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Going backpacking doesn’t necessarily mean that you will sleep on uncomfortable sleeping pads. Thermarest provides great comfort with a very low volume, in this article, I will compare the two of the lightest backpacking sleeping pads in the company’s line, Thermarest NeoAir Uberlite vs XLite

In summary, Thermarest NeoAir Uberlite is the lightest sleeping pad on the market, and it packs down half the size of the XLite, also Uberlite is much quieter than the XLite. Thermarest NeoAir XLite on the other hand is a little bit heavier than the Uberlite but it offers better durability, insulation, and more size options.

If you’re already familiar with the two pads skip the reviews and go straight to the detailed comparison.

Thermarest NeoAir Uberlite Review

• WEIGHT: 8.8 oz / 250 gr
• PACKED SIZE: Ø 3.6″ x 6″ / Ø 9 cm x 15 cm
• R-VALUE: 2.3
• FABRIC: 15D Nylon

With an 8.8 oz of weight Thermarest NeoAir Uberlite is one of the lightest sleeping pad on the market, and not only it’s feather-light it also nearly packs down to the size of a 0.5L water bottle.

It’s perfect for summer and early spring backpacking, thru-hiking trips, since it has an R-Value of 2.3, it’s not made for cold weather camping, but still, 2.3 of R-Value while weighing only 8.8 oz is a great performance.

If you’re not familiar with the R-Value I can say that this insulation can keep you warm down to roughly 40 °F (I will get into details below at the detailed comparison section).

With its compact design and feather-like weight, Uberlite is great, but as you might guess there are some trade-offs here, it’s not the most durable air sleeping pad on the market, it’s made of low denier (15D Nylon) fabric therefore if you decide to go with the Uberlite you need to be extra careful.

And as I’ve already mentioned it’s not a sleeping pad for 4 season camping. If you’re planning to camp below 40 °F, Uberlite shouldn’t be an option for you (Uberlite can be used in cold weather only if you mix things up a little bit, I will get into this below in the insulation section).

Check the latest price of Thermarest NeoAir Uberlite on Amazon

Thermarest NeoAir XLite Review

• WEIGHT: 12 oz / 340 gr
• PACKED SIZE: Ø 4.1″ x 9″ / 23 cm x 10 cm
• R-VALUE: 4.2
• FABRIC: 30D rip HT Nylon

The big sister of Uberlite (if you will), Thermarest NeoAir XLite, strikes the perfect balance among the weight, durability and insulation.

It’s not the lightest backpacking sleeping pad on the market, but with a 12 oz of weight, it’s in the top 5. But the great thing about this sleeping pad is not its weight, it’s that it offers excellent insulation and durability even though it weighs only 12 oz.

With an R-Value of 4.2, Thermarest NeoAir XLite offers the second-highest Warmth to Weight Ratio on the market after Thermarest NeoAir XTherm (check out my review or price on Amazon). If that number doesn’t mean anything to you, a sleeping pad that has an R-Value of 4.2 can be used roughly down to 15 °F.

For the backpackers out there, NeoAir XLite packs down to Ø 4.1″ x 9″, if you can’t imagine this size, it’s roughly the size of a 1L water bottle.

Another good thing about this pad is it’s made of considerably durable material (for an air pad) therefore it offers you a great longevity for years of use.

The one con of this pad is, it makes crinkly sounds due to the insulation material used in it.

Check the latest price of Thermarest NeoAir XLite on Amazon

Detailed comparison of Uberlite vs XLite

Specifications: Uberlite vs XLite

Weight & Compactness

With an 8.8 oz of weight, Thermarest NeoAir Uberlite is the lightest high-end sleeping pad on the market, it’s the perfect option for ultralight backpacking, mountaineering trips for the summer.

On the other hand, Thermarest NeoAir XLite weighs 12 oz. Even though it’s 3.2 oz heavier than the Uberlite thanks to Thermarest’s innovative design, it’s still one of the lightest sleeping pads on the market (I have a table of other alternatives below so you can get the main idea).

If you only do summer camping and if you think you would be careful to your sleeping pad, don’t hesitate, go with the Uberlite (I said “be careful” to your sleeping pad because, Uberlite is made of low denier fabric, and it’s not exactly the best option in the durability department).

If you’re thinking of using your sleeping pad in relatively colder weathers than, in that case, XLite would be the better option for you.

But before jumping into the insulation of the pads, there is also one other department where Uberlite shines, with the dimensions of Ø 3.6″ x 6″ it roughly packs down to the size of a 0.5L water bottle.

