Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft Review

When comfort rules over everything else in your life, the Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft delivers the goods. It suspends you nearly 5 inches off the ground, and its generous 22" width is complemented with a squared-off profile, making more of this rectangle-shaped pad useful. The included pump sack is massive, allowing you to fill up the cavernous volume easily in a matter of minutes. An R-value of 4.7 means that this pad works deliciously in summer and adequately once it becomes leaf-peepin' season. Don't expect such luxury to be an ultralight package; the main downside is a heavier and bulkier load, but it's well worth it to make your hiking buddies jealous of the opulence you'll be experiencing once you start inflating this up at camp.

Comfort

Admittedly, comfort is subjective, but maybe for the Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft, it's really best to be experienced. Laying down upon it feels far and away more like resting upon something built for the home rather than for the middle of nowhere, especially as we're used to cramped dimensions and minimal loft in our ultralight kits. If getting a good night's sleep is absolutely critical over all else while backpacking, really look no further than the NeoLoft. What's the secret? What we feel sets the Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft apart from most other pads we've tried out is the overall sleep area, the incredible loft, and the soft, stretchable pad material.

The size Regular size was measured at 73x22 inches, giving a total of 11 square feet of space to rest your bones on — but if you want to go wider, there are Regular Wide and Large sizes available. The edge profiles of the NeoLoft are also boxy rather than slowly tapering, equating to more usable width and more structure, so the pad doesn't collapse at the edges under your weight. Both air valves are also on the side of the pad, completely out of the way, rather than on the sleeping area.

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The NeoLoft rises an impressive 4.6" off the ground, with some of the deepest loft we've tested on a backpacking sleeping pad, and may be especially interesting for people who are active sleepers, as well as those who prefer side sleeping, where hip comfort is a non-negotiable. This pad will sleep softer due to its incredible capacity – roughly 4.25 cubic feet of air – which gives it uncontested granularity of the exact firmness you wish to dial in. The dedicated two-way valve makes it easy to fine-tune little wisps of air to dial in your perfect inflation.

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Finally, the unique face material used on the exterior of the pad has an ever-so-slightly soft, brushed hand rather than feeling like smooth plastic. It's also slightly stretchy, which has just enough give under the weight of our bodies to mold to us more than other sleeping pads, which is great for anyone who moves a lot in their sleep and for side sleepers seeking hip comfort. And: no “crinkly” sound when moving around the pad!

Weight

The NeoLoft is one of the heavier backpacking sleeping pads in our lineup, tipping our scales at 25.30 ounces (717 grams) for the pad alone and 28.6 ounces (812 grams) for the full kit.

The impressive loft, rectangular profile, internal construction, and overall area of the pad takes a lot of yardage of material to cover, so this heavier weight should come as no surprise. This pad very much champions comfort over packability and weight. That said, this is still a reasonable weight to bring along while backpacking. It might not be what you want for a long thru-hike, but if you're willing to carry a bit more weight for a quick out-and-back, we'd find some weight to shave elsewhere in our pack for the comfort the NeoLoft offers.

• Pad: 25.30 oz / 717 g

• Stuff sack: .6 oz / 18 g

• Pump sack: 2 oz/ 58 g

• Repair kit: .7 oz/ 19 g

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Warmth

The manufacturer's claimed R-value of the Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft is stated at 4.7, found via the ASTM Standard that Therm-a-Rest helped design. We feel this value is realistic when compared to the R-value of other sleeping pads. The NeoLoft is an optimal summer sleeping pad, while also providing acceptable insulation in the shoulder seasons (spring and fall).

This pad has a reflective coating to minimize body heat loss (what Therm-a-Rest calls "ThermaCapture") as well as a multi-tier baffled construction that further reduces air movement. Still, for winter use, you'll want a pad with a higher R-value.

Packed Size

The Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft and all of its accoutrements can be stuffed into its included ~18" in circumference stuff sack. We measured its volume at 3.4 liters, a little smaller than the manufacturer's spec of 4 liters.

This volume is roughly equivalent to that of four 1-liter Nalgene bottles, so take that into consideration when planning your backpacking loadout.

The NeoLoft expresses one of the highest volumes of inflatable pads in our lineup – over 4x that of our lowest. You'd have to gaze upon closed-cell foam pads – which cannot have their trapped air removed at all – to find a bulkier stowed pad.

Removing the pump sack and the repair kit from the stuff sack doesn't appreciably lower the overall volume, as most of the volume is from the pad itself. When backpacking, we couldn't think of a reason to do this, especially since the pump sack is such a time-saver when inflating, and nothing is worse than a slow leak in a pad you can't fix on a long trip.

Quality of Construction

Quality is exceptional for the Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft. During our use (and slightly abuse) of this sleeping pad, we experienced no quality issues like failed baffles or valves, and we approve this pad for backcountry use. Our testing grounds feature decomposing granite and dry conditions filled with sharp substrate, often the scene of many slow leaks, but the NeoLoft came away unscathed.

The only real issue we had with the pad was before even opening up the box, as our lead tester's overzealous Malinois puppy found the delivered package on the ground first, and was able to cause a small tear with its razor-like teeth while doing a unique interpretation of “fetch”. We repaired the pad to perfect working order using the SeamGrip included in the repair kit. We theorize that the stretchy material may help prevent small rips, tears, and pinholes from happening, as the material isn't held under such tension.

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Inflating the pad is fast using the pump sack, which provides an immense amount of air volume with each sackful. After using this sack, we couldn't dream of using our bare lungs to blow up this pad manually, but if you have to, it's an option. Two dedicated valves are also located on the head-end of this pad for you to take advantage of for air volume adjustments. We experienced no issues with either valve.

Should You Buy the Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft?

If a cavernously deep loft is not only what you want, but what you need in a backpacking sleeping pad, the Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft will complete your home away from home in the backcountry. If you want the most ultralight, look elsewhere, but if you're willing to compromise and carry a bit more weight and bulk in order to reach slumberland in ultimate comfort, we highly recommend the NeoLoft.

What Other Sleeping Pads Should You Consider?

If comfort is what you crave, also take a good look at the Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated. It comes in a huge variety of sizes to fit your own body rather than the other way around. If you want the lightest pad possible, check out the sub-9-ounce Nemo Tensor Elite. For cold, wintry, alpine nights, the Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Pro Insulated has an incredible R-value of 7.4.