NeoAir Noise

The "Neo-Air Noise" does go away the moment you insert your ear plugs.

I don't notice anymore, did not take long. BA I believe is terrible per a trip I did on the Lost Coast, second thru fourth nights of its use.
Duane

Just remember, YOU might get use to it, but the person in the next tent isn't!

I went on a four night backpack and my friend in the next tent had one of these pads…..it was horrible…..sadly the terrain didn't allow for moving my tent away.

It bothered me in the store, but I have never really noticed it when sleeping. My significant other, on the other hand, did mention the noise of my Xlite (when I was on it).

Yep… the moment you go to sleep the noise disappears!

As for others noticing it, that is true, however, to be fair, there has been a number of nights in which I laid in a shelter, or even in my tent and had to listen to others roll around on their pads, which were not NeoAirs… it's not just the NeoAirs…

Ear plugs really work though…

>> "It bothered me in the store, but I have never really noticed it when sleeping."

I've noticed that in the field the noise is muffled a bit by the bag/quilt. It also helps to be nearly deaf in one ear like me — I can save weight by bringing only one earplug.

The noise every time I turned in the night was too much for me. I've gone to an Exped UL 7 Synmat and couldn't be happier.

The noise every time I turned in the night was too much for me. I've gone to an Exped UL 7 Synmat and couldn't be happier.

I found that I didn't mind the noise much – but found that I liked the less-noise of the Exped UL 7 Synmat, much better.
Kelly

Clearly many folks like these pads, but as a light sleeper, I cannot deal with the noise level, which strikes me as completely ridiculous. Wish I could ignore it, but I can't.

There's no way I'm going to do long term testing to find out if the noise diminishes over time, but I doubt it would be significant enough for me to consider buying one.

I hope Thermarest can hear this message over all the crinkling pads!

the noise from my hiking partner 20 yards away on one of these pads bothered me in the night…
I could never sleep on one of these.

Billy

I'm a light sleeper and generally wake at anything, but for whatever reason the NeoAir doesn't cause me wakefulness. I don't understand it.

I am a light sleeper and for some reason it does not bother me either. Also have an older version which does not make nearly as much noise.

The noise of bare sweaty skin peeling off of it was worse than the crinkling for me. Wearing a tee shirt solved that. I asked my tent mates and camp mates and without exception they said that my rolling over during the night did not bother them. I don't move much during the night though. Anyway, for me the bottom line is that the crinkling was a complete non issue.

The noise goes away after 2 -3 nights. To me it is not an issue.

> Also have an older version which does not make nearly as much noise.

Aroo? I thought the older versions were noisier? No? I thought I read somewhere that the current offering on the market is quieter than it used to be. Wrong?

I've never been bothered by my neoair noise wise. Also, earplugs really do help quality of sleep. I'm used to a fan running in the bedroom in the night and that takes some adjustment when I'm sleeping outside.

Philosophically I would prefer to not need earplugs, as the outside night noises should be familiar enough to be considered "normal". A lot more nights outside this year is a goal.

I just unboxed my new Xlite 66" pad and tried it out, rolled around on it a bit. I started to get a bit worried from what I've been reading on this thread and a few others, but the noise doesn't seem nearly as bad as what some people seem to have experienced. Of course, that's just on the floor at home. I'll have to take it out and actually sleep on it before I can make a final assessment, but it already seems no worse than the noise from the POE Elite AC or other inflatables I've tried, just a different type of sound (and it seems to be very comfortable, one of the best pads I've tried). Thankfully, I'm not a light sleeper and its pretty clear that I'll have no problems sleeping on it, but I don't want to be keeping others up either.

I just came back from an 8 day trek and was disappointed by how noisy my neoair had become over winter. I love this super comfortable pad and this is my third season of use. I don't remember it being too noisy before, but this trip it woke me up several times, and my camp mates also commented on how noisy it was, even though they were bedded at least 20 feet away.

I usually lay the pad on a cuben fiber mat but this trip I used a silnylon mat instead. Home again, we tested both substrates, and my husband and I agreed the pad makes more noise on silnylon.

Has anyone found a rub or a spray that reduces the crinkle sound? Or are there other substrates that work even better to dampen the sound?

I use a light knit wool sheet to sleep on, but that didn't solve the noise problem this trip.

If the pad noise bothers you, how are you not bothered by all the other sounds associated with sleeping outside? Seems like most people are so worried about the noise that they are listening for it and therefore making it a bigger deal than it is.

I happen to be a super light sleeper, so I HAVE to wear earplugs if I hope to get any sleep when camping/backpacking. If the pad bothers you that much, I would suggest earplugs.

I'm trying a Neo xlite small for the first time this year, since my old self inflator, doesn't. Couple things I noticed, was the firmer you make it, the quieter it is. As the warm air inside cools off at night, it gets less firm, and more noisy, so I add more air when the temp drops, but mainly just for comfort. But even so, the crinkling of a pack liner bag, disposable poncho, polycryo groundsheet, ziplock baggie, etc., is more noisy than the pad anyway, so it's rather moot IMO.

Doesn't bother me.. so comfortable.. sleep like a dead rock.

much less annoying than the thump thump thump of that big brass valve on my old BA air core when i'd roll it up in the AM. or big thump if i rolled over.

I appreciated the tip on NeoAir inflation.

This past trip the pad made sharp cracking sounds when I moved and sometimes when I didn't move and had just dozed off but the pad settled. It was nothing like the pleasant sounds of frogs chirping, brooks gurling, leaves rustling, or even my snoring camp-mates which I can sleep right through. True, after 7 nights of it, I grew accustomed to the new pad sounds, but my camp mates complained this trip that my pad was extra loud, and they haven't complained in past trips.

Anyway, I suspect three things contributed to the increased noise this trip.

First, I used the pad more under-inflated than usual. I normally pack in colder mountain climates where ground temps can be close to freezing. On this trip, I was in a warm desert climate (mid to upper 40s F at night) often sleeping on sand. I barely blew up the pad, just enough to provide some support in the hollow of my back but my hips or butt touched the ground. Under colder conditions and stony ground I inflate it quite a bit more so there is more buffer between me and the ground.

Second, I lost about 30 pounds this winter. I wanted to lose my pack weight but things were going so well that I lost a few more. I suspect my lighter body weight doesn't put as much pressure on the pad as it did before, which would have a similar effect as under-inflation.

Third, the pad lay on a silnylon ground cloth and I usually use cuben fiber. That seemed to make a small but noticeable difference when we tested both ground cloth fabrics at home.

I did not think my pad was too noisy before this trip, so when people complain about the noise they may be reporting an actual phenomenon, not their hypersensitivity to sounds. NeoAir, if you are reading this, please work on the recipe next version.

I will use the tip to inflate it somewhat more on my next trip.

Same here, I've got a new xlite and it makes a bit of noise but nothing to worry about, so maybe they have improved them.