Camping gear review: Therm-a-Rest® NeoAir mattress

May 28, 10:54 AMMinneapolis Outdoor Recreation ExaminerMarie Malinowski

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The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir

This is Cascade Design’s first crack at making a non-self-inflating air mattress and I do believe that I’m impressed. They already have the competition both beat and smoked in self-inflating pads so I hardly expected anything less.

The Therm-a-Rest® NeoAir is a new concept in the air mattress category. It has a baffled Triangular Core Matrix built inside to keep air movement to a minimum and provide greater mattress stability with minimal air circulation.

Though it’s non-insulated, it has an internal reflective barrier that reflects heat back to your body and reduces convective heat loss to the ground.

Earlier this year I got an Exped Downmat®, so I did a side-by-side comparison. Like most backpackers, I seek, along with world peace and preservation of open spaces, maximum comfort in a miniscule package.

The miniscule package is where NeoAir doesn’t disappoint. Weighing in at a svelte 14 ounces (regular size) and 2.5 inches thick, it packs to the size of a Sigg water bottle. Where it does disappoint, however, is in the total comfort department. But it’s not really a disappointment because I didn’t expect to lie down on the Therm-a-Rest® and luxuriate in its plushness and warmth.

Don’t get me wrong. The NeoAir is by no means uncomfortable. In fact, it’s the most comfortable Therm-a-Rest® I’ve ever slept on. About thirty-five deep breaths and one head rush fully inflated the NeoAir. To be fair, the head rush could have been caused by a 16 oz can of Surley Furious on an empty stomach.

The Downmat, conversely, must be aired up with its own pump (which doubles as the stuff sack) to prevent mucking up the down fill with moisture from your breath. This requires the virtue of patience, though the rewards are worth it.

The Therm-a-Rest® NeoAir is moderately comfortable and excruciatingly perfect for any and all three-season backpacking trips. The Exped Downmat® is excruciatingly comfortable and moderately perfect for backcountry excursions or winter camping. Moderately perfect meaning that it’s larger (35 ounces) and will take up more space in your pack. Though if it were 14 ounces, like the Therm-a-Rest, it wouldn’t be an Exped Downmat.

I can sit here all day (when I should be working) and compare the Therm-a-Rest® NeoAir with the Exped Downmat® but what a waste of time that would be. Both are outstanding inventions. Nothing in this world can beat the Exped Downmat® for comfort and warmth, but then nothing in this world, and the next galaxy over, beats NeoAir’s size and functionality for backpacking.

I also need to point out that the Downmat and the NeoAir aren't exactly in the same category, either. The Downmat is a four-season pad with down fill while NeoAir is a three-season pad without. The NeoAir gets 10 extra bonus points for being made in Cascade Design’s Seattle factory. 

You need both of these mattresses in your stash of camping gear.