New Thermarest

**rigidpsycho** · 08-03-2008, 12:52

Just found this over on SGT ROCK's Site and thought I'd share with you guys.

Now introducing the new http://hikinghq.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2794.

**slowhike** · 08-03-2008, 23:03

That does look interesting. Four sizes to chose from too.
I believe it said it would be available in April 2009.

**FanaticFringer** · 08-04-2008, 10:55

There's a good thread on it over at Whiteblaze.

**headchange4u** · 08-04-2008, 11:16

Interesting. They say the pad uses a "reflective layer". I bet it's something like one of those windshield sun reflectors or the Reflextex sold at Lowe's.

**rigidpsycho** · 08-04-2008, 15:43

yeah, but did you notice the name NEOAIR

**slowhike** · 08-04-2008, 21:03

Originally Posted by rigidpsycho

yeah, but did you notice the name NEOAIR

Yeah, but I wasn't going to say anything

**kohburn** · 08-06-2008, 07:49

basicly a space blanket with air pockets on both sides. since most downward heatloss is radiant heat and not conduction or convection this should work very well.

i particularly like how small it packs down.

**kohburn** · 08-06-2008, 07:53

"When inflated, the NeoAir mattress is warm to sleep on, thanks to a patent-pending Reflective Barrier that reflects heat back to the user’s body and blocks cold from the ground. A second patent-pending technology, the Triangular Core Matrix, contributes to the warmth by creating a multitude of air cells that minimize air movement and convective cooling. This matrix also creates an internal truss system that virtually eliminates the instability generally found on large tube-based air mattresses and assures that the user will shift less while resting comfortably on a 2.5 inch-thick mattress."

from http://www.snewsnet.com/cgi-bin/snews/12378.html

**Youngblood** · 08-06-2008, 10:33

It might be a little early to comment on how well this product performs. It is using some variations on how insulation has been done and I'm not sure how well the internal reflective barrier works. It is extremely light weight, especially considering all the internal structure with all the compartmentalization. I read somewhere about an R-value of 2.5. I don't think R-values are appropriate when talking about reflective barriers so I don't what to think about that R-value rating... does it sleep better, worse or about like what you would expect from a pad where its conductive heat transfer measured an R-value of 2.5? An R-value of 2.2 is about what a ProLite 3 has, which is basically a summer pad. No doubt the 2.5" will be a whole lot more cushy than the 1" the ProLite 3 has on the ground and maybe in a hammock. Still lots of unknowns to me about durability and insulating capability.

For comparisons, I would expect a DAM of that size to have an R-value of over 2x that but not be 2x heavier. So how earth shattering this is, is yet to be determined IMO. Most of the weight of a DAM is in the structure to hold the down and if you have that it seems silly not to just fill it up with down because the down is so light. You do need to inflate a DAM with dry air (don't orally blow it up) but that might not be such a bad idea with any air mat that isn't self inflating. There are some issues when moisture is allowed to set in a contained space. The inflation sacks for DAMs have a 3 or 4 ounce penalty.