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Needs to have thr 3.8 R value of there trek and travel series, but 2.5" thick at 14 oz's is still pretty impressive.

Dingus Milktoast wrote:Are they high?

Well, the pleating does kinda make it look like the Patagucci Down Sweater.

Maybe Theramarest were hoping to ride their coattails? Um, I mean snow skirt?

Dingus Milktoast wrote:At a 'unert fitty this pad is permanently out of my price range. Not even when the market rejects it and Sierra Trading Post sells off the liquidation will I be able to afford this pad.
Its too expensive at half the price. Sheesh!

Steep.

And.

Cheap.

I heard about these awhile ago. Not worth the money, and published "R" values aren't worth much in my experience anyway...I'm sticking with my z-lite.

Ridgerest is where it's at. That+the bivy pad/backpack backpanel has worked just fine for me and costs a sixth of that.

The only length I would buy is 3/4 (small), which is 9 oz. and $120. But let's face it, this is a 3-season mattress. For that I usually just bring a ridgerest cut in half, which has a slightly higher R value and costs way less.

I'm sure someone will be spending their REI dividend on one of these though

I might give it a try simply for the amazing bionic lime color. It will be my first foray away from closed celled foam.

For certain though, I will replace my much used orange z-lite with a new lime one.

How 'bout a new color for my ridgerest deluxe?

(I hate how marketing is so effective with me)

haivanhuynh wrote:I might give it a try simply for the amazing bionic lime color. It will be my first foray away from closed celled foam.

For certain though, I will replace my much used orange z-lite with a new lime one.

How 'bout a new color for my ridgerest deluxe?

(I hate how marketing is so effective with me)

Do not go into REI
Do not go into REI
Do not go into REI

oops to late!

haivanhuynh wrote:I might give it a try simply for the amazing bionic lime color. It will be my first foray away from closed celled foam.

For certain though, I will replace my much used orange z-lite with a new lime one.

How 'bout a new color for my ridgerest deluxe?

(I hate how marketing is so effective with me)

I hear ya! just like the Orangish yellow of the prolite 4 made me shell out $90. That green almost looks glow in the dark. Wouldn't that be counterintuitive?

According to Thermarest's own website, the NeoAir is 20 grams heavier than the Z-lite with an R value that is just slightly higher [2.2/2.5] -- for 110 extra dollars. The Pro-Lite Plus is 10 ounces heavier, but significantly warmer [2.5/3.8] and is 50 dollars cheaper than the Neo Air.

What's the advantage (besides carrying a lighter wallet)?

The big advantage is obvious: packed volume is one-third that of the Z-lite. This converts the pad to an inside-the-pack item, if desired. Nice feature on long trips (where space counts) and on bushwhacks (where profile counts). But at twice the price of the Prolite, and four times the price of the Z-lite, I can certainly live without it. I think my tent cost less.

Goldenhopper wrote:

A 14oz. full length air mattress with no insulation that claims unrivaled warmth? That's what Therm-a-Rest is saying about their new lightest inflatable ever.

A few words about insulation and heat flow for the skeptics.

An air mattress doesn't need insulation in it, the air is the insulation.

When you put insulation in the attic or walls of your house, you want something that is fairly non-conductive and that will stop convective air currents so that the air spaces will be effective insulation. Convective air currents generally transfer heat upward, and never transfer heat downward, so there is no need to be concerned about them for a sleeping pad.

There's nothing that you could put in an air mattress that would improve it's insulation (on cold ground) other than replacing the air with an inert gas. Of course, a vacuum would be better insulation than an inert gas, but have you ever tried to inflate something with a vacuum?

Buz is correct, but I don't really trust an air mattress in winter, for a couple of reasons:

1) air volume varies with temperature. You inflate the thing as much as you can with your breath (warmer than ambient, though by the time it's filling the mattress the difference is probably not enough to matter). Then during the night the temperature drops. Result: the mattress sags.

2) air is highly compressible. If you sleep on your side and you've got bony hips, you create a pressure point under your hips. Air gets displaced out to the foot and sides of the pad, and suddenly, in combination with point 1), your bones are touching the cold, hard ground.

I use a "luxury" (extra-thick) "self-inflating" pad (in "3/4" length, smaller extent makes it more resistant to point 2) ), and in winter I back it up with another pad underneath. This makes for an uncomfortably tall stack, so I suspect I'd be better off with a closed-cell pad, but haven't tried it yet. (The main reason for not buying a closed-cell in the first place was... packed size. Rather a moot point if I'm carrying two pads.)

Buz Groshong wrote:Goldenhopper wrote:

A 14oz. full length air mattress with no insulation that claims unrivaled warmth? That's what Therm-a-Rest is saying about their new lightest inflatable ever.

A few words about insulation and heat flow for the skeptics.

An air mattress doesn't need insulation in it, the air is the insulation.

When you put insulation in the attic or walls of your house, you want something that is fairly non-conductive and that will stop convective air currents so that the air spaces will be effective insulation. Convective air currents generally transfer heat upward, and never transfer heat downward, so there is no need to be concerned about them for a sleeping pad.

There's nothing that you could put in an air mattress that would improve it's insulation (on cold ground) other than replacing the air with an inert gas. Of course, a vacuum would be better insulation than an inert gas, but have you ever tried to inflate something with a vacuum?

What about those "expeds" that are designed for winter use, with down in them? Some rave about these. . .

Buz Groshong wrote:Goldenhopper wrote:

A 14oz. full length air mattress with no insulation that claims unrivaled warmth? That's what Therm-a-Rest is saying about their new lightest inflatable ever.

A few words about insulation and heat flow for the skeptics.

An air mattress doesn't need insulation in it, the air is the insulation.

When you put insulation in the attic or walls of your house, you want something that is fairly non-conductive and that will stop convective air currents so that the air spaces will be effective insulation. Convective air currents generally transfer heat upward, and never transfer heat downward, so there is no need to be concerned about them for a sleeping pad.

There's nothing that you could put in an air mattress that would improve it's insulation (on cold ground) other than replacing the air with an inert gas. Of course, a vacuum would be better insulation than an inert gas, but have you ever tried to inflate something with a vacuum?

If you have a baffel inside the mattress it kills the internal convection cell. Yes the matress still insulates but not as good as one where the air inside can't move. Ideally you would have a self inflating closed cell mattres, but it is kind of hard to inflate closed cell foam...though some may try.

Generaly heat does transfer up like you say, however that is because normaly heat decreases as one moves up. In the case of someone sleeping on snow the heat will move away from the source(read the heat will move away from the body) therefore in this case the heat does move downward.