Neoair Uberlite

More gearlists I’ve seen with the Uberlite pair it with a foam pad for protection (usually the GG thinpad), but that brings the weight almost back to the same sized XLite with less hassle.

I’ll stick with Xlite unless I do more tropical trips (hope the Uberlite gets more durable in the meantime … maybe by their  3rd or 4th models?).

I had one of the first Neoair mattresses in Nevada and returned it after one night at 9,000 ft.

1.too noisy  2.deflated too much when temps went from 78 F. to 40 F. by morning 3.not fun to inflate my mouth at 9,000 ft.

So I went back to my Thermarest Pro-Lite for several years. Then I bought an REI FLASH Insulated 3 season air mattress (15 oz. R 3.7) and a computable Sea to Summit inflation/dry bag.  1.not noisy  2.inflatable by bag, not mouth – and also 3.less money.

So yeah, my FLASH mattress is heavier than the Uberlite but it’s warmer and I often camp at higher altitudes where it gets pretty cold even in August.

I returned the uberlite cause it was too slippery. And the reviews scared me.

My xlite isn’t slippery at all. Almost tacky.

@hknewman

It packs down smaller. Nothings perfect though.

I have no complaints after using my Uberlite on a dozen or so trips- it’s light, low volume and decently warm.  I’ve had no issues w/ durability and don’t use any additional pad with it.

If I had to choose just one pad, I’d choose my Xtherm, but since I don’t- it’s nice to have the Uberlite for trips where low weight/volume are priorities (and it’s not overly cold)

Perfect for me to carry as a backup in case i have to sleep on the ground..i even carry the large size..

As a general statement about sleeping pads and the often heard complaint that they “leaked” overnight.

The laws of physical reality are unavoidable: Air contracts when it cools. So, if you blow up your pad with your breath (warm air, and humid), if you place your pad on the snow and/or if it gets cold later into the night, the air in the pad will contract as it cools. It might seem like the pad lost some air, but it didn’t, and it is not the fault of the pad. Of course, there ARE cases of actual leaks, but I have this suspicion that a large number of “leak” complaints are just the laws of physics in action.

Here’s what my wife and I have learned to do, especially when camping on the snow, but it also works on any  cool/cold night:

Inflate our pads a couple of hours before we turn in for the night. That gives the air in the pads a chance to cool down and contract. Then, just before bed we add in a little extra air.

We find that if we do this our pads don’t noticeably sag by morning.

And, we never use our breath, we use a pump sack (Exped Schnozzle). Putting warm air (your breath) into a pad almost guarantees your pad will sag overnight if the weather is cool/cold. And, of course, putting moisture into a pad is good to avoid.