I tried Therm-a-Rest’s comfiest camping mat and slept like royalty

Having completely redefined the category in the early 1970s by inventing self-inflating camping mats as an alternative to bulky closed-cell pads, Therm-a-Rest is a brand that is synonymous with lightweight, high-performing camping mats.

Luckily, the company – originally based in Washington – did not stop inventing and innovating then, and having produced dozens of mats in the interim, the Neoloft is the latest sleeping pad to come off the production line.

Visiting Cascade Designs’ European HQ, I watched precision machines make and stress-test Therm-a-Rest mats, saw hundreds of inflated pads passing quality checks, and met Tina and Ciamha at the formidable warranty desk.

I also saw Therm-a-Rest’s newest mat – the NeoLoft Sleeping Pad – being produced and stress tested at source. It looked like an excellent piece of kit, and I couldn’t wait to test it out in the wilds of Ireland.

Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft Sleeping Pad review

Price and availability

The Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft Sleeping Pad is available in Regular, Regular Wide and Large sizes in the US for a list price of $239.95. In Europe, the Regular Wide and Large sizes are available, with a recommended retail price of £250 in the UK, and €280 across the EU.

Specifications

• Style: Inflatable air mat
• Versions: Regular (US only) / Regular Wide / Large
• Packed size (Regular wide): 29 x 15cm / 11.5 x 6in
• Dimensions when inflated (Regular wide): 185 x 66cm / 73 x 26in
• Thickness (all versions): 11.7cm / 4.6in
• Weight (Regular wide): 850g / 1lb 14oz
• R-Value (all versions): 4.7
• Inclusions (all versions): Pump Sack, Stuff Sack, Repair Kit

Design and materials

Featuring internal ContourCore Matrix construction and ThermaCapture layers, the NeoLoft has an R-value rating of 4.7, which means it will help keep you warm in all but the very coldest conditions. Across the vast majority of the UK, when paired with a good season-appropriate sleeping bag, you could comfortably use this mat while camping for 11 months of the year (if you’re deep-winter camping in the Scottish Highlands, look for a mat with an R value of 5+).

The NeoLoft is far from Therm-a-Rest’s lightest mat (by contrast, the excellent NeoAir XLite NXT weighs just 370g/13oz, and packs down to about the size of a cucumber), but it is a proper portable mattress. Camping princesses will never be kept awake by a pea (or a tree root or grass tussock) under the NeoLoft, which is 11.7cm (4.6in) thick when fully inflated (as compared to the 7.6cm/3in of depth offered by the NeoAir XLite NXT).

The designers’ objective with this mat is to provide car-camping levels of comfort to backpackers who are prepared to pay a little more weight price and prioritise space in their hiking backpack for a proper good night’s sleep. Accordingly, instead of tapering at the foot end, like ultralight mats do, the NeoLoft is actually rectangular and bed shaped. The Regular mat is a generous 56cm (22in) wide, but just in case you're a really active sleeper it also features side rails. The Regular Wide version is 66cm (26in) across, while the Large version is 198cm (78in) long and 66cm (26in) wide.

The top surface of the NeoLoft is ridged, which facilitates a little bit of airflow and stops you from getting too sweaty, and the 50D stretch-knit polyester fabric this mat is constructed with is soft and comfortable next to the skin. The material is all solution dyed, which allows for nice bright colours, while being relatively environmentally friendly.

The bottom of the mat is made with thicker 75D polyester for improved protection from puncture threats (although you do, of course, still need to be careful where you position your pricey mat). It comes with a puncture repair kit, in case disaster does strike, plus a pump sack and a stuff sack.

Performance and comfort

Since picking the NeoLoft mat up from Cascade Designs HQ in County Cork, I have been testing the sleeping pad out in campsites in the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland, and during backpacking and wild camping escapades on Dartmoor.

Conditions have been freakishly hot this summer, so I can’t claim to have put the R-Value of the pad to the full test yet, but from previous experience with Therm-a-Rest camping mats, I have complete confidence in the quoted performance levels. I am looking forward to taking it cold-weather camping once temperatures drop, and I will update this review then.

As mentioned above, there are plenty of lighter sleeping pads on the market, which pack down considerably smaller (including from the Therm-a-Rest range), and some of them even have higher R-values, but the NeoLoft is all about comfort. And I mean proper home-level-plus comfiness. If you like your sleep, you are going to love this dream pad.

You can’t feel anything through this mat, you don’t stick to it, and your entire body stays on the pad for the whole night. It’s totally quiet, with none of the annoying rustling that you get with some insulated air mats, and it’s luxurious to lie on, whether you sleep on your side, your back, your front or your head.

Being a voluminous mat, it takes a little while to inflate, but it comes with a large pump sack (and it’s essential to use this to prevent moisture from entering and causing mould). Once up, it holds its shape and stays nice and inflated for days on end, and the deflation process with the TwinLock valve system really couldn’t be much quicker or easier.

Verdict

Like a magic mattress, the cloud-like NeoLoft sleeping pad has supplied me with the best and most restful nights of sleep I have ever enjoyed while on backpacking adventures (and while not on backpacking adventures). It remains perfectly packable and portable, while providing unrivalled levels of performance in terms of comfort and functionality, and to be quite honest, I’m going to struggle using anything else while camping in the future. Basically, it has turned me into a proper princess.

Also consider

If you are looking for an ultralight air mat for a minimalist backpacking or bikepacking mission, check out the Thermarest NeoAir XLite, which tips the scales at just 370g (13oz).

For mid-winter missions where you need extra insulation between you and the frozen floor, explore the excellent Rab Hypersphere Ultra 7.5, which is 8cm thick, weighs just 610g (21.5oz) and has a very impressive R-value of 7.5, or the sensational Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Extreme, which weighs 720g (25.4oz) and has a very respectable R-value of 6.2.

Alternatively, for a more wallet-friendly sleeping mat, check out the comfortable and affordable Trekology UL80 (but be aware it is for fair weather camping only), or the more versatile Vango Aotrom Thermo Platinum, with its R-value of 4.2 and packed weight of 610g (21.5 oz).