Neo Air

Posted by: TWISTEDLIM

Neo Air - 06/10/10 07:59 AM

Finally a good nights sleep. Worth every cent for those on the fence. Only problem is it does not work worth a darn as a chair.
Posted by: Trailrunner

Re: Neo Air - 06/10/10 01:02 PM

Yep, it's a good piece of kit. Not revolutionary but certainly evolutionary. And I do sleep very, very well on my Neo.
Posted by: PTLateHIker

Re: Neo Air - 06/10/10 01:28 PM

Hmm - I've been using it as a chair with the delicate and much criticized Big Agnes Cyclone SL. Super comfortable and warmer than the Clearview I was using before.
Posted by: Glenn

Re: Neo Air - 06/10/10 02:40 PM

What don't you like about it as a chair?

I've used it, with the Compack chair kit, without any problems. My only nit to pick is that it's a nuisance having to blow it up and deflate it at lunch stops, then repeat the whole process in camp. Not enough of a nuisance to make me leave the chair behind, but annoying in the why-does-smoke-follow-me-around-the-fire kind of way.

The only other nuisance factor is that you have to take it in and out of the chair to sleep. I solved this by using the chair upside down, and letting the pad extend fully out the open end. I (Karol) sewed a piece of silnylon onto the chair, so the pad would be protected a bit from the dirt. Doesn't work too bad. The put-in, take-out factor is enough to make me leave the chair behind on a couple of trips so far.
Posted by: OregonMouse

Re: Neo Air - 06/10/10 04:30 PM

OK, a dissenting voice here.

I worked really hard at convincing myself that the NeoAir was just fine because of my attraction to the weight savings. After using it on several trips, I realized that the NeoAir, mostly thanks to its many horizontal tubes, was not nearly as comfortable as my POE Ether Thermo (of which I have an older version). I had a really hard time finding the "sweet spot" between too hard and so soft that my hip bone touched the ground. The thing also kept "bucking me off"--every time I turned over (which I do a lot of), I'd find myself on the ground. My POE pad is much easier to adjust to the correct (for me) amount of air (probably due to the larger tubes) and the outside tubes keep me from rolling off. Finally, I got cold on the NeoAir at 40 degrees F. Below that I had to use a supplemental pad, which put paid to any real weight savings over my POE insulated pad. Regulars on this forum (such as Glenn) have read my account of attempting to use it with a light CCF pad on a 18*F early October night! I am definitely a cold sleeper, but even for a warm sleeper I wouldn't recommend the NeoAir where there's any chance of its getting below freezing (a frequent happening even in midsummer in some of the areas in which I backpack).

Of course each of us has his/her own individual sleep style, about as individual as shoe size or pack size. But judging from the large number of slightly used NeoAirs I see on sale on various forums, it appears I'm not the only one who has decided it's not for me!
Posted by: MarkNM

Re: Neo Air - 06/10/10 04:41 PM

I prefer my BA insulated Air core...i tried out the neo but wasn't sold on it for the extra cash
Posted by: balzaccom

Re: Neo Air - 06/11/10 01:14 AM

I'm sold on mine. I held on to my tried and true Zrest....until I slept on my wife's Neo Air. Now I really do sleep better. Totally worth it for me.

Posted by: countr21

Re: Neo Air - 06/14/10 02:27 AM

I've recently done two 3-day trips with mine, and love it. Just like the Big Agnes, but quite a bit lighter. And I never slip around like I used to on my (original) BA Air Core.
Posted by: Glenn

Re: Neo Air - 06/14/10 06:58 AM

I think you've hit on it: individual sleep style matters a lot. I like mine; I find it more comfortable than the BA Insulated Air Core it replaced. I can't comment on "warmer" since I've not yet had it out in 20-degree temperatures - and I'm concerned enough that my first such experience with it will be when I'm car-camped, with a closed-cell pad in the car if I need it. I know the BA IAC was a failure at 25 degrees - the cold from the ground came through it like it wasn't there.

