The Gear Junkie Scoop: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir

For the past month, rumors have circulated among the outdoor-gear cognoscenti about a new minimalist air mattress that'd pack to the size of a one-liter Nalgene bottle while providing nearly as much warmth as a bulky pad stuffed with goose down.

Indeed, the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Mattress, announced officially on July 17, is now touted as the "world’s lightest, most advanced three-season air mattress." Manufacturer Cascade Designs Inc. cites the inflatable pad as being approximately three times warmer than any other un-insulated air mattress on the market.

While the pad isn't yet available for testing -- and it won't ship to stores until April 2009 -- the NeoAir is newsworthy for its big claims as well as the fact that this is Therm-a-Rest's (www.thermarest.com) first foray into the un-insulated air mattress category.

NeoAir pads will come in four sizes, but the smallest iteration -- which measures 20 x 47 inches unrolled and packs to the size of the aforementioned Nalgene bottle -- will weigh a scant 9 ounces, or less than the average trail-running shoe.

Testing via ASTM International standards, Therm-a-Rest garnered an R-value thermal resistance measurement of 2.5. According to Doug Jacot, the Therm-a-Rest business director, comparable un-insulated inflatable air mattresses often register an R-value of less than 1.

So how does NeoAir work? Therm-a-Rest engineers developed an air-bladder technology -- the "Triangular Core Matrix" -- which is a welded-nylon grid of chambers that, according to Jacot, increases the number of individual aircells by 10 times when compared to a traditional air mattress. This minimizes air movement within the pad and the resulting convective cooling, Jacot said.

In addition, an aluminized urethane film holds the Triangular Core Matrix together while reflecting heat back to your body and deflecting cold air from the ground. 
The final product -- 2.5 inches thick, ribbed, puffy and sporting a bright yellow "Limon" color scheme -- looks more like a pool toy than a "revolutionary" piece of outdoors gear.

But Therm-a-Rest, which committed five years to the development of NeoAir, seems to have the data to back up its hyperbole. The company has applied for multiple patents on this product and invested in a manufacturing process in its Seattle factory.

NeoAir debuts next year for $120 - $170, depending on size. If all is as the company claims, this pad could be a panacea for backpackers looking to cut bulk and save weight while still sleeping cozy in a bag on the cold hard ground. 

--Stephen Regenold writes The Gear Junkie column for several U.S. newspapers; see http://thegearjunkie.com for an archive of Regenold's work.