REVIEW: Therm-a-Rest Z-Lite & Neoair Xtherm

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Cheap and expensive – Highend and Highend – that pretty much describes the two sleeping pads presented here. When sleeping in the great outdoors, nothing is underestimated as much as a good sleeping pad. It's no use having a top sleeping bag and then having the lack of or poor sleeping pad completely destroy the insulation from below. As already mentioned, you can spend very little or a lot of money on a sleeping pad, it always depends on what you want to do. Martin has tested the Therm-a-Rest Z-Lite and the Neoair Xtherm for you. In the budget range, the Z-Lite from Therm-a-Rest definitely falls into it (picture below in comparison with the Neoair Xtherm). It comes in a colorful civilian version and presented here in Coyote Brown/Foliage Green. The difference to a regular sleeping pad is the waffle structure. It serves multiple functions. In addition to excellent non-slip properties, it retains heat well in the indentations, which can still be folded into itself, resulting in a very good pack size – though square – not round as usual.

Weighing 410g, the sleeping pad is slightly lighter than a 1cm thick standard sleeping pad – with the Z-Lite boasting a thickness of 2cm. It is 183cm long and 51cm wide, covering a wide range of sleepers. The pack size is correspondingly 51cm wide, with a height and depth of 14cm.

The warmth rating of the Z-Lite is 2.2 R – which corresponds to a temperature range of +16° to -7°. Due to the nice folding system, the mattress can also be easily converted into a seat cushion.

CONCLUSION: Due to its low thickness, the mattress cannot be used in all four seasons, but in our latitudes, depending on the need for sleeping comfort and the surface, the mattress can be used solo from spring to autumn. You don't have to inflate anything, the mat is ready for use in a flash and clean, and the manufacturer provides a 2-year warranty.

The Z-Lite can be purchased for approximately 33 euros at e.g. www.decathlon.de.

Let's continue with the Neoair XTherm (top right). This sleeping pad is located at the higher end of the price range, but you also get a lot for it. Unlike its 80g lighter sister, the Neoair XLite, the XTherm is designed for colder months. With its four layers of heat-reflective material inside and a thickness of 6.3cm (which the XLite also has), this mattress can easily handle even the coldest nights comfortably. The outer shell is made of 30d High Tenacity Nylon on top and 70d Nylon Soft Grip on the bottom - very durable and non-slip.

 

The warmth rating of the mattress is indicated by the R value of 5.7 – which corresponds to a temperature range of +16° to -40°. For comparison, the Xlite has a warmth rating of 3.2 - that's +16 to -18°.

The mattress itself works like a traditional air mattress – only lighter and with a heat chamber system – you have to manually inflate it. You can do this with lung power or using the stuff sack, which has an opening at the bottom for that purpose. The inner part of the sack is then pulled outwards, extending the sack by 100%. Now you simply push air through the entire sack into the sleeping pad (picture above). This is a very time-consuming process, but especially in winter, it has the advantage that condensation is formed by the exhaled air, preventing frost inside the mattress.

The Xtherm is available in four different sizes (S,M, R, L), with the shape always adapted to the human form. Here is a comparison photo with the Z-Lite below (Presented in size R):

The weight of the mattress is extremely low due to its enormous thickness. The S variant weighs 264g, the M variant weighs 402g, the R variant 454g, and the L variant 518g. The weight differences naturally result from the length (and width for the L variant), so the S is 119cm long, M 168cm long, the R 183cm, and the L 196cm long. The width is 51cm for M and R, and 63cm for L. The stuff sack weighs 44g

Here is another comparison image of both mattresses to demonstrate the thickness:

Packed, the mattress has a very slim profile, in size R it's roughly the size of a Nalgene 1L bottle and measures according to the manufacturer's specifications S 23x9x9, M and R 23x10x10 cm. For the L size, it's 28x11x11 cm.

CONCLUSION: Due to the chambers, the mattress is noisy, you can hear a rustling like aluminum foil when you lie down or turn. But that is the only negative thing about it. Pack size, comfort, and thermal performance are outstanding, and if that is not enough, you can simply add a Z-Lite underneath in winter. The mattress has been tested indoors and in warmer seasons as well and still makes a good impression, you won't be additionally heated from below.

The Therm-a-Rest Neoair is available from approximately 115 € e.g. at www.Trekking-lite-store.com.