The Therm-a-Relaxation NeoAir XTherm NXT Max is an insulated inflatable sleeping pad with an R-value of seven.3 that’s nice for winter tenting. A full 3″ thick, it’s further extensive and has an oblong form so you’ll be able to unfold out throughout these lengthy winter nights when there’s little to do besides sleep. The pad is made with further sturdy materials, 30d (prime) and 70d (backside) nylon for added reliability in harsh situations and comes with a stick valve and pump sack for fast inflation.
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- Gender: Unisex
- R-Worth: 7.3 (ASTM F3340-18)
- Measurement examined: Common (72″ x 25″)
- Thickness: 3.0 in
- Weight: 23 oz
- Form: Rectangle
- Valve: Winglock (stick valve)
- Packed dimension: 11″ x 5″
- Prime material sort: 30d Nylon ripstop
- Backside material sort: 70d Nylon Smooth Grip
The Therm-a-Relaxation NeoAir XTherm NXT Max Sleeping Pad is an insulated air mattress designed for cold-weather tenting and backpacking. Not like the common XTherm NXT, which has a mummy form, the XTherm NXT Max is rectangular and is simply out there in a 25″ width. In any other case, the development and the inner building of the 2 pads, their valves, and the supplies they’re made with are an identical.
Foil Insulation
Weighing 23 oz, the XTherm NXT Max was one of many widest sleeping pads out there, at 25″, when it first got here out, and fairly a novelty. It’s insulated with a honeycombed reflective foil that traps heat air underneath a sleeper to maintain them heat, an ingenious innovation for its time, which is exceptionally light-weight, compressible, and efficient. Earlier than it was launched, most cold-weather sleeping pads have been insulated with down (Exped) or Primaloft (Massive Agnes) however have been a lot heavier and bulkier because of this. Sadly, the foil within the XTherm Max makes the pad considerably noisy to sleep on, sounding like crunching potato chips, significantly when the pad is barely deflated for consolation. Therm-a-Relaxation made the pads much less noisy some years in the past, however the sound remains to be fairly noticeable if you transfer round.
R-Worth
When selecting a winter sleeping pad, you wish to intention for a sleeping pad with an R-Worth of 5.5 to six.0. This may be achieved with one pad or by stacking pads since R-values are additive. With an R-value of seven.3. the Xtherm Max is kind of comfy and heat to sleep on, significantly in a tent resting on snow.
The R-value is set utilizing a standardized take a look at course of generally known as ASTM F3340-18, which makes it attainable for customers to match the insulation values of pads from completely different distributors. Most main pad producers have adopted it and REI requires that the pads it sells have been examined utilizing it. Earlier than this customary was launched, you actually had no approach of realizing if or how producers rated their pads. I personally keep away from sleeping pads, significantly winter pads, that haven’t been rated utilizing this customary take a look at methodology.
Valve and Pumpsack
The XTherm NXT Max makes use of a WingLock valve, first launched in 2020, which helps you to quickly deflate the pad and inflate it by mouth or with the included pump sack. The pump sack is value utilizing in winter to keep away from blowing moisture into the pad by mouth that may freeze within the valve or insulation chambers in a single day. The pump sack, which is principally a big stuff sack with a valve at one finish, can even double as a protecting stuff sack for the sleeping pad.
Whereas the Winglock Valve works nicely, it may be complicated to make use of within the subject should you don’t use it regularly. I want pads with twin flat values (one for inflation, one for deflation). They’re additionally rather more sturdy than stick valves, just like the Winglock, as a result of they don’t have any twisting components and lie flush in opposition to the floor of the pad fairly than stand proud of it. I consider Exped was the primary producer to introduce flat sleeping pad valves as a result of they have been a lot extra dependable.
Thickness
Thicker inflatable sleeping pads have change into more and more standard in recent times as a result of they’re rather more comfy to sleep on. Regardless of being 3″ thick, the XTherm NXT isn’t as comfy as pads which have vertical baffles or ones which can be formed extra like mattress springs and conform to your physique. The XTherm NXT isn’t horrible, but it surely’s not essentially the most comfy pad. I normally let some air out to make the pad softer to sleep on, though this does barely cut back the pad’s R-value.
Supplies
One space the place the XTherm exceeds aggressive providing is by way of the thickness of its shell materials. It’s made with a 30d nylon prime and 70d nylon backside material for elevated sturdiness in alpine situations. The very last thing you need is to your air mattress to spring a leak in winter situations, which is one cause I advocate at all times bringing two pads on winter journeys for stacking, together with a foam pad that may’t spring a leak. Whether or not you want such a thick backside material when tenting in a tent on snow is value questioning, but it surely does present further insurance coverage in opposition to puncture.
Suggestion
The Therm-a-Relaxation XTherm NXT Max Sleeping Pad is sturdy, light-weight, and high-R-value sleeping pad good for chilly climate use. Whereas it’s not essentially the most comfy winter sleeping pad out there in the present day, should you’re a chilly sleeper or desire a extra sturdy pad for higher-risk winter use, the XTherm NXT Sleeping Pad gives plenty of worth.
There was a time when the mummy-shaped XTherm NXT and the XTherm NXT Max have been the highest canines amongst cold-weather sleeping pads, but it surely’s controversial that they’ve been surpassed by the NEMO Excessive Situations Ultralight Insulated and Sea-to-Summit XR Professional Insulated chilly climate pads which have increased R-values and weigh near the identical quantity. However these pads are extra comfy than the XTherm Max, they’re quieter to sleep on and have flat valves, that are simpler to make use of. The XTherms (common and Max) are nonetheless wonderful merchandise) however they’re simply not as aggressive as they as soon as have been.
Disclosure: Therm-a-Relaxation donated a sleeping pad for this overview.
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