-a-Rest’s DNA.
Recent updates to the best-selling Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite sleeping pad range are a case in point. The new version – the NeoAir XLite NXT – features several upgrades and improvements to an already excellent sleeping mat. Billed as “the most advanced, all-season, do-it-all, ultralight air pad”, the new version is warmer, thicker and quieter than its predecessor. It rustles less, proving 83% quieter than the original XLite, and delivers enhanced insulation, comfort and weight.
At 3 inches thick, with a horizontal baffled structure, the NeoAir XLite NXT is incredibly versatile. Made from premium, low-bulk materials, it won’t weigh down or fill up your backpack - it’s only 370g and packs down compactly to the size of a 1L Nalgene bottle - but it’s impressively warm too.
An R-Value of 4.5 (a scientific measurement of a sleeping mat’s insulating properties) is suitable for year-round use, bar the coldest of winter nights, thanks to Therm-a-Rest’s ThermaCapture and Triangular Core Matrix tech. These innovations help radiate your body heat back at you and reduce convective heat loss, thus ensuring the cosiest night possible without requiring a heavy sleeping pad.
Another nifty feature is the clever WingLock Valve for fast one-way inflation and rapid deflation, without giving up the ability to purge air while you lay on the mat for micro-adjustments to personal comfort. Indeed, thanks to the 7.6cm thickness, there is a lot of room to increase or decrease the mat’s firmness, so you can find the perfect balance for your body and sleeping style. The end result is “premium backcountry comfort”, as Therm-a-Rest confidently puts it.
Other products in Therm-a-Rest’s sleeping mat range have also been updated in recent years, including the NeoAir XTherm NXT and NeoAir XTherm NXT MAX, which are billed as the brand’s “go-to mattresses for the colder winter months”.
More details are below and online at thermarest.com.
This inflatable sleeping mat ticks all of the boxes. Therm-a-Rest calls it the “most versatile ultralight sleeping pad on the market” and the “finest sleeping pad for year-round backcountry adventures”, and it’s difficult to disagree. The NeoAir XLite NXT is the perfect balance of lightweight (370g), warm (4.5 R-value) and super comfortable. Available in four sizes (short, regular, long and wide), you’re sure to find one that’s ideal for you.
Want a little extra width to your sleeping pad? The Therm-a-Rest XLite NXT MAX is the answer. It’s the newest addition to the XLite NXT family: a rectangular shaped pad with the comfort, versatility and durability of a 3-season mattress in a lightweight and highly packable form. The MAX mattress adds additional comfort and durability for those seeking more space and coverage to sleep in the outdoors, without the additional weight.
This is Therm-a-Rest’s staple winter mattress: a highly versatile pad that delivers warmth and comfort in a surprisingly small and lightweight package. It boasts 7.6cm of loft and an impressive R-Value of 7.3, meaning it is designed for campers, hikers and backpackers venturing into the wilderness in the coldest of conditions. It also features Therm-a-Rest’s innovative WingLock valve to help speed up inflation and deflation.
The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm NXT MAX expands on the updated XTherm with added space for side-sleepers or those looking for a wider sleep surface and a little extra comfort in the colder months. This rectangular version of the popular XTherm NXT packs down to the same size as the mummy-shaped version, with only a few added grams in weight.