Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm NXT
2023 was a big year for winter sleeping pads, because we saw Therm-a-Rest release the market-dominating NeoAir XTherm NXT in Q1. For roughly a decade, the Gen-1 XTherm was best-in-class, and its NXT update improves on an already great design. Now lighter weight and with even more R-Value, XTherm NXT is truly an exceptional piece of winter gear.
- Price: $240
- Weight: 16 oz
- R-Value: 7.3
- R-Value/Ounce: .46R
- Thickness: 3 in
- Fabric: 30d/70d high tenacity rip stop nylon
- Sizes: Regular, Regular Wide, Large, Rectangle Wide, Rectangle Large (rectangle shaped referred to as “MAX”)
- Pros: Top tier warmth, and warmth-to-weight ratio. Lightweight. Durable.
- Cons: Not the most comfortable. Less thick than its peers. Expensive.
Construction & Features
Weighing only one pound for a size regular mummy, and with an R-value of 7.3, XTherm held the coveted award for highest warmth-to-weight ratio for all of nine months, before being displaced by a similar thermal film design in the brand new Nemo Tensor Extreme Conditions (see above). Even still, Xtherm NXT is an absolutely stellar winter sleeping pad, warm enough for true winter camping, and light enough for backpacking. What’s more, it has a year’s worth of mass-testing and consumer approval under its belt. So if you’re choosing between the two, XTherm is currently the safer better, even if its stats are marginally inferior to Tensor Extreme.
The downside to the NeoAir series, which holds true for both Xlite and XTherm, is that they’re not winning many comfort awards. While the pad is a respectable three inches thick, the perpendicular baffles don’t excel at dispersing pressure, which means side sleepers might wake up in the night with their arm having fallen asleep.
One other element we do like about the XTherm is its durable build. 30d high tenacity nylon covers the top, while the bottom is reinforced with 70d. The wing valve system is easy to use, and likely the best design on the market.
Verdict
XTherm NXT briefly held the title for best winter sleeping pad of all time throughout most of 2023. It has an exceptional warmth-to-weight ratio, but is now bested by another new release, the NEMO Tensor Extreme. We’ve bumped Xtherm down to the silver medal slot for now, but that’s assuming Tensor holds up to all its potential. If not, we’ll give the gold medal back to XTherm. Stay tuned!