However, for me, the all around champ (balancing light weight, comfort, warmth, versatility, puncture-resistance, and convenience) is still the 1.5 inch Thermarest light (through various incarnations of Ultralight, Prolite 4, and Prolite Plus.) It didn't win any of the categories hands down, but if I rated all my pads across all the categories, it won.

The main reason I carry the NeoAir instead of Prolite now is weight and comfort. It's not as good a chair (though it's not too bad), and it's not as convenient to inflate (or to insert in that chair kit.) But, at least for now, I'll put up with the lesser versatility and convenience to get half a pound or so off my back.
Posted by: hikerduane

Re: Neo Air - 06/14/10 11:53 AM

I've said it many times before on other like posts, I've used my small in single digit temps on unfrozen ground, on snow with a CCP underneath from freezing temps down into the teens with minimal issues.
Posted by: OregonMouse

Re: Neo Air - 06/14/10 02:54 PM

I'll say it again--adding a 3/8 to 1/2 inch CCF pad to the NeoAir basically negates any weight savings!
Posted by: frediver

Re: Neo Air - 06/14/10 03:28 PM

Well that depends how you compare wt. savings.
If you are going to compare it to a 3in thick
traditional therm-a-rest ( do they even make one )
then I you are still saving weight and have better
insulation.

I do have one question:
Where do people find the money to pay for a $140.00
air pad?
Posted by: lori

Re: Neo Air - 06/14/10 03:43 PM

The same place I find the money to get a high quality down bag/jacket - the gear gets used often enough that they will be less expensive and more appreciated over the long term.

To break it down:
I go out all year, at least one overnight every month. My NeoAir is good without the spare foam pad for most of the year since I don't winter camp (I go to lower elevation trails instead of busting out the snowshoes). I've been down to the low 20F range and been fine with it. My hips aren't sore in the morning and don't hit the ground through the pad, which they did often on the 1.5" Thermarest I had before.

It's worth every penny for those reasons. Just like good down gear that will last for decades and compresses quite small and keeps me warm and toasty is worth every penny.

If you go once a year, and don't care about weight, it makes far more sense to get a cheaper bag and cheaper pad.
Posted by: Glenn

Re: Neo Air - 06/14/10 03:46 PM

Don't know about anyone else, but camping gear became a lot more affordable once the kids were through school and self-supporting, and the mortgage was paid off. It doesn't hurt that I don't smoke, drink, gamble, or have additional expensive hobbies. (I play golf, but my golf gear is no way in as good a shape as my hiking gear.)

Empty nesting is vastly underrated - it's like dating, except this time you have money.
Posted by: Rick_D

Re: Neo Air - 06/14/10 05:18 PM

Agreed. My backpacking expenses make it my cheapest hobby, no matter how much gear and clothing I accumulate. And adjusting for inflation, good gear has never been cheaper than it is today.

On my drives up the hill to go hiking, I like to compare imaginary budgets with the goobers hauling their custom off-road rigs with their turbodiesel eff-two-fiddys, or the retirees avec gigantic are-vees towing Lexus ess-you-vees.

Of course, we're the "elitists."

Yup, backpacking is a cheap hobby/sport/lifestyle. and money spent in pursuit of a good night's sleep is money well spent.
Posted by: hikerduane

Re: Neo Air - 06/14/10 07:04 PM

You are right OM, not much of a savings at least in the winter, but, it is all about bulk too. My NeoAir can go in the pack and the CCF pad tied on outside, don't want to do that with the Exped DAM. Plus, push comes to shove, the CCF can double as a sit pad if I forget my GG sit pad.
Posted by: Tangohkr

Re: Neo Air - 06/14/10 09:30 PM

The sales person at my local hiking shop just told me they have changed the Neoair (upgraded) and the new ones will be out next year.
Posted by: OregonMouse

Re: Neo Air - 06/14/10 10:17 PM

Not a weight saving even in the summer, because nights are often below 40*F and can easily get below freezing in the high mountains in the summer. So I'd have to take a 3/8 to 1/2" pad almost all the time.

