New NeoAir Xlite and NeoAir Xtherm

Just great – I'm just getting over the wallet dent of my beloved NeoAir and now something newer and better.

Any come in a wide? Xlite? Or are they in on perpetuating the myth that nobody needs more than 20"?

I was about to buy a NeoAir. I think I might hold out.

Do this means a x lite small will weigh 8 ounces ? If so my wallets going on a diet again

Here's the link where I got the info. There is another pic and some info on accessories as well. It's kinda embarrassing to us UL geeks that this info has been out for 3 weeks now before we're really learning about it.
http://www.thegearcaster.com/the_gearcaster/2011/07/therm-a-rest-neoair-gets-warmer-and-lighter.html

These are supposed to go on sale in January.

All I know about sizing is that under pricing it says it ranges from Small to Large. So if you want a wide one, you could opt for the large and just deal with the extra length (or shorten it)

Presumably the small NeoAir Xlite will weigh 8oz. My regular NeoAir small is 9.2oz (66% of the regular size weight), so using that ratio the Xlite small should weigh about 7.9oz. That's nice and light, although if you really want the lightest then the Klymit Xframe small is the winner at about 6oz, but it's much thinner and less warm.

Before any existing NeoAir owner suffer buyer’s remorse in the wake of the next gen NeoAir, let’s remember this is a mere 15 percent weight savings. How about I just skip a beer or a couple of cookies, there, two ounces saved! Except for the uber-fit, low body mass types in the crowd (which I know many of you are – and I salute you and your quest at SULdom), most Americans would be better off skipping the cheeseburger at lunch than worrying about two ounces on a sleeping pad.

That much said, the NeoAir X-therm would be something I’d consider for winter use. Although I am waiting (and forgive me if I missed it) for further pad testing by Roger – does anyone know if they are going to do more testing of R values with various pad and pad combinations?

I was really curious whether or not a NeoAir with a lightweight foam pad would outperform other (higher rated) R-value pads.

Dirk

I am interested in the new Jembe seat kit from Thermarest as well. Has anyone found any info on this such as whether or not it fits a 25 inch NeoAir? I found one image showing the tag and it looks like it weighs 3.8 oz. Looks like a good idea.

If the numbers hold true and I can get a 5.7 R value at that weight… I'm all over it like white on rice.

@kthompson Any come in a wide? Xlite? Or are they in on perpetuating the myth that nobody needs more than 20"?

+1

ditto

well said!

Just when people were starting to declare Thermarest dead, or certainly no longer THE backcountry mattress, the Neo line has put them far, far ahead of the pack. I really don't know what competitors are supposed to do at this point, except hope that all of us customers don't like those baffles.

Competing with the NeoAir is tough, because it seems like a pretty difficult thing to manufacture and I'm sure they have it patented pretty tightly. The little guys (ie. Kookabay) won't be able to make something like this, and other big manufacturers might be able to if they can figure a way around the patents.

Regarding width, I'm not sure the specs on the new pads, but yeah they're probably 20". I would be nice if they used that weight they trimmed off the corners and added it to the middle so it's a bit wider there.

Agreed that the weight savings from NeoAir to the new 2012 model is minimal. But that packaged with the extra r value for fall/winter backpackers (like me) give me pause. Just wish they could have waited another year since me NeoAir is less than 8 months old.

Looks like I will be borrowing my mates Prolite for another couple of trips until January.
I just hope they are in stores before January. Does anyone know any inklings of when these will hit the shelves?

Darn. I just purchased an Exped down 7 for the winter.

>> Darn. I just purchased an Exped down 7 for the winter.

I wouldn't be too sad. The Exped is a great pad. But if you're extremely tore up about it, you can send the Exped to me when you get your Neo. ;-)

The XLite is actually available right now, but only as part of a complete system.

http://cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/sleep-systems/complete-systems/category

"I am interested in the new Jembe seat kit from Thermarest as well. Has anyone found any info on this such as whether or not it fits a 25 inch NeoAir?"

Yes, the Jembe will fit a large. Here it is with my Large All Season at Moccasin Lake 11 days ago.

William…lol, no, I am NOT extremely torn up about it. I wanna give them feathers a chance to prove themselves. I am a skeptic of Neo-whatever and their claims right now.

If I upgrade I think I'll wait for the Exped UL Downmat to come out this spring. I really don't like the horizontal baffles and how noisy the thing is. That being said, these new products do look legitimately nice, just not for everyone

Hmm the link provided for the Xlite on their website does not seem to work for me.
Nor can I find it by myself on their site. How odd.

Here’s the link:

NeoAir Xlite link

Ok I found the problem. At least it looks likely it might "leak" before January.

http://www.summithut.com/products/neo-x-lite-system/

just the x-lite pad,
will be available in just over a month.
http://www.backcountrygear.com/therm-a-rest-neoair-xlite.html
to splurge or not to splurge?