The Therm-A-Rest NeoAir raises the bar for all other sleeping pads on the market. Previously, a sleeping pad was a giant bulky piece of gear that you had to either strap to the outside of your pack or sacrifice a large amount of space inside your pack to bring along on a trip. As a result, people started using half length sleeping pads to cut down on the bulk while still retaining many of the advantages of using a sleeping pad. With the NeoAir, you no longer have to make this sacrifice.

Weighing in at a scant 14 ounces for the regular, it certainly is not a bulky sleeping pad.  The best feature of the NeoAir is that it packs down to roughly the size of a standard 1 Liter Nalgene bottle. This is a fraction of what every other sleeping pad on the market requires.

When inflated, the NeoAir doesn’t feel like an ultralight pad. Typically, ultralight pads sacrifice comfort for weight savings. The NeoAir on the other hand, is a whopping 2.5″ thick. In our tests, this gave us the most comfortable night we’ve ever had while camping. The pad was so comfortable that we actually fought over who was going to sleep on it.

So what are the drawbacks to the NeoAir? In my mind, the primary drawback is the price. At $120 to $170, this is not a cheap pad. In fact, it is a very expensive pad. This is compounded by the fact that the pad doesn’t come with a stuff sack. At this price I would expect a stuff sack to come with the product instead of being an optional accessory. Cheaper model Therm-A-Rests come with stuff sacks, so I’m not quite sure why Cascade Designs didn’t see fit to include it on this model. Another of the drawbacks is that if you poke a hole in the pad, all insulation is lost. A repair kit is available for the pad, but I’m not quite sure I’d take the risk while mountaineering and would at least pair it up with another pad like the Z-lite. This way you have some backup on the off chance that the pad does break.

The other drawback may be more of a personal preference. While normal Therm-A-Rests are self inflating, the NeoAir must be inflated manually. Since it is a rather thick sleeping pad, a lot of air is required to inflate it. This does make deflating the pad significantly easier as you’re not fighting against a self inflating pad.

While there are a few drawbacks to the NeoAir, it is a fantastic sleeping pad. If you can stomach the price, I whole heartily recommend you pick one up. It will give you the best sleep in a tent that you’ll ever have.