Originally Posted by High_Noon
I have the Therm-a-Rest Neoair Camper Sleeping Pad in size large. The first time I used it, I was taking a break from inflating it (PITA) with a "high capacity" small/portable bicycle pump and an adaptor I fashioned, and a gust of wind picked it up and transported it right into the middle of a cactus patch, which resulted in hundreds of pinholes and an utterly useless non-inflatable Therm-a-Rest.

Since getting a new one and using it many times, I can say that it's a reasonably comfortable 3" sleeping pad, for side sleepers, but certainly not the best. They are a definitely a PITA to inflate/deflate and pack up. They are fragile, as illustrated by my cactus mishap, and the 29.9 oz weight for the large, combined with the weight of the mini portable bicycle pump and adaptor I fashioned, which is not huge by any means, but it's not inconsequential either.

Standard thin camping foam pads don't cut it for me. I'm looking into other options which include open and closed cell foam pads in the 2" - 3" thickness range, which I find to be an order of magnitude more comfortable and far less fragile. Not sure about the weight yet, but it certainly won't be much more than my Therm-a-Rest and associated inflation contraptions.

The reason an inflation device of some sort is necessary, in my estimation, is that you want to avoid any moisture or bacteria your breath may introduce into the mattress, which may result in mold.


The XTherm only weighs 15 ounces. A large is only 20 ounces. The Therm-A-Rest electric inflator is only 2.3 ounces. The pump sack that comes with the XTherm is only like 1.5 ounces.

The Therm-A-Rest literature says all over it to inflate their mats with your breath. It does say not to use a high pressure, low volume pump (like a bicycle pump), which would take forever due to the low volume. I've got mats from the 80s that have always been inflated that way and have no mold in them.

A Ridgerest is 5/8" thick and weighs 15 ounces. A 2" CCF mat would weigh almost four pounds. It'd be horrendous to pack anywhere also, since CCF doesn't compress at all. The standard 5/8" Ridgerest is enough of a pain to carry as it is.

Last edited by owenst7; 11/12/17.