I am comparing the weight (and comfort) of the NeoAir to a standard insulated air pad, such as the POE Ether Thermo and the BA Insulated air pad, which are the alternatives if you want a 2 1/2" thick air pad. I haven't been able to use a self-inflating pad for years--my hips have gotten more and more pressure sensitive.

How does one afford the NeoAir, assuming you would want it? REI has 20% off coupons several times per year, and allows you to return the thing even if you've used it on a couple of trips. Short size pad plus the 20% off coupon put it under $100.

I expect my next pad, once my POE pad dies, will be a custom down-filled pad, probably 3 inches thick, from Kooka Bay.
Posted by: hikerduane

Re: Neo Air - 06/14/10 11:11 PM

Well young lady, I'm not warm blooded, super warm, or a meaty guy, so I'm surprised the NeoAir works for me even in single digits on unfrozen ground. As for affording one, no mortgage, kids or revolving credit card payments for an over extended debt:) work for me. My credit card gets paid off every month. I'm not upwardly mobile, but I can get new stuff once in awhile. I may get what you have when I need a new pad, we'll see.
Posted by: lori

Re: Neo Air - 06/14/10 11:34 PM

I got a price quote from Kooka Bay on a custom job.

I can buy two more NeoAirs and a new pillow for that...
Posted by: MarkNM

Re: Neo Air - 06/15/10 12:13 PM

Originally Posted By Glenn
Don't know about anyone else, but camping gear became a lot more affordable once the kids were through school and self-supporting, and the mortgage was paid off. It doesn't hurt that I don't smoke, drink, gamble, or have additional expensive hobbies. (I play golf, but my golf gear is no way in as good a shape as my hiking gear.)

Empty nesting is vastly underrated - it's like dating, except this time you have money.
27 owning my own place in northern nj, and trying to obtain nice gear is a challenge in and of it self...oh yea i gotta get food too! i like the nicer gear as well, but the neo vs the ba ins air core was easy for me
Posted by: Glenn

Re: Neo Air - 06/15/10 12:45 PM

I remember that challenge - I was trying to equip myself and my 12-year-old son at that point. We used tarps because they were cheaper than tents, and accepted that we'd be scratching the 15 or 20 mosquito bites for a week after the trip; we used ponchos because the money we saved over rainsuits paid for a couple of Camp Trails Adjustable II packs. We carried 35 or 40 pounds for the weekend because we couldn't afford all the nice, light North Face, Kelty, Gregory, Lowe, and Marmot stuff. The money had to go to everyday bills, instead. We did dream, though! smile

Making cost a priority, and making choices about gear based on a budget is absolutely proper. The nice thing is that, nowadays, it's getting harder to find really crappy gear among even the lower-priced stuff. Prices now tend to reflect weight and gee-whiz function, not overall quality differences.

Good, functional gear has always been possible; high-end gear has been a luxury I could only afford over the last 10 years or so. I've enjoyed it, but I've never forgotten that high-end is not the only valid choice, nor is it remotely essential to enjoying being in the woods and mountains.
Posted by: JimmyTH

Re: Neo Air - 06/15/10 01:05 PM

I'm still waiting for that time when I can play with the high end gear, all my stuff is bargain bin. I've noticed that low end stuff has gotten a lot better over the years, though, even what you'd think was cheap import garbage is often very well made now. You just have to be critical, try to break things in the store if possible (I've tugged on a few suspicious seams and rivets in that way and quietly put stuff back on the shelf). I'm not real sure I'd ever go for the best gear out there, might think differently if I was going to the Himalayas.

JimmyTH
Posted by: frediver

Re: Neo Air - 06/15/10 03:38 PM

I guess I'm just cheap, I am equating a $140.00 air pad to $150.00 tenni-runners that might only cost $10.00 to produce,
Successful Advertising !
When I bought my airpads I got them on sale for <$45.00 ea., 2 years ago, insulated and non-insulated versions.
I wonder how effective a non-neo pad might be if it was backed by a layer of needle punch reflective insulation, reflective nylon or just a space blanket?
Posted by: Tangohkr

