Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Uberlite Sleeping Pad

UberLite has Uber Issues

the UberLite pad was to be one more pad to have as an option among the pads I have chopped to save grams, here is my experience.

PRO: 1.  packs down REALLY small.
PRO: 2.  Is light and may easily be cut down.
PRO: 3. Comfy, over 2” thick and good warmth.

CON:  1. Manufacturers defects and warranty issues are common

CON:  2. Slippery; slides on any slope in a tent and your bag slides off

CON: 3. Really fragile

CON: 4. May loose air without holes.

 

my story: I bought my large UberLite in 2020 and should have tested it out of the box, as it had defects from a machine that put three holes in, but I didn’t. I chopped off the bottom making it 60”long which for my 6’1” frame was perfect, it came in at 9 oz then. I sealed then end w an iron easily, then had to seal the three linear holes it came with. It leaked still, slowly, like in 4 hours. I ended up dunk tanking it for an hour and no holes showed.
I called Thermarest full well knowing I blew the warranty and I was ok w that and I just wanted  advice on it, what I got was a lot more then that; the tech and I spoke for a long time, he told tales of Many issues they have w this pad, including the fabric delaminates, fabric leaks, stem leaks, etc. He was not surprised that mine was leaking and showing no holes!
So- I do not recommend this pad- as I like good sleep and this pad is more of a liability than not.  The pad simply has too many potential issues.

Issues:

slippery: like it’s slippery on tent surfaces, it will migrate on DCF like a slip and slide. I used seam seal dots to fix and some aqua seal. Overall I would buy a xlite 5 times over this pad.

Repairs: I used this pad only 10 nights, but this was because it had so many issues it was in the repair pile more than not.

noise:  I did not find it to be loud, as some have complained about- unless you included my midnight puffing to Reinflate it!

price: it’s pricey, which if it performs I can swallow – this does not

Fragile: I also suspect but did not test this, that the material is thin and fragile enough that a pine needle can puncture- I was very very careful not to have it on any debris.

Conclusion: I like reliability- I don’t mind being careful- modding gear, etc but at the end of the day if a piece of gear has so many problems it can’t be relied on I don’t care how small or light it is if it’s just a liability that may ruin a trip, and that describes the UberLite- despite the really cool blueish color and the coke can pack size.

Model / Variant	short length, standard width
My level of backpacking experience	expert
# of days I've used this product	10
Would I recommend this product to a friend?	No