Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Pads

Nice shots Ray, give a great comparison,

Mine arrived today, waiting at home for me, 2 days before I head out so that was great timeing.

I had packed my Prolite 4 during the week, but thats coming out now.

Will let you know how it performs out in the Aussie bush.

…

Brilliant pics. That 9oz pad is teeny tiny. You were lucky to get a 13oz regular too! Surely you don't need such a big fat pad when you've got a teeny tiny 9oz one? (hint: sell the regular to me!)

I wish someone would do this with packs. Actually, I wish we could see more of this kind of direct comparison photo in BPL reviews. It would be really useful!

A review by Graham Thompson (UK Trail magazine) along with reviews for other similar mats is now online.

Review seems to be based on very limited testing.

NeoAir Review

> Review seems to be based on very limited testing.
very short, and with some small errors of fact too:
"The internal workings sit within a shell of silicone-treated Cordura nylon that feels nice and durable."

It is not silnylon. The coating on the outside at least is polyurethane (PU), and ditto I think on the inside.

Ah well.

Cheers

Am i the only one who is waiting for a small boy to shout that the Emperor is naked?

It really depends what you are looking after.
For me its not the ultimate pad, but at least its a comfortable, with a not too bad weight and very small volume 3 seasons pad.

I cannot get good sleep over any foam pad i have tried :
Ridgerest, artiach light, GG thinlight and even the 3 together in very cold temperatures.
Its not the R value its just that my old back cannot rest on that.

I tried the BPL torsolite, the padding was sufficient, but i move too much while sleeping to get a good night sleep on it.

For just a little more weight i get the neoair, thats good enough for sleeping, but i hesitated a lot with the new prolite.

I've now used the NeoAir Regular a dozen times and I find it very comfortable. The low weight and low packed size are great too.

I don't dispute that it is very comfortable, and packs away small and light. The price is way too high for an air-mat in my opinion though.
I've got this mental picture of a team from Cascade Designs around a table discussing how to get away with charging such a high price.
You know how witch doctors throw a pile of bones and some animal blood to mesmerize their audience before casting a spell?
I can't help feeling that similar technical mumbo-jumbo was used here.
Just my opinion.

I remember seeing a TV documentary where supermarket products weren't selling in the 'budget-brand' labelling. They were re-labelled and priced high, as some folk won't buy things if they are too cheap. They associate high price with high quality,

Being the gear freak that i am, i'll probably give in and buy one eventually! :)

The price is very high but if people will pay it ….

However the mat is much, much more comfortable than a heavier standard Therm-A-Rest.

That said, I'm taking a closed cell foam mat on the TGO Challenge 'cos it still weighs less and I can chuck it down anywhere.

Mmm, yes. I know what you mean. I am pretty sure they call it 'target' pricing – what the witch doctors are doing – make sure your price is high enough to get a profit and then not too high that people won't buy it.

The other, 'premium' pricing. Just tapping into that little thing called the human psyche and I am all sure we have bought based on it, at one time or another.

Maybe their research and development costs were huge but honestly I am with you, I reckon a good deal of the price is based on a target.

I'll be waiting for the BPL review first.

Man just thinking about getting a regular neo air for the wife and a short one for me sounds so nice. But oh the price and my terrible luck with deflating inflateables…

Seeing that this thread is at 16+ pages and the early production runs sold out within days I would say the comany's research/development, witch doctors and marketing all hit home runs. I would guess there will be performance bonuses all around.

Very easy to deflate. No problem. Takes about 60 seconds and you can you get it to the same size as it was when you bought it new.

Well, they did have to build new machines and new machine technology to create the pads. And these machines are located in the US. Plus there was over 5 years of research involved. I'm not sure they're making any more profit on these than any other of their pads.

How can they justify a simple inflatable air-pad being more expensive than an Exped Downmat?

I think this has been a superb piece of marketing. :)

nm

True, but alas no $500 shelters for me either!

And by deflating above I meant from wearing a hole in the pad or puncturing it. :(

It isn't just the price David. I don't mind spending if i feel it's worth it. I just don't like the feeling that i'm being taken for a ride, and that's the feeling i get here.

(no offense intended Mike – good-natured tone)' don't mean to take away the 'feeling,' but perhaps if you tried to make one yourself and then shared your experience and results, that might help us all appreciate the price. I certainly wish it cost less, but when I think about what goes into a product like that, how many people derive a living off of it's combined proceeds and the amount of time and specialized equipment involved…I can understand. Just as a mental exercise, let's assume you could make one in a regular work day. Now consider how much you make in wages or salary in a day + how much the materials would cost (nevermind proper equipment) and the time you would spend sourcing them, picking them up + the petro spent and/or + shipping and you start to get a slightly softer perspective on what goes into the things we use on a daily basis.

I really appreciate and enjoy all of the MYOG we get to see here from many members, but I also appreciate what goes into many of the products from our smaller and our larger gear producers as well. I certainly wouldn't be able to enjoy all of the gear that I do if I were making it all myself and even the most talented seamstress would be limited by their own ideas, or lack thereof. When I think of the trial and error process, the inherent frustrations, etc.. I have a lot of respect for all of the people who contribute to our 'closets.'

I'm building a house right now and I used to balk at the thought of paying others to do what I thought I could do just as well…but alas, it would take me 5 years to do the same thing that can be done in 6 months with collaboration.

nm

I'm curious if the Neo-Air is durable enough to use regularly with a chair-kit.

Has anyone tried this or at least formulated an opinion on it?

It was classic marketing hype with the pad. Flood the market with previews and publicity shots. Create a demand before the product goes on sale, then feed the product in slowly to keep it at the top of the gossip pile.

I'm not having a go at the pad. It's probably a very good product.
It's still only an inflatable pad though, and i can't see why it is 2 or 3 times more expensive than other inflatable pads.

I look at my Exped Downmat, and i can see why it is expensive. A fair amount of down, an inbuilt pump valve etc. I can't see why the NeoAir is so expensive.

I have a Big Agnes Cyclone SL chair kit that I intend to try it with, be it durable enough or not. Some people have used the BA Clearview pad with it and I would venture to guess that the NeoAir is a tad stronger than that.

nm