Re: Neo Air - 06/25/10 08:56 PM

I bought a cheap (from Wally World) soft, foldable car windshield sun reflector. Very light and kept me warmer than the Neo by itself. Can't prove that because I haven't been in the low temps without the reflector, but I felt better.
Posted by: Kent W

Re: Neo Air - 06/25/10 09:30 PM

I did not bye a neo air but a 79.00 Thermarest prolight. I cannot rave enough about it I slept like a baby this pad. Sleep is one thing hard to put a price on. I did roll off pad one night at 22 degrees, I woke fast from the cold and shifted back on. Neo air has allot of mixed reveiws and scard me off. Cheaper pads from wally world Dicks sporting etc come at a price. Sweat bye day to haul, as they are heavyer! With exception 5.99 Blue closed cell foam pad at wally world. However, I cannot sleep on this pad, Hence, Thermarest! Happy Trails
Posted by: frediver

Re: Neo Air - 06/26/10 02:55 PM

Why not just cruise the various outlets and sales to find a 2.5in
blow up air pad at a price you are willing to pay, often under <$50.00, then put this air pad on top of a reflector surface.
BTW I have seen insulated blow up pads for <$50.00 as well.

I'm not trying to ding on the Neo-Air specifically but more on the idea of a $150.00 air pad of any sort.
BackPacking at one time was a reasonably priced activity that
anyone could undertake without a second mortgage to purchase necessary or even nice equipment. Inflation does not account for the heavy price increases I have seen over the years.
Prices will continue to go up as long as we are willing to pay them.
Posted by: jps1021

Re: Neo Air - 06/27/10 05:27 AM

For as light as it will be and as well as it will work, I'll gladly pay the $150. Right now I use a Big Agnes Insulated Air Core Mummy with my bivy setup. It's great, but at 1 lb 8 oz, I can cut 10 oz off my trail weight with the Neo Air. Unfortunately, regular rectangular pads are too wide at the foot of the bivy and just won't work, so I haven't bought a Neo yet.

I do have a question for everyone though:

Has anyone heard any news of a version of the Neo Air that will be shaped like the ProLite? Those do work with the bivy, but I bottom out on them. And I'm not a fan of waking up with a stiff hip. Just not thick enough at 1.5"
Posted by: Rick_D

Re: Neo Air - 06/27/10 02:13 PM

Ive read a rumor that the NeoAir will have a 2011 makeover, but nothing more than just that.

Have you considered a short NeoAir in your bivy? Guaranteed fit and even more of a weight and space savings. I use a small and add a pillow (of clothing in a stuff sack) and if needed (seldom) something under my feet. It's important to know the NeoAir is more comfortable when inflated less than a BA/POE. I'll guess even a regular could work in a bivy given the lower air pressure needed.

Cheers,


Originally Posted By jps1021
I do have a question for everyone though:

Has anyone heard any news of a version of the Neo Air that will be shaped like the ProLite? Those do work with the bivy, but I bottom out on them. And I'm not a fan of waking up with a stiff hip. Just not thick enough at 1.5"
Posted by: hikerduane

Re: Neo Air - 06/27/10 10:08 PM

I have hip and shoulder issues when sleeping on the ground. After cutting, splitting and stacking firewood, getting the garden in, squatting to pull plant, pull weeds, by the time bping season is going full bore, my body is aching. The small NeoAir works great for me, I'm 6', my lower legs hang off the end, but I can put my empty pack under them if needed. The direction the air tubes run, work better for some me for some reason than ones running parallel with your body. I still don't sleep that good when out, but at least I ache a little less and carry less in the summer especially. Now if I would use the Gossamer Gear pad that is the support in my pack for my sleeping pad, I could shave a little more and bring my Slinglight.:)

I should add, a just retired couple from our CA group are doing the ADT and he is using a NeoAir. They have been out for three months and no word yet on it's failure or issues. They did break a tent pole and bought a new tent. They are not staying out each night, they are using motels, b&b and beds from folks asking them to spend a night.
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=9521
Posted by: jps1021

Re: Neo Air - 06/30/10 11:19 PM

Originally Posted By Rick_D


Have you considered a short NeoAir in your bivy?


