Review:Thermorest Neoair

Neoair Short, 279 grams (including stuff-sack)

Just what we need: another review of an inflatable mattress! The Neoair mattress has been around for a couple of years ago now, and I certainly couldn’t be called an early adopter. But there seem few full reviews covering it, so here goes.

Introduction

My first Thermorest was an inflatable mattress. It was long, thin and very heavy. Worse than this it seemed to have been made of some exceptionally slippery material which had you moving all around the tent during the night! things improved with the lighter Prolite range, which was the first of these ma tresses that I felt comfortable backpacking with.

The Prolites were still heavy. I graduated to the Torsolite mat from backpackinglight.com. I liked this a lot and it proved that you don’t need a full coverage mat to be comfortable (you just shove packs, clothing and so un where your feet are). My first Torsolite was much loved. It was patched over and over again. And then the patches couldn’t take it and I bought another. the new one seemed to have something wrong with the valve and just prior to the 2009 Challenge I realised I couldn’t rely on it. At very short notice I went back to a closed cell mat and was surprised to find it as comfortable.

I stuck with the foam mat — a Gossamer Gear Torso mat — for a while. It was my bad back that did for it. I was in so much pain on the Challenge that I decided to buy one at Braemar Mountain Sports. Many of those I’d met on the way swore by their Neoairs. I’m not sure the mat did my back any good, but it was certainly a very impressive piece of kit.

The Mattress

On first impressions the mat feels and looks very different to a standard Thermorest. The material seems much thinner and there is no foam insert. It comes in a standard colour of horrible yellow.

Blow the mat up and it looks nothing like a standard camping mattress. Bob Cartwright says it takes 12 man sized puffs to inflate. Nonsense! But you soon have it inflated.

Once inflated you have something that looks like those old ‘air mattresses’ you used to get for the beach — until too many little yobby kids, and stupid Dads drowned at sea on them. What you have is a mattress which is formed out of ‘inflated tubes’. The mat may be light but it is far thicker than any other on the market.

Uneven Ground — Banished for Ever

I’ve used the mat a fair amount now, both when backpacking and casual camping. Its great characteristic is that it makes nonsense of undulating and uneven ground. A foam mat will not save you from horrible undulations. And often neither will a conventional inflatable. Use either of these outside the Sheilin of Mark Bothy and you’ll have an uncomfortable night. The Neoair is so thick that it evens out all of the undulations. No mean task that.

Hard or Soft Mattress sir?

The Neoair is also more adjustable to you personal preference for a mat. I like my mattresses hard. If you really inflate the Neoair you can mimic a firm mattress quite easily. but if you like things a little softer, no problem: just let a little air out of the valve. I was recommended to have it a little sloppy, to aid the back. But sloppy o firm I could really see no difference. So I opted for hard.

On uneven ground there is no doubt that — once adjusted for personal prefernece — the Neoair is remarkably comfortable, more so that any other mat I have tried.

Torso/Short

If you want to keep weight down but the short length. This may have been short but it was still far longer than any other short mat I have bought, while staying in the same weight range. I’m six foot. I could happily have my pillow (or stuffed-sack) on the mat, while still having a lot of coverage over my legs.

Tougness?

The material does look fragile. I don’t know if it is but to me it seemed robust enough. I placed my Neoair straight on the ground with no inner tent to protect it. I slept in my bivy bacg on top of the mattress. Various people who saw this looked horrified. But there was nothing to suggest that it would suffer. Scotland is very grassy. on more rockier ground I might carry one section of the GG mat with me to protect the Neoair.

As with all inflatable mattresses it pays to carry a Thermorest repair kit.

Conclusion

This is a very impressive piece of design and manufacturing. If you want a comfortable mattress when camping then look no further.

I have only found two disadvantages.

Firstly, when there are two of us in the tent I’m at a very different level — which is a bit peculiar. However, you adjust quite quickly — happy in the knowledge that your mat is the most comfy …

Secondly, the mat is expensive. Bob Cartwright at backpackinglight.co.uk is selling them for £80 — and I think I have paid more than this at Braemar Mountain Sports.

When I bought my mat I carried around Braemar for an afternboon. At the Hungry Highlander I left it on the counter. When I realised the girls were gathered around marvelling at the price.

“That price: you must have a very bad back”

“I do have a very bad back” I replied.

 

Quite simply this is the most comfortable mattress I have every used, and it is still less than 300 grams. On some trips I may stick with the foam mat. But on anything challenging, the Neoair will be first choice.

Sometimes you really do pay for what you get.