The Therm-a-Relaxation NeoAir XTherm NXT is an improved model of the NeoAir XTherm inflatable sleeping pad, which has lengthy been the inflatable sleeping pad of selection for cold-weather tenting and chilly sleepers due to its excessive R-value and low weight. The brand new NeoAir XTherm NXT is much more snug, hotter, and quieter than ever, providing a full 3″ of thickness (up from 2.5″), an elevated R-value of seven.3 (up from 6.9), and a quieter sleep expertise than its predecessor.
Specs at a Look
- Coloration: Grey-green (Neptune)
- R-Worth: 7.3 (ASTM F3340-18)
- Dimension examined: Common (additionally out there in Common Extensive (72″ x 25″) and Lengthy (77″ x 25″)
- Form: Mummy
- Weight: 16.0 oz (it actually does weigh this)
- Non-obligatory inflation sack: 2.0 oz
- Non-obligatory stuff sack: 0.5 oz
- Width:Â 20 in / 51 cm
- Size:Â 72 in / 183 cm
- Thickness: 3.0 in / 6.3 cm
- Packed dimension:Â 9 x 4.0 / 23 x 10
- Prime material kind:Â 30d Excessive Tenacity Nylon
- Backside material kind:Â 70d Nylon Gentle Grip
The Therm-a-Relaxation NeoAir XTherm NXT Sleeping Pad is an insulated air mattress designed for cold-weather tenting and backpacking. Weighing simply 16 oz, the XTherm NXT can be light-weight, rolls up small, and is made with thick and sturdy supplies, together with a 30d high material and a 70d backside material. Weighing solely 16 oz, the brand new NeoAir XTherm NXT has an astonishingly excessive R-value of seven.3 which is considerably greater than the minimal R-Worth of 5 that I like to recommend for winter tenting and backpacking on snow. Many individuals underestimate the significance of their sleeping pad of their sleep system and for those who discover you’re nonetheless chilly with sufficient insulation topside, your pad could be the offender.
The NeoAir Insulation System
The Therm-a-Relaxation NeoAir XTherm NXT is designed to entice your physique warmth and replicate it again at you while you sleep at night time. Not like sleeping pads containing down or artificial insulation, the XTherm NXT achieves this utilizing a honeycombed building of air baffles which are lined with a reflective metallic coating. The result’s a really skinny and light-weight air mattress that rolls as much as the scale of a Nalgene bottle, making it very simple to pack. The identical honeycombed baffles are utilized in all the NeoAir pads that Therm-a-Relaxation makes, though it provides NeoAir pads a crinkly potato-chip-like sound that many individuals discover disturbing at night time. Extra on this, beneath.
Valve and Pumpsack
The XTherm NXT makes use of a WingLock valve, first launched in 2020, which helps you to quickly deflate the pad, inflate it by mouth or with the included pump sack. The pump sack is value utilizing in winter to keep away from blowing moisture into the pad by mouth that can freeze within the valve or insulation chambers in a single day. The pump sack, which is principally a big stuff sack with a valve at one finish, may double as a protecting stuff sack for the sleeping pad.
What’s New within the XTherm NXT?
The NeoAir XTherm NXT is thicker, hotter, and quieter than its predecessor, the NeoAir XTherm inflatable sleeping pad.
Thickness
Thicker inflatable sleeping pads have turn into more and more well-liked lately as a result of they’re way more snug to sleep on. Whereas growing the XTherm NXT to three″ thick from 2.5″ offers a slight enchancment in consolation, I feel the principle purpose Therm-a-Relaxation elevated the pad’s thickness was for aggressive causes. The perfect inflatable sleeping pads out there at the moment are not less than 3″ thick, with some as thick as 4″ just like the Sea-to-Summit Etherlight XT Sleeping Pad. Nevertheless, for those who already personal an outdated 2.5″ XTherm sleeping pad, it’s fairly troublesome to note any vital enchancment in consolation and I wouldn’t improve primarily based on this purpose alone.
Regardless of being 3″ thick, the XTherm NXT isn’t as snug as pads which have vertical baffles or ones which are formed extra like mattress springs and conform to your physique. The XTherm NXT isn’t horrible, however it’s not essentially the most snug pad. Nevertheless, you may make the XTherm NXT extra snug by letting some air out of it, though this may cut back its insulation worth considerably.
R-Worth
Whereas the R-value of the XTherm NXT elevated from 6.9 to 7.3, once more, that’s not a adequate purpose for my part to improve to the XTherm NXT for those who already personal an older XTherm. Something over an R-value of 6 is already going to be overkill when it comes to insulation efficiency in winter within the decrease 48. To be trustworthy, I believe the R-value enhance within the XTherm NXT is tied to the rise in pad peak, relatively than being a deliberate enchancment. The rise in air quantity in all probability makes the pad hotter.
Quieter
Therm-a-Relaxation claims that the XTherm NXT is roughly 80% quieter than the outdated XTherm. Having slept on the NXT, I concur. It’s noticeably quieter while you’re mendacity on high of a completely inflated NXT. However the pad remains to be extremely loud, like smashing potato chips, while you’re within the means of inflating it or rolling it as much as pack it away. If you happen to attempt doing these in an Appalachian Path lean-to early within the morning or while you arrive after darkish, you’ll in all probability get shot. Till the noise of inflation, deflation, and packing is lowered, I can’t see a powerful rationale for upgrading from an outdated XTherm on the premise of sound discount, though your tent accomplice may beg to vary.
Many individuals don’t care that a lot in regards to the noisiness of the NeoAir sleeping pads, myself included as a result of I often camp far sufficient from different people who they’re unaffected by my sleeping pad sounds. I’m additionally often so drained that the noise of the pad gained’t wake me.
NeoAir XTherm NXT Max
The NeoAir XTherm NXT reviewed above is simply out there in a tapered mummy form. If you happen to choose a rectangular-shaped sleeping pad, there may be one known as the NeoAir XTherm NXT Max, which has the identical R-value (7.3) as the mum model. The XTherm NXT Max is offered in two sizes, a daily (72″ x 25″) and an extended (77″ x 25″). Each are additionally 3″ thick.
Advice
The Therm-a-Relaxation XTherm NXT Sleeping Pad remains to be a dependable, sturdy, light-weight, and high-R-value sleeping pad good for chilly climate use despite the fact that the enhancements to the brand new mannequin are a bit underwhelming. If you happen to’re a chilly sleeper otherwise you desire a extra sturdy pad for higher-risk winter use, the XTherm NXT Sleeping Pad nonetheless offers quite a lot of worth. It’s simply not as aggressive because it was when it comes to weight, consolation, packability, and ease of use. If you’re on the lookout for a great deal on a winter sleeping pad, it is a good time to choose up an older mannequin XTherm at a big low cost.
Disclosure: Therm-a-Relaxation donated a sleeping pad for this evaluate.
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