Thermarest NeoAir XLite on the other hand packs down to Ø 4.1″ x 9″ which is 94% bigger than the Uberlite. So, I have to give credit to Uberlite, it’s the most compact sleeping pad on the market.

But to obtain that low weight and small packed size, you need to make some sacrifices. With that being said, let’s dive into the first sacrifice, Durability…

Durability

Firstly, I should mention that air sleeping pads are the least durable type of sleeping pads, they’re not the perfect choice if you want to use them outside the tent (on open ground where they can face sticks and stones).

If you think a more durable sleeping pad would be better for you, check out self-inflating sleeping pads, for backpacking I recommend Thermarest Prolite, with the weight of 18 oz, it’s the lightest self-inflating sleeping pad on the market, and it offers very cool features, you can also check out my review about Thermarest Prolite and Prolite Plus.

For our comparison, Thermarest NeoAir XLite is the clear winner, both top and bottom of its fabric are 30D rip HT Nylon (which can be considered as a very durable material for an air sleeping pad). Thermarest NeoAir Uberlite, on the other hand, is made of 15D Nylon, it’s not the best, but it does the job.

But since we’re talking about durability, I must give credit to Thermarest NeoAir XTherm, it’s top layer is 30D rip HT Nylon just as the XLite but its bottom fabric is made of 70D Nylon. It’s an extremely high denier fabric for an air pad.

There is a small trick though, in order to protect your pad from sticks and stones on the ground, you can also buy the Thermarest Z Lite foam sleeping pad (14 oz) and lay it under your air pad. Not only it will protect the sleeping pad from sharp objects it also will increase the insulation.

Insulation

In order to understand how warm a sleeping pad actually is, there’s a term called the R-Value. The higher the R-Value the more the insulation.

Here’s a quick table I’ve created for you to understand the correlation between the R-Value and the minimum temperature you can use the sleeping pad.

XLite is the clear winner for the comparison of Thermarest NeoAir Uberlite vs XLite. Uberlite offers an R-Value of 2.3 whereas the R-Value of XLite is 4.2.

If I have to put it another way, Thermarest NeoAir Uberlite can keep you warm down to 40 °F, NeoAir Xlite on the other hand can keep you warm down to 15 °F.

Therefore, Uberlite is only good for summer times, XLite on the other hand provides the versatility to be used in 3-seasons. But as I’ve mentioned above, you can always buy a foam pad separately and lay it down under the Uberlite at slightly colder seasons.

But if you think that you might be camping at extremely cold conditions, in that case, I would recommend Thermarest NeoAir XTherm (can be used down to -15 °F), with an R-Value of 6.9, it provides the highest Warmth to Weight Ratio on the market.

Below I created the table where you can compare Thermarest NeoAir series to other alternatives, so you would understand Warmth/Weight-wise how efficient they actually are.

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Sound

In order to increase the insulation, sleeping pad manufacturers place a thermal film between the top and bottom layers of the pads and that film makes a crinkly sound.

Therefore, due to the insulation materials used in the XLite, Uberlite sounds much lesser, Therefore if you’re a light sleeper Thermarest NeoAir Uberlite would the better option for you.

Ease of use

There isn’t any difference between Uberlite and XLite in this department, they’re both air pads that need to be inflated with your breath or a pump. Inflating the Thermarest NeoAir pads is not really hard, it generally takes 5 to 10 minutes to inflate the pads by yourself.

If you want a sleeping pad that offers an even easier setup, you can go with a self-inflating sleeping pad such as Thermarest Prolite or Thermarest Trail Lite, you just need to open the valve and let them do the inflating job themselves. BUT self-inflating sleeping pads are much heavier and bulkier compared to air pads.

One important thing to mention is, Thermarest created a new innovative valve called Winglock, and you can purchase the NeoAir Series with the new Winglock valve or with the classical old valve. The difference here is, not only with Winglock its easier to inflate and deflate but also NeoAir Series with Winglock comes with a pump sack, so you don’t have to inflate them with your breath.

View Uberlite (Winglock version) on Amazon

View XLite (Winglock version) on Amazon

Comfort

There’s not a clear winner in the comfort department, they’re both good enough for a backpacking sleeping pad.

Both sleeping pads offer a 2.5″ of thickness which is enough for the side-sleepers as well, but there’s a chance that some side-sleepers might feel the ground, especially the ones that are overweight, in that case, I would recommend going for a thicker sleeping pad such as Nemo Tensor Ultralight.

Sizes of Thermarest NeoAir Uberlite vs XLite

Last but not least, NeoAir Uberlite features 3 different sizes: Small, Regular, Large; NeoAir XLite, on the other hand, offers 4 different sizes: Small, Regular, Large, and Regular Wide (which is the same length as Regular but 5″ wider for those who wants more room on the pad).

