Thermarest NeoLoft Sleeping Pad

Merging the cutting-edge innovation of ultralight pads with the supreme comfort of car camping pads, the NeoLoft air pad takes backpacking comfort to a whole new level.

It may not look like it, but make no mistake, the NeoLoft is a true backpacking sleeping pad. From the inside out, every element of the NeoLoft comes together to deliver sublime comfort while remaining incredibly light and packable. 3D construction elevates the pad to 11.7 cm thick, making the NeoLoft a side sleeper’s dream. Vertical sidewalls attach the top and bottom fabric and eliminate the tapering edges of non-3D pads. This increases the sleep surface by 20% and delivers excellent stability - you’ll never feel like you’re falling off the edge while you try to get comfortable.

On the outside, the NeoLoft’s surface is made of a plush stretch knit fabric (the NeoLoft is the first ever air pad to be made with stretch knit). Stretch knit is a base layer-like fabric with multi-directional elasticity and is far softer to the touch than the nylons typically used to make backpacking pads. Its stretch properties improve the NeoLoft’s contouring support and help to minimize pressure points by locally conforming to the shape of your body. On the inside is the ContourCore Matrix™ - the epicentre of the NeoLoft’s backcountry-ready specs. It efficiently insulates by minimising convective heat loss with two stacked rows of triangular chambers, while ThermaCapture™ reflects body heat back at you, delivering a year-round R-value rating of 4.7. Along the sides are large chambers that rise to form side rails when the pad is inflated. These give your body a tactile sense of the pad’s edge and cradle you towards its centre to prevent roll-offs.

The NeoLoft is fitted with a high-volume-pad TwinLock™ Valve System. This two-valve system rapidly inflates the NeoLoft with a dedicated ‘In’ valve featuring one-way air flow, and quickly dumps air with a dedicated ‘Out’ valve. Paired with a high-volume, seam-sealed pump sack, the NeoLoft blows up and packs down quickly and efficiently.

• Built to Backpack: With a weight of 850 grams, a packed size not much larger than a 1 litre water bottle and a 4.7 R-value, the NeoLoft allows you to take car camping comfort deep into the hills.
• 3D Construction: An 11.7cm profile and a broad, taper-free sleep surface is ideal for side sleepers, nighttime wrigglers and anyone who likes comfort - so everyone, really.
• Stretch Knit Fabric: Super soft and base layer-like, its stretch properties are key to the NeoLoft’s contouring support.
• ContourCore Matrix™: Thermally-efficient air pad construction made with comfort-forward materials allows the NeoLoft to contour, cushion, support, insulate and pack down small.
• Side Rails: Side rails cradle you in place and provide a tactile sense of the edge to minimise roll-offs and cold spots.
• Easy Inflation and Deflation: TwinLock™ Valve system pairs with a seam-sealed pump sack to make inflation a breeze, provides for precise firmness control and delivers rapid deflation when it’s time to pack up.
• Solution-Dyed Bottom Fabric: Solution dyeing provides longer lasting and more vivid colors and reduces ecological impact by using less water and energy than traditional methods.
• Stuff Sack, High Volume Pump Sack and Repair Kit included.

Togs and R Values: Typically used in the British textile industry, one Tog corresponds to the heat insulation capability of clothing etc which maintains a temperature difference of 0.1°Kelvin while passing a heat flux of 1 Watt/m2*. Some manufacturers (mainly US ones) give an R Value for the insulation properties of their mats. By this they mean an imperial equivalent (°F-ft2-h/Btu). To convert Imperial R values to Togs, multiply by 1.76228. To confuse matters there is also a metric R value, more properly called an RSI value (10 Togs = 1 RSI).

The higher the Tog or R (or RSI) value the better the insulation provided.

If you aren't totally confused by the above you should add to the mix that testing for R/Tog/RSI ratings is not by any means an exact science and that it is also expensive, so, it is alleged, some figures that are given may be acquired by doing little more than taking a competitor's figure and adding a pinch for good measure. Of course, who is alleging what about whom is also not easy to ascertain!

*NB One Tog was originally a war time measurement of the amount of warmth retained by a typical male wearing a three piece suit - it originated from research done in the North of England - hence the term tog (though this in turn is thought to originate from the Roman word toga)!