No way. It's full length (regular, 72"), all the way!

Bugs my heels too much to have them on the ground. Plus, I roll, turn and move a lot through the night. That would probablly have my ankles digging the dirt, which may be even more annoying.

Well, hopefully I'll only have to wait until Spring '11?
I could just get a non-insulated AC, but not enough weight savings to justify the extra spending. The Clearviews are nice and light, but I don't know if I could trust one. Who knows, maybe the Neo won't be, but I want something reliable for the long haul, not something that is simply 'easily field servicable'!

Posted by: Glenn

Re: Neo Air - 07/01/10 05:12 PM

How tall are you? I'm 5'11", and find that the 66" NeoAir is effectively a full-lenth pad for me. I simply put my pillow on top of my shoes (or spare gear), and the pad goes from my toes to my shoulders.

I don't know if 6" less pad would make a difference in whether it fits your bivy or not.
Posted by: jps1021

Re: Neo Air - 07/01/10 11:44 PM


I'm sure the 66" pad would give a proper fit in the bivy. However, that is still the same concept, though possibly switching from feet to head, as with using a half or 3/4 size pad.

If I'm car camping, I can either use the mummy pad with the bivy or use the long rectangular BA IAC in my Eos1 or Seedhouse 2. No need to worry about weight there. But, for the other times, I'll likely be bikepacking and taking only minimal, yet quite adequate, clothing. If this is going under my head, I don't want to make a pillow out of a salty riding jersey and just-too-nasty riding shorts with chamois! sick crazy

From the first night I used the bivy over the Winter, I started sleeping without a pillow. (I used to take a full-sized bed pillow and fill the top of my Aether 60 when backpacking). But just like taking to the bivy concept, my body has been loving this flat board/pillowless setup. Just give me my OR Novo Watch Cap to keep the noggin warm thru the night (I LUV that 0.8oz thing so much I bought a spare in case I ever wear it out). Hey, Summer in Vegas, means heading to 7-10,000' and much cooler weather for the weekends ...And I'm off for the Bryce/Red Canyon area for a 4-day July 4th weekend! grin

Posted by: Glenn

Re: Neo Air - 07/02/10 06:50 AM

Personally, my pillow consists of my Dromlite 2L water bladder filled with air (the small flip-top makes a perfect inflation valve) or water. I put that on top of my hiking shoes, and find it's just the right height.

I missed the no-pillow part of your previvous post. If that's how you prefer to sleep, then you're right - nothing but the 72" will work.
Posted by: akluvitlivit

Re: Neo Air - 07/31/10 01:48 AM

I started using a NeoAir this year after using Thermarest pads for many years and I have never slept more comfortably in a tent. It really has made a noticable difference in my sleep quality and I don't have a problem rolling off of it. However, I have not used any Big Agnes pads to compare/contrast and I have not overnighted in below 30 degrees with it yet.
Posted by: CWF

Re: Neo Air - 07/31/10 11:56 AM

I have had two because the first one had a catastrophic failure in the field. The second one now has a slow leak I can't find. MSR will replace it but what an absolute pain. In regular form it is also too narrow and the sides do not hold enough pressure. No surprisingly, MSR is coming out with a version with stiffer sidewalls next year.

Much like the Hyperflow, I believe this product simply needs more design work.

I am not sure what my next pad will be - still searching.
Posted by: Tangohkr

Re: Neo Air - 08/01/10 02:33 PM

I really like my Neo Air. I do have to sleep on the wrong side of it, the silver side. I move around at night and when I slept on the greenish side I'd move but my bag stayed put so I turned the pad over and now it works for me. I also carried a foldable (soft) silver car windshield sun blocker to put under the pad, for Alaska, but I didn't need it, the temps were pretty mild. Never had nor slept on a BA so I can't compare.
Posted by: BradMT

Re: Neo Air - 08/03/10 08:47 AM

My wife just got a Large NeoAir for our 25th Anniversary... she's thrilled with it. She normally doesn't sleep all that great when we backpack. On her last trip she slept great. Far more comfortable than her horizontal baffled air mattress.