Sizes of Thermarest NeoAir Uberlite

Sizes of Thermarest NeoAir XLite

When you’re outdoors a convenient sleeping pad is a necessity for a good night’s sleep. Since 1972 Thermarest is one of the biggest ultralight, convenient sleeping pad producers in the outdoor community. And the company’s Prolite design is still the lightest self-inflating sleeping pad on the market. To help you to pick the most suitable Prolite model, I compiled this comprehensive article of Thermarest Prolite vs Prolite Plus.

In summary, both are self-inflating sleeping pads, therefore they’re very easy to use. With an 18 oz of weight, Thermarest Prolite is the lightest self-inflating sleeping pad on the market, it also packs down very small, but the trade-off here is the comfort and warmth. Thermarest Prolite Plus, on the other hand, is 5 oz heavier and packs down %15 bigger than Prolite but it’s half an inch thicker, therefore, it’s more comfortable for everyone and more suitable for side sleepers, and it has better insulation, unlike Prolite you can use Prolite Plus in 3+ season.

Specs of Prolite vs Prolite Plus

Detailed Comparison of Thermarest Prolite and Prolite Plus

Weight

The best and main feature of Thermarest Prolite is its weight. If you’re familiar with sleeping pads, you might know that self-inflating sleeping pads are much heavier and bulkier than air sleeping pads, therefore, they’re not usually used at backpacking trips.

But Thermarest Prolite broke this cliche, with a 1 lb 2 oz of weight it weighs nearly the same as an air pad (1 lb 2 oz is roughly the half the weight of most of the self-inflating sleeping pads on the market).

Thermarest Prolite Plus on the other hand, with a weight of 1 lb 7 oz, weighs 5 oz heavier than Thermarest Prolite, and this sacrifice on weight provides a thicker cushion, resulting in more comfort and insulation (I will get into details after this section).

So in order to help you better understand how light this sleeping pad is here is a comparison table of this pad with the other alternatives:

Packed Dimensions

Weight and packed dimensions generally are directly proportional, when one is small, generally, the other one tends to be small as well. And that is the case with Thermarest Prolite, not only it’s the lightest it’s also the most compact self-inflating sleeping pad.

Thermarest Prolite Plus (Ø 6.8″ x 11″), on the other hand, packs down 1″ wider than Thermarest Prolite (Ø 5.8″ x 11″).

Comfort

Thermarest Prolite is not the best option if you’re looking for the coziest sleeping pad. It’s only 1″ thick which is not enough for uneven, rough surfaces. Regardless of which sleeping pad you have, you are most likely to feel the stones and sticks on the ground with a 1″ of cushion depth.

This is where Thermarest Prolite Plus comes in to save the day, it consists more foam (%50 thicker than the Thermarest Prolite). With the 1.5″ of cushion depth, Thermarest Prolite Plus is the clear winner in the comfort department.

BUT, if you’re a side sleeper, 1.5″ thickness still wouldn’t be enough for you, since side sleepers lay on their side, more pressure is being made to the pad, and therefore they dive in deeper. In that case, if you need a sleeping pad for backpacking, go for an air sleeping pad, I would recommend Thermarest NeoAir XTherm, it offers 2.5″ of thickness. If you need a sleeping pad for car camping, I would strongly suggest Thermarest Mondoking or Exped Megamat, they’re much heavier but they offer a bed-like comfort.

If you’re a side-sleeper and if you insist on the Prolites you can:

1. Buy also the Thermarest Z-lite foam pad with the Thermarest Prolite, and lay it under the Prolite for more cushion depth, it would also provide better insulation for cold weathers.
2. Go with the Thermarest Prolite Apex (I will get into this below) it’s cushion is thicker than the Prolite Plus

Sizes

Both sleeping pads come in 3 sizes: small, regular, and large. Small size is for children and thru-hikers (going for an air-pad is a better option if you’re a thru-hiker though). Regular is used for average size people and lastly, the large size is recommended for people taller than 6″.

Insulation

Thermarest Prolite offers an R-Value of 2.4 which is enough for 3 season camping (it can keep you warm down to roughly 35 °F), Thermarest Prolite Plus, on the other hand, has an R-value of 3.2 it’s not exactly a four-season sleeping pad but since it can keep you warm down to 23 °F it can be rated as 3+ season sleeping pad.

It’s definitely not a sleeping pad for extreme cold, in that case, I would recommend going for a sleeping pad that has an R-value higher than 6.0.

One way to understand how convenient and efficient a sleeping pad is to look at its Warmth to Weight Ratio. Air Sleeping Pads have a higher Warmth to Weight Ratio.

