Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting "Thermarest" Replacement

I am heading to Alaska next year and found that my 20 year old Thermarest has decayed and needs replacement. What do you folks recommend these days?

Thermarest NeoAir XTherm NXT Max Large.

This. Bought one for a March trip down the Grand Canyon znd fall deer hunting in the Adirondacks. Couldn't be happier and would buy another. They stand behind their product as well.

I'm a big fan of the Big Agnes Air Core pads. Have uninsulated and insulated.

Thanks. Just ordered from Moosejaw with a 20% New Years discount.

Is this pad less obnoxiously noisy than the regular NeoAir? I couldn't sleep on the lightweight models or even be in the same tent with one - sounds like rolling around on a bag of potato chips all night.

Sounds like you're just not tired enough yet.

The noise was a common complaint with their lightweight pads in the past. After doing a little research it looks like they may have quieted the pads down on the newer models.

Yes, it is less crinkly than the older models of NeoAir and NeoAir XTherm.

Kammik Pongo pad is what I'm using now. Insulated and not as crinkly sounding as neoairs. I haven't touched the neoairs since I got it.

Ed, where are you going, what are you doing, what time of year?

Not a big selection.

It looks like you already made your choice, but, for others looking into this, the Exped Dura 8R is a great pad, especially if warmth and durability are paramount and saving weight isn't of much concern.

The Exped pad generally receives excellent reviews, and it incorporates down as an insulating material, which results in a much quieter, non-crinkly pad compared to those that use reflective foil as insulation. I'm not sure how the down is encapsulated into the pad, so moisture could be a concern, but I've not heard that it's been a problem.

I picked one up for 50% off retail just before the holidays but haven't tried it yet.

Here is a link:

Exped Dura 8R

A couple reviews:

HuntingLife.com
GearJunkie

Brad,

Brown bear over the 4th of July launching via my place in north Idaho. Jake Jefferson is the guide/owner. Fly into Anchorage, spend the night then on his plane to "I haven't a clue"...

The Exped Downmat 7 and 9 are both extremely comfortable and warm, but not my first choice for packpacking. I love them for truck camping, though.

Hi Ed, so given you'll be there in July, no need for the extra weight of the Xtherm - unless of course this isn't a backpack trip, in which case I'd get something thicker and even more comfortable than the Xtherm (yes, I have one).

I don't like air core pads. I am a huge fan of the Thermarest Prolite Plus. I think the Sea to Summit self inflating series of pads is pretty good as well.

Brad,

Have you tried the NXT? It's thicker and more comfortable than the original XTherm, IME. Tough to beat a Downmat 9 for comfort.

If I knew I’d never use it in the cold I wouldn’t get an Xtherm. Otherwise, unless I wanted to buy multiple purpose specific sleeping pads, I’d get the Xtherm. Weight difference is insignificant, especially when measured against performance difference. I’m a one pad for all use (other than car camping) guy. Weight adds up pretty quick when you’re flying also. I’d take that into consideration when looking at bigger/heavier pads.

Jordan, no - the fact you mentioned the newer NXT went right past me! I haven't used it. I have the older version. It's nicely warm and plenty comfortable. However, Nemo is upgrading their Tensor line slowly this year. Most folks consider the Tensor's more comfortable than the Neoair's. All are going to 3.5" thickness and better R values. They do, however, average around 1.5 oz's heavier than the Neoairs.

The first they've upgraded is the "Extreme" model, which competes with the Xtherm, but is 3.5" thick and R8.5. Going forward, I'm switching over to Tensor's.

https://www.nemoequipment.com/colle...or-extreme-ultralight-mountaineering-pad

Thanks, Brad. That Tensor looks good but it’s tough to ignore the track record and service of TR.

I wouldn't disagree with that! I think we currently have five here at the house lol, so I'm not in a hurry to "upgrade" any time soon. However, I believe Nemo has a very good CS track record too, and people I know and trust find the Tensor's more comfortable. I'll likely get one just to see for myself.

Jordan, hope you're staying warm up North... we hit -44F this morning here.

2 years ago i had an old TR with a metal valve start to leak. even after submerging it in the water trough i could not find the leak.

i sent it in and they sent me a brand new thermarest. no charge!

Thanks again, Brad. I may have to give a Nemo pad a test drive at some point.

The weather forecast was saying a low of -48 C with wind chill here.

Ours was just gnarly cold, without windchill. But I know you've had worse!

But look at that sunshine!

What’s the country of origin for the Nemo pads? R8.5 sounds pretty good, but if they’re MiC I’ll stick with US made Thermarest. I’ve used my old model XTherm Max several times in the -40s and been comfortable. The NXT sounds even better.

Yeah, I think the Nemo pads are made in Asia. However, Thermarest aren't entirely built in the USA - some are made in Ireland.

Hope you're well my friend!

Thanks for the info Brad! I kinda figured. They aren't exactly waving CoO from the roof tops, and that's usually a clue. <grin>

We're well here! Hope the same for you and yours! Wrapped up my personal big game season last week. Just in time too... It's wickedly cold here. Stay warm! I think we both have a few more days of these temps.

Anything below -40 is no joke!

Looking at the specs, I would expect the NXT to be more durable, just based on material thickness, but of course that depends on other material-based factors, as well.

Bottom material is 70D versus 40D, and top is 30D versus 20D.

+1

I don’t understand the down pad thing.

Doesn’t it get compressed and lose insulation during storage?

And what about moisture??

It gains loft when you inflate it.

You inflate it using a pump or bag, and then seal it, so moisture never gets to the down.

The second part makes sense, but the first still doesn’t. I’ve always heard not to store down compressed.

Ah, I misunderstood your question a bit.

Yeah, it is stored compressed and its lofting ability likely does degrade over time, but I’ve been using a couple Downmats for several years and I haven’t noticed a change in performance.

I don't have the answers, but I do have similar concerns. For that reason, I store the pad unrolled and uncompressed, the same as my down sleeping bag. At 50% off, I was willing to give it a try.

The down isn't accessible when the relatively large inflation valve is opened. Perhaps the down is encapsulated between layers of moisture-proof material(???).

I emailed Nemo, their pads are made in Taiwan.

Thanks for checking, Brad.

I bet Taiwan is warm right now. Haha.

Lol!

Thank goodness for our geniuses.

Above IQ averages, for sure!

That would be “above average IQ’s” dummy…