Walking Equipment and Accessories

Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft Sleeping Mat | Review

Supremely comfortable but still packable, the Therm-a-rest NeoLoft is one of the best products we’ve tried this year.

Backpacking sleeping mats have to balance a lot of things. They need to be comfortable and warm, but they also need be light and packable. Then there are aspects like the speed and ease of inflation and deflation, the stability, durability and even the noisiness too (some mats can be crinkly and annoying to sleep on). This, the Therm-a-rest NeoLoft, ticks just about every box I’d look for in a sleeping mat. In fact, from my experience testing this out over the course of a number of backpacking trips, I’d go so far as saying it’s the best sleeping mat that I’ve ever tried over the course of my outdoor gear reviewing and backpacking life.

Our Top Line on the Therm-a-rest NeoLoft

This sleeping mat crosses categories, offering enough comfort for car camping while also being light and packable enough for backpacking. It’s 4.6 inches thick and offers supreme levels of cushioning but it also weighs just 884g and packs down to about the size of a 1-litre bottle. I’ve also found it to be warm enough for shoulder season camping. The R-value is 4.7 so it could even be used for winter camping where temps drop below freezing (down to around 0°F / -18°C) but that depends on other gear you are using with it.

Buy The Therm-a-rest NeoLoft: £250 at Ellis-brigham.com

How I Tested It

I’ve used this on a number of backpacking trips, the most recent being a trip to North Wales where I used it over four nights in southern Snowdonia. We had typical early spring conditions, with temperatures dropping down to around 4 degrees. In the daytime, I hiked with it in a 40-litre backpack up some big ascents. I got it wet to test out the drying time and my lively Border Terrier helped with the durability testing.

We used it with a two-person tent on a campout in the Rhinogydd mountains. Photos: Dave Macfarlane

Construction

This has a large rectangular shape with curvature at the edges to create a cradling effect. The top material is made from a stretch knit polyester while the base is made from a non-stretch knit polyester. Both have a 75D rating. Its structure comprises two separate rows of triangular chambers which provide support and warmth and there’s an internal coating that reflects radiant body heat back to you.

It has two valves – one ‘in’ valve and one ‘out’ valve – and it comes with a huge pump sack, a generously sized stuff sack and a repair kit.

Comfort

This is the most comfortable camping mat I’ve used. It even beats some of the thicker car camping mats that I’ve tried – including the Therm-a-rest NeoAir Topo Luxe which I reviewed positively a few years ago. OK it’s very thick, but it doesn’t just feel like one of those big blow up beds that you buy in supermarkets. Instead, it actually has the feel of a proper mattress, with your weight spread evenly throughout it and no pressure points or wobbliness.

Buy The Therm-a-rest NeoLoft: £250 at Ellis-brigham.com

The Therm-a-rest NeoLoft being tested by our team during a trip to North Wales. Photos: Dave Macfarlane

I think the stretch knit fabric is great. It feels very comfortable – even against bare skin – and it’s quiet too. I could happily toss and turn on it silently without irritating my partner. I also found that this helped to prevent my sleeping bag from sliding or slipping around, with the cradling sides of the mat helping there too.

With a lot of sleeping mats, including the ultralight weight Therm-a-rest NeoAir Uberlite, I’ve found that the side of my hip that’s closest to the ground gets cold easily and can start to feel sore as a consequence. That hasn’t been an issue with this.

Packability

There are lighter and more packable sleeping mats out there but none of them are as comfortable as this. Equally, there are more cushioned and plush sleeping mats out there but none of them will be as light and packable as this. As I said earlier in this review, I can think of many mats that are heavier and thicker but also far less comfortable. So this hits an amazing sweet spot.

In its stuff sack, it’s about the same size as a rolled up midweight down jacket and will fit comfortably into my 40-litre backpack alongside the rest of my sleep system. I’ve also found it will fit in the stretchy side pockets of most backpacks I’ve tried it with.

Is It Easy to Inflate and Deflate?

The Therm-a-rest NeoLoft comes with an oversized pump bag which makes inflation a total breeze. In my tests, I could have it fully inflated in less than two minutes. It’s speedier if you have a good breeze to catch in the pump bag, but I’ve found just a quick puff of breath into the bag also does a lot more than you’d expect.

The out valve can be fully opened up and the mat deflates in an instant. I found it helpful to roll the mat up length ways just to get most of the air out. After this, you just need to fold it width ways a couple of times and roll up from the bottom. The stuff sack is generously sized and I’ve never had a problem getting the mat into it.

Durability

This isn’t one of those sleeping mats that I feel I need to handle very carefully. I’ve been happy to let my sharp-clawed Border Terrier jump all over this and there haven’t been any issues so far. During our Outdoor 100 photoshoot, we had it laid out on bare ground with a lot of heavy kit placed on top of it to prevent the mat from blowing away and, again, no issues. I can see it lasting well. Still, it’s great that it comes with a repair kit and you can also send it to be repaired by Therm-a-rest for a small fee.

The thickness could create problems in tents with low ceilings. We used it in a self-standing Big Agnes tent, as pictured here, and it was fine.

Can I Use It for Backpacking?

From my experience this is a very realistic sleeping mat to use for multi-day hiking and backpacking, but it doesn’t quite fit into the ultralight category. If you like to feel very light and nimble and you try to minimise your pack weight at every opportunity then there are definitely lighter mats out there. Still, there are plenty of instances when I would bring this with me. For me, it’s perfect for one or two-night trips where I’m not already lugging loads of heavy kit and supplies. If you’re, say, trying to thru-hike a trail quickly, then you’ll probably want to go lighter, but if you’re out to bimble along a trail and savour the journey at a slow and steady pace, I don’t think many people would regret the extra comfort this brings, without too much of a weight penalty.

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One thing to bear in mind is that its width and height make it quite a large mat that will swallow up a lot of space in some tents. Depending on your height, it might make the tent ceiling too close in some low-profile tents. I used it in a Big Agnes Copper Spur, which has a high ceiling and didn’t have a problem but it was problematic when I tried it with the Highlander Refuge 1. Width-wise, it fits in most one-person tents but it would be difficult to use two of these alongside eachother in a lot of 2P backpacking tents.

Jazz demonstrating the packed size of the Therm-a-rest NeoLoft.

Sustainability

Most of its fabric is made using solution-dyeing. That’s a method that uses far less water and energy than traditional dyeing processes. Not only does that mean the colours stick around longer without fading, but it also lessens the overall environmental footprint.

Verdict

My partner and I both love this mat and this is awkward because we’ve got a month-long backpacking trip coming up and are both fighting over it. OK it’s expensive, but I’d say Therm-a-rest have achieved something very impressive here, so you could argue the price point is justified. If you like a light pack, but also like a good night’s sleep, this totally nails that goldilocks zone.