Durability

So far, I have basically told you that going with an air pad is more efficient, however, there are a number of reasons people prefer self-inflating sleeping pads, and durability is one of those reasons.

Unlike air pads (which are useless when they’re damaged badly), self-inflating sleeping pads are harder to damage and compared to other self-inflating sleeping pads, Thermarest Prolite Series is even more durable.

Both Thermarest Prolite and Prolite Plus are made of 50D mini hex rip polyester (which is a very durable material compared to their alternatives).

Although there is not a clear winner for the Thermarest Prolite vs Prolite Plus durability comparison, I can fairly say that both sleeping pads offer great durability for years of use.

One advantage of self-inflating sleeping pads is, you can just lay them down to open ground without thinking about whether it would be ripped or not.

Ease of Use

Just like durability, ease of use is one of the main reasons why people go with self-inflating sleeping pads. There is no setup process, all you need to do is laying down the pad and opening the valve, and let the pad do the job for you.

As you can guess from their name, self-inflating sleeping pads inflate themselves up to %80 and depending on how firm you like your pad, you can blow 2 or 3 breaths to inflate it to its maximum level of firmness.

For the comparison of Thermarest Prolite vs Prolite Plus, there is no difference between the two models, both are very easy to use, it generally takes around 10 minutes for them to inflate themselves.

Bonus: Thermarest Prolite Apex vs Prolite Plus

The Thermarest Prolite series does not only consist of Prolite and Prolite Plus. There’s also another model, Prolite Apex. This sleeping pad packs down to the same size as Prolite Plus and it weighs 1 oz less while providing higher insulation and better comfort.

Thermarest Prolite Apex can keep you warm down to 15 °F whereas Prolite Plus can only keep you warm down to 23 °F. And Prolite Apex has 2″ of cushion depth which is 0.5″ thicker than Prolite Plus, therefore, it’s more suitable for side-sleepers and more comfortable than Prolite Plus.

Also, one other difference is, unlike Prolite and Prolite Plus, Prolite Apex offers the Regular Wide size (5″ wider than the Regular size) for those who need more space around the shoulder area. It doesn’t feature a small size though.

Thermarest is, without a doubt, the biggest high-end sleeping pad manufacturer in the outdoor market, and it has a very wide range of products. But in this article, I will focus on its two most popular models, Thermarest NeoAir XLite vs XTherm.

In summary, Thermarest NeoAir XLite weighs less and it offers 4 different sizes (small, regular, large, and regular wide) whereas XTherm only offers two sizes (regular and large). Small is for ultralight camping (weighs only 8 oz), Wide Regular is for those who want an extra room on the pad. Thermarest NeoAir XTherm on the other hand offers better insulation and it’s made of more durable material while packing down to the same size as XLite, its only con is it weighs 3 oz heavier than NeoAir XTherm.

Specs: XLite vs XTherm

Detailed Comparison: Thermarest NeoAir XLite vs XTherm

All the specs I use in this article are the specs of regular versions of the sleeping pads, but even if you’re a big fellow looking for a large size sleeping pad, you can still use this guide, the differences between Thermarest NeoAir XLite vs XTherm are the same for both regular and large sizes.

Weight & Packed Size

Thermarest is most backpackers’ favorite sleeping pad brand because the weight department is where it shines the most. And for our comparison, XLite (12 oz) is the winner in the weight department, the difference is not big though, XTherm (15 oz) is only 3 oz heavier.

They’re also much lighter compared to their alternatives on the market (I’ll get into this below).

For the packed size comparison of XLite vs XTherm, there is almost no difference at all both sleeping pads pack down to approximately Ø 4″ x 9″, which is perfect for backpackers it’s roughly the sizes of a 1L water bottle.

Sizes

One big difference between XLite and XTherm is, NeoAir XLite offers 4 different sizes (small, regular, large, and regular wide), NeoAir XTherm on the other hand only offers the two standard sizes (regular and large).

Small size XLite’s dimensions are, 47″ x 20″ x 2.5″, it has the same width and thickness as the regular model but it’s much shorter (25″ shorter to be exact), this version weighs 8 oz and packs down to 9″ x Ø3.5″, it’s made for ultralight campers and toddlers.

Insulation

If you’re not familiar with the sleeping pads, there is a term that helps us to understand how warm a sleeping pad is, and it’s called the R-Value.

As you might guess, the higher this number gets the more warmth sleeping pads provide.

