NeoAir Xlite or Exped UL7

Pretty much personal preference I think. I LOVE the Exped mats for their comfort and am willing to sacrifice 100 grams or so for it.

Durability they should be fairly similar, although having felt both I would actually tip the scales for the Neoair. It feels like a really tough plasticky sil-nylon, whereas the Exped has a much softer touch and doesn't *feel* quite as burly.

I went through this recently and bought an Exped.

For what it's worth, I picked it because:

1. The raised sides on the Exped help stop me rolling off. I compared in a very helpful store (sometimes it's worth paying full price), and the Exped was better.

2. The BPL State of the Market report on airbeds says the Exped is warmer *with the weight of a person on it*. It seems mats filled with insulation don't lose so much R value when compressed as mats filled with air.

I'm happy with it so far. It's nice knowing I can let a little air out for a more shapable mat and it won't hurt the insulation so much.

Re reliablity: I found tales of occasional failure for both — if a mattress fails in the forest, a blogger will write about it. I didn't get a clear sense of either being better.

My one caveat about the Exped is that it doesn't come with any kind of pump, and they recommend against blowing into it (damp breath + insulation –> mould). I bought a schnozzle, they have a pillow pump and a basic pump too.

Both are pretty good.

But this IS BPL. The Xlite is substantially lighter, almost 1/4 lb in regular length. Thats a big deal to people that want to say they have a X base weight.

I have no experience with the exped. I thought I wanted it at first, but the weight of the xlite won out. I have no complaints, its very comfy, takes literally about 60 seconds to blow up, 18 breaths.

If you are slight build, you dont need to worry about the sizing difference.

I use a cuben groundsheet, which is fairly puncture resistant. This alone is enough protection for the air mattress with good site selection. But I also have a 1/8×60"CCF pad (2.5oz) with me I use under it too. I use the CCF for sitting and lying on ground, kneeling to pack pack, folded as a sit cushion on rocks, etc. I would have it with me regardless of what pad I had. It also gives some kind of padding should the air pad fail in middle of night.

I have used both. The Exped UL7 downmat is the cadillac of mats, but is more expensive and heavier. Warmer, thicker and more comfortable, but you have to carry it the extra weight.

I bought the Exped for winter use but it was so comfortable I use it year round and bought a second for my son. Crazy expensive but great gear.

Derrick

Chris is referring to the UL Synmat 7, not downmat. According to specs, the difference in weight is less than 3 oz for measurable increases in durability. This may be BPL, but it isn't Backpacking with unreliable gear and the NeoAir was unreliable for me (twice).

Chris, the Exped is good to -4C for me and past that it does a less good job at mitigating convective heat loss but it is not like it is a massive drop off. It is gradual and using your Valendre, you would likely be warm below that without a supplementary pad.

I did find the NeoAir a little more comfortable although it is functionally narrower. Of course, this is when it stayed inflated. The NeoAir seemed to be very sensitive to how much air it had in it with respect to maximizing R-value. In other words, you had to blow it up to the max to maximize warmth. Compared to the Exped, I have found this not to be the case.

Not sure what you term "measurable increases in durability".

The xlite is 30d

The symant UL7 is 20d

Technically, the UL7 is the less durable pad, almost 1/4 lb heavier, and you cannot blow it up by mouth.

If you want more durable, the Xtherm is about the same wt as the UL7, has a 70D bottom, and highest R value of any. I would choose it over the UL7 for the same weight.

The main thing the exped has going for it IMO is the slightly wider width, and the bigger area (not rounded and tapered).

Easy to find users of both online that failed badly, as well as users of both that used thiers for complete thru hikes without issues. Failures are sporadic manufacturing defects due to pushing the limit of design with the light materials and coatings, or user error, not inherent design flaws.

In any case I think they are both good pads, and cannot wait to see what the next generation of these pads brings.

I use the same technique as M B: I carry a thin CCF pad that I use under the inflatable. In my case it is the NeoAir, but I would do the same with the Exped. As he mentioned, this adds a bit of protection, warmth and insurance (should the inflatable fail) while doing double duty as a sit pad.

MB – I have blown out two NeoAir pads after very little use. The Exped is two years old without issue.

The Xtherm would be a great pad….if the baffles didn't keep delaminating.

my philosophy with these items is, buy it only from somewhere that will take it back no questions asked, any time.

I have had no issues with my xlite yet, but if I do I expect replacement to be easy. I hope yours was.

Was it the translucent or opaque version? The 2013 model is the opaque and I think has registered a lot fewer complaints than the translucent.

In any case, there will be a new, lighter, better pad out every couple of years.

I know its contrary to what people want to think when they spend $200 on a gear item, but you are paying for leading edge equipment, not lifetime durable equipment. Due to degradation of materials, degradation of adhesives, degradation of coatings, it will one day fail. Most gear has a fixed life span , and it is quite short, under a decade is quite common, even without use. Even if gear doesnt fail, it will be replaced by the newer better product in only a few yrs.

I had an older heavy inflatable thermarest camping pad fail on me last yr after several years of non-use. The fabric delaminated from the foam, half of it became one huge balloon. I didnt cry that it was poor quality. After 10 years or so, it wasnt totally unexpected.

On a recent trip my UL7 LW began to lose air, and I thought it had got a leak. Close scrutiny revealed no apparent leak on the mattress fabric. So, I decided to read the repair instructions, which mentioned the possibility of an air valve mis-seating. I checked and found a tiny bit of the synthetic insulation was interfering with a valve. Clearing it out fixed the problem, happily. I was not expecting a field repair to be fun or even successful.

First, thank you all for the comments attributed to hands on use. Looking at each pad individually, I like features of each (Exped UL7 slightly larger usable width; NeoAir Women's weight; NeoAir xTherm rValue, 70D bottom, and roughly same weight as the UL7).
It appears in terms of durability, some have had luck with one and failure with another and vice versa…..so technically it is a wash and I just need to take the plunge so to speak.