I'm next in line to get one...
Posted by: CWF

Re: Neo Air - 08/03/10 12:37 PM

Another failure: http://www.trailspace.com/gear/therm-a-rest/neoair/review/20456/
Posted by: sabre11004

Re: Neo Air - 08/03/10 06:05 PM

I just do not see how any body could sleep on the neo-air with the amount of nose that it makes. I couldn't handle it and gave mine to a friend... thanks
Posted by: OldScout

Nose???? - 08/03/10 08:00 PM

What kind of nose does it have???? Having once lived in the Napa Valley, we spoke of wine "having a good nose" not to mention "having good legs." (Don't feel the need to answer. It's late and I couldn't help myself. I'll log off now.)
Posted by: Franco

Re: Nose???? - 08/03/10 08:34 PM

When I bought mine, in Seattle, having demonstrated the mat to my two companions, they promptly bought one too.
We all had a mat for the walk but I could not resist the price, well below staff price here in Australia.(M size RRP $300)
The first morning as my mates got out of their shelters I asked about it. They were very happy with it.
So I asked "what about the noise ?"
They both replayed " what noise ?"
(no it does not bother me either...)
Franco
Posted by: ringtail

Re: Nose???? - 08/04/10 09:19 AM

Some people might say if the noise bothers you then you are not making your miles. lame sorry
Posted by: BrianLe

Re: Neo Air - 08/04/10 10:47 AM

CWF said:
"I have had two because the first one had a catastrophic failure in the field ..."

Interesting, that. I thru-hiked the AT with a 72" neo-air this year and it's still in great shape, nary a leak (slow or fast).

In fact, I've never had any sort of leak from an inflatable, and I attribute this to always putting at least a thin ccf pad underneath the inflatable. On the AT this year I used just a 1/8" gossamer gear ccf pad underneath --- initially in part for thermal protection in the snow down south in Feb/March, and later as a pretty lightweight way to protect the pad from anything sharp on shelter floors or on the ground. I'm also somewhat careful too when rolling up the 1/8" pad to feel for any sharp bits of debris that might embed itself in the ccf pad and poke the neo-air later. Not really much effort, just a habit in putting things away in the morning.

I'm not saying that this approach guarantees a leak-proof pad, just saying that I used mine for months this year and it's still a firm pad in the morning after each nights sleep.

As to noise --- either I'm totally accustomed to it by now, or maybe after enough uses it gets a bit less noisy as I don't even think about that.

The neo-air still seems like a great piece of gear to me, just heavier than I like in the full length format. I'm considering the torso-length version for the CDT next year but might just stick with the full-length, dunno yet.
Posted by: phat

Re: Neo Air - 08/04/10 10:53 AM

Originally Posted By BrianLe
C
The neo-air still seems like a great piece of gear to me, just heavier than I like in the full length format. I'm considering the torso-length version for the CDT next year but might just stick with the full-length, dunno yet.


Interesting, See that was my take on it too - and up here, MEC only carries the full length. I recently needed a light pad for a trip and after toying with the idea of the neo-air I bought a torso length prolite plus for the same weight as the full length neo-air - My main concern here being durability as if I'm on the ground (as opposed to hammocking) I'm in some pretty gnarly places.

Posted by: hikerduane

Re: Neo Air - 08/06/10 01:43 AM

Three of us were having a little mild humor over noise comments we had all read about. I just got back from 6 days in the Wind River Range and was having a break with two other bpers who I had ust met at a junction. They both had NeoAir's also. What noise? It has been over a year since I received my replacement short NeoAir and it seems they make some noise the first time inflating or somewhere in the very early stages. I know for a fact, that other brands make more noise when being used, I was on a trip to the Lost Coast last year and one of our party had a very noisy one, can't recall the brand so I won't libel it. Like other manufacturers, they have had some leaky ones also and my first one had a really slow leak.

I started a thread last Fall on the NeoAir and commented that mine had worked fine in single digit temps on dry sand/dirt. I know it was that cold due to the ice on the slow moving creek. No other pad was used under it like I would for winter camping.