Thermarest NeoAir Dream

[Canotrouge]

I got the neo air dream after reading this thread, I bought it locally, and it was actually cheeper than MEC... Go figure!! I spent about 15 days on it so far, and love almost every thing about it... the one thing I don"t like is the super nice and soft to the touch top fabric, every thing stick to it, grits, feathers, little bits of every thing... That and the bag sister to inflate it, I use to have one of the first generation of the Exped down mat and they use to use the same type of stuff sack/ inflator bag, but they had one thing that the neo air doesn't, a one way "valve", just a flap that would let air go out but not come back once in the mattress!! I'm considering buying the small battery powered pump from Thermarest.

Other than that it is an amazing mattress for its size an weight!!

 

[Mihun09]

My local Wilderness Supply has the Thermarest pumps for $39. Supposed to run off two AAA batteries I think, but have to wonder how long those two little batteries would last.

And I agree, the FOD the cover picks up is really annoying, but then we could always remove the cover and just use the NeoAir pad and save space and weight but lose that one inch of comfort.

 

[Bothwell Voyageur]

HA!! Christine already got something new. I was at Canadian Tire and they had a sale on camping stuff. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a Woods Windcatcher rapid inflation air bed. It looks for all the world like a neo air. 72 x 20 x 4. It weighs 1 lb 10 oz. and takes up hardly any room at all when scrunched down into the carrybag. It was on sale for $60. I was thinking to get a cordura bag made for it to imitate the neo air dream. Maybe our friend Bothwell could start making some of those.

You may find that Woods is not very warm. It only has an R-rating of 1.5 so for sleeping on rock that can be a bit cold. You could always put a thin foam pad underneath or a piece of Reflectix silver bubble wrap would be really warm.

I think a cover made from this new diamond ripstop would be really nice. I just made myself an 11ft hammock in a piece of bright yellow. It has a very soft feel to it.

 

[Iskweo]

The Woods Windcatcher is actually made of diamond ripstop...that was a selling point for me. And no it wont be warm, it is only an air mattress. But for summer it will be ok. Maybe a blanket underneath. A foam pad for shoulder season camping would be wise. I also usually use my two piece woods down bag and have the extra down between me and the mat so that works out pretty good.

I just really like how it packs small and light, and at a price I can justify. We shall see what sort of tune I am singing after the trip...lol.

Christy

 

[Odyssey]

I've read that placing a reflective surface, like an emergency blanket, underneath your pad would help with keeping warm. I don't know if this works, but the downpads work on this principle don't they?
I bought 3 of those inflatable mattresses, one of each size (from Cdn Tire). The single fits in our van as a truuuck camping set up. It's a bit narrow, so there's a big gap on either side. Not ideal. Also, my better half finds it claustrophobic. I'll try the twin (?) size next, and just inflate it to fill the space. The twin and queen were bought with overnight pillow-fighting grandkids in mind. Thank goodness they come with puncture repair kits. The mattresses, not the grandkids.
Looking forward to hearing how these all work out for you Iskweo.

 

[Mihun09]

I've read that placing a reflective surface, like an emergency blanket, underneath your pad would help with keeping warm. I don't know if this works, but the downpads work on this principle don't they?
I bought 3 of those inflatable mattresses, one of each size (from Cdn Tire). The single fits in our van as a truuuck camping set up. It's a bit narrow, so there's a big gap on either side. Not ideal. Also, my better half finds it claustrophobic. I'll try the twin (?) size next, and just inflate it to fill the space. The twin and queen were bought with overnight pillow-fighting grandkids in mind. Thank goodness they come with puncture repair kits. The mattresses, not the grandkids.
Looking forward to hearing how these all work out for you Iskweo.

You'll get to see it and the dream in a week. Take a test ride and see which you like better. Maybe I'll sell you my Dream at the end of the trip.

 

[Sturgeon]

As an early birthday present, I splurged and bought that little $38 neoair pump. It works! It's extremely light. There is no on/off switch. When you open the compartment to get the nozzle out, it starts apumping. I love the dead simplicity of it. Taking it on a hiking trip next week with my thermarest all season pad. I'll let you know how it works.

Edit: It works alright. As Mihun09 says below, you still need to put a few breaths in at the end to make it really firm, but the good news is you can pop it onto the sleeping pad nozzle and walk away and do something else for four or five minutes. I used it when I went hiking in Pukaskwa Park for 6 nights and then another weekend in Algonquin with it. A little weak, but it's so small, light, and convenient that it's a keeper.

 

[Mihun09]

I splurged the night before we left on the trip for the little pump, $40 . The instructions suggested Lithium batteries would be the best choice but a pair were $14 so I bought regular ones in bulk, 10 for $9. I had spares should I need them. The first set of batteries are still in the pump and still working fine after pumping up the Dream on 7 consecutive nights.

As Sturgeon says above, all you do is open the unit and it turns on, pull out the nozzle, attach to mattress and walk away for a few minutes. I still needed a half dozen breaths to firm it up in the end but there is now way I was going to blow the thing up by myself without a coronary event. I found the snozzle bag to be a pain in the arse so the cost of the pump was worth it. As it pumped my mat I could work on Christine's or do other set up stuff.

 

[Canotrouge]

I just got back from a 10 day trip and I got the same pump before I left... The battery are still in it and it is still pumping.... But to be honest, it is slow, real slow and it still leave the mattress under inflated IMO. Works, but $40 is a bit much for a pump that is a bit weak in my opinion!!
Still love the mattress after almost 20 nights on it!!

 

[Iskweo]

HA!! Christine already got something new. I was at Canadian Tire and they had a sale on camping stuff. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a Woods Windcatcher rapid inflation air bed. It looks for all the world like a neo air. 72 x 20 x 4. It weighs 1 lb 10 oz. and takes up hardly any room at all when scrunched down into the carrybag. It was on sale for $60. I was thinking to get a cordura bag made for it to imitate the neo air dream.

Sooooo, I had issues on the Marshall Lake trip with it deflating overnight and was thinking wow, another bust. But I got a little creative and poured some olive oil on the release valve to lube and seal it et voila, she is fixed. I used it overnight and it was warm and comfy and held air all night. So my review of this mat is that it seems pretty good with a little care. I will be using it as my main pad. I may get a second one if they go on sale to take as a backup, since they are so small and light.
A foam pad would be decadent so I should find one that works.

Christy

 

[tear_knee]

Andrew and I double up our thermarest ridgerests with our thermarest pro-lite self-inflating mattresses. The ridgerests even out the ground and the pro-lites add cushioning. We didn't go with the neo-air mattresses because we found the crinkly noise they make very annoying.
The double system provides very good insulation. I also have a thermarest Antares down sleeping bag which connects the whole "sleep system" together with stretchy bands attached to the sleeping bag. Andrew has a different mummy bag so he straps his two mattresses together with the straps we use to keep the ridgerests rolled up in our packs.
I like being able to use the self-inflating mattress in a chair sling, and if the ground is cold or damp we sit on the ridgerest like a beach blanket because it doesn't absorb any moisture.