For our comparison, Thermarest NeoAir XTherm is the winner in the insulation department with an R-Value of 6.9 (which can keep you warm down to -15 ºF). NeoAir XLite, on the other hand, has an R-Value of 4.2 (it can keep you warm down to +15ºF)

One way to see how efficient a backpacking sleeping pad is, looking to the Warmth to Weight Ratio. If a sleeping pad has a high number that means, this pad provides this warmth with a low weight.

As you can see in the list Thermarest NeoAir XTherm Provides the highest Warmth to Weight Ratio on the market, that’s what makes it unique among the cold weather backpackers.

Comfort

Thickness is an important factor for comfort, especially if you’re a side sleeper. Both Thermarest NeoAir XLite and XTherm are 2.5″ thick. They don’t have the biggest cushion in the outdoor market but still, it’s good enough to get a good night’s sleep.

But if you’re a side sleeper and if you’re overweight, I recommend going for a sleeping pad that is at least 3″ of thick. Because when you lay on your side you go deeper, closer to the ground compared to regular sleepers (since the weight concentrated on a narrow area for side sleepers). And if you’re also overweight you can even feel the ground.

Therefore, if that is the case, thicker sleeping pads such as Nemo Tensor Ultralight or Big Agnes Air Core Ultra might be a better option for you.

But if you’re a regular sleeper, both XLite & XTherm offers great (and equal) comfort for a backpacking sleeping pad.

XLite & XTherm are backpacking sleeping pads, but if you’re a car camper or in any other way if weight is not big issues for you, then I strongly recommend Thermarest Mondoking & Exped Megamat, you can check out my review about them, both offer a bed like comfort, but the trade-off here is the weight and the packed size.

Sound

It might be the first time you see that someone talking about sound for sleeping pads, but believe you me, it’s very important, especially if you’re a light sleeper.

The sound is not an issue for self-inflating and foam sleeping pads, they don’t make any sound when you lay on them. But air sleeping pads do, and the main reason is, most of the sleeping pads have a special kind of film between the top and bottom layers to increase the insulation.

And that film makes a crinkly sound when it moves. And for our comparison XTherm is the winner in this department, to be fair, they both make a little bit sound, but XTherm sounds less.

Durability

First things first, both sleeping pads are air sleeping pads. Air sleeping pads are light and comfortable but they have a disadvantage. They’re the most fragile type of sleeping pads.

If the rip is small it can usually be fixed (both Thermarest NeoAir XLite and XTherm come with a repair kit), but once air sleeping pads are damaged big, there is no way to fix them, you just need to purchase a new one.

So, in order to avoid this situation, high-end air sleeping pads are generally made of high denier fabric. But the higher the denier of fabric the more the weight. Luckily Thermarest strikes the perfect balance there.

For the XLite vs XTherm comparison, the top material of both sleeping pads is 30D rip HT Nylon, but for the bottom, XTherm’s is made of 70D Nylon while XLite’s bottom material is 30D rip HT Nylon

Damages mostly happen at the bottom sides of sleeping pads since that side is facing the ground, that is why XTherm has a higher denier bottom fabric. Therefore Neoair XTherm is the clear winner when it comes to durability.

Also, 70D Nylon is considered as a very robust material for air sleeping pads, here is a quick table of other alternatives on the market, so you can get the idea:

Note: If you’re thinking of using your sleeping pad in damp or wet conditions as well, Thermarest sleeping pads are not TPU laminated, in that case, I would recommend Sea to Summit Comfort Plus (more comfortable) or Exped Synmat (Packs down the smallest) for you, they’re both TPU laminated (waterproof).

Features

Since both sleeping pads are Thermarest, there isn’t any difference in the features department, but in case you’re not familiar with the features they offer, I will briefly explain each one of them.

Winglock Valve

The Winglock Valve is the new and improved valve system of Thermarest, thanks to its new design, it’s more durable, inflates 3 times faster, and also with Winglock it’s very easy to deflate the sleeping pad.

Prices of XLite with Winglock

Prices of XTherm with Winglock

Pump Sack

Thermarest includes a durable pump sack to save your breath, and to be more convenient the pump sack also features drawstrings to be used as a normal bag for storing your gear.

The pump sack only comes with the Winglock model though, if you decide to go with the classical model and still want the pump sack, you need to purchase it separately.

If you’re not new to outdoor adventures, you might know that inflating your pad with your mouth is bad for your sleeping pad, since breath contains moisture it causes mold in the pad after a while. But you don’t need to worry about that with Thermarest sleeping pads, even though if you go with the classic valve, you can safely blow your pad with your mouth, Thermarest valves’ prevents the moist coming into the pad.

Sizes of Thermarest Neoair XLite and XTherm

Thermarest NeoAir XLite Sizes

Thermarest NeoAir XTherm