So, as you know I bit the bullet and bought myself a new Thermarest XTherm at 440 grams for its standard 6′ model. Though I definitely did not ‘need’ a new pad I wanted to see whether I could reduce size/volume in my pack – and I was just curious whether the improvement in the Nxt range from 2 1/2′ to 3″ thickness really did make a significant (enough) difference to comfort. Besides, ‘you can’t take it with you’.
It rolls up (with my pillow) nice and small and cinches tight with a DIY 1/2″ strap and side buckle. Doesn’t take a lot of pack room. That’s my flat cap next to it for size comparison.
Here you see it next to my new $2 pillow – all you need (besides a sleeping bag) for a delightful night’s sleep (plus a shelter of some sort – and for me a warm fire out the front)
I have been using the 4″ Exped Synmat Winter HL for a few years now. It has recently been replaced/renamed the Ultra 5R M Mummy still at 445 grams an R5.0. I have one of these too having had one of my older mat replaced under warranty due to a burst inner section but I have not tried it out yet.
I have to admit I took a long time choosing between the Xtherm and the new Xlite in the 5’6″ configuration (which is all I need) as it would have weighed quite a lot (over 100 grams) less but at R4.5 instead of R7.3 and would likely be more comfortable, being exactly the right size for me (and I could not afford both) but eventually I decided on warmer even if I don’t anticipate being cold – a fact I might easily be wrong about, and have been before.
I just wish pad manufacturers would make their pads in 6″ length increments as both Della and I could get by with just a 5′ pad. We used to use a Big Agnes ‘Petite’ model in that size and whilst I overhung it by about 6″ (which she did not) because my sleeping bag also did, I did not get cold feet. Indeed I was quite comfortable.
They have gone to quite a lot of trouble to shave a few grams off their ‘standard’ 6′ pads but most users could save a bit more (50-100 grams) if they could just buy a shorter pad. I know you can shorten them yourself but I am just not game to waste my money doing so and failing. Besides my experiments with heat sensitive materials have not been unbridled successes.
In the case of this pad, I would be fine with 5’6″ and Della with 5′, which would save lots. Della’s 5′ model would weigh 366 grams and my 5’6″ one would weigh 404 grams (saving 74 and 37 grams respectively) – indeed more than Thermarest’s change to the new model.
Their Neoair Xlite weighs 330 grams in the (available) 5’6″ model as compared to 370 grams in the 6′ one. It would weigh 299 grams in a 5′ model if available. By choosing to buy the XTherm I am going to be carrying an extra 70 grams, but I will be a heap warmer.
I have now tried it out on a number of sub-zero nights and let me say it is like having a sleeping bag heater along with you. It is definitely worth the 70 grams on a cold night. The pity is that at my height I did not need to save these grams if only I had been able to buy a pad that better suited my length.
A pad that is the ‘right’ length (or even a bit short, as a 5′ pad is for me) is actually more comfortable as you don’t have any ‘unused’ pad sticking out past your body which means you can sink into it better at a lower inflation without bottoming out. Getting that (fairly slack) inflation just right is the key to a comfortable night’s sleep, I find.
Anyway excepting for that criticism that I would like to buy it at more precisely my size I am very happy with it. In a sleeping bag my arms usually don’t overhang and touch the cold ground anyway, and I have a couple of strategies if they do – like small pieces of closed cell foam, and the like which is much lighter than choosing an even wider and heavier pad.
I note that the edge of he Xtherm is wide enough that I can sew a piece of tape to either side of it so that I would be able to attach those pieces of closed cell foam (or etc – if I want) just where my elbows strike the ground, so I won’t be chasing them all night. A perfect night’ sleep
I am very happy with the comfort (quietness) and warmth of this sleeping pad.
I am not a fan of their new valve – I preferred the older one. I also found it easier to adjust.
