The lightest sleeping pad and the best choice for summer fastpacking

Weighing less than 9 oz with 2.5″ of thickness, the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Uberlite is a statistically impressive ultralight sleeping pad for backpacking, and the lightest weight on our list. However the super ultralight performance comes with the downside of being delicate and less than optimally warm.

• Price: $230
• Weight: 8.8 oz
• R-Value: 2.3 | R-Value/Weight: .26
• Thickness: 2.5” | Fabric: 15d
• Sizes: Regular, Regular Wide, Large
• Pros: Very ultralight. Good R-Value to weight.
• Cons: Expensive. Delicate. Low total R-Value. Noisy.

Features

UberLite is a good backpacking sleeping pad to have in your quiver for warm conditions and high mileage days. However, the 15d fabric makes it the least durable in our guide, and so we think it should be used sparingly and intentionally on high intensity trips, rather than be considered as a daily driver.

At 2.5″ of thickness, it’s as comfortable as previous editions of the NeoAir series. But unlike XLite or XTherm, it’s much less insulated. With a R-Value of 2.3, UberLite it’s passably warm in summer, but quilt users in particular should avoid this sleeping pad if they expect temps to drop into the 30s as it will just feel a bit cold.

We also note that this is a loud backpacking sleeping pad in terms of crinkliness. It has not yet been graced with an NXT update for improved quietness.

Verdict

The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite is a rare inflatable ultralight sleeping pad for backpacking, but it is not without its flaws. The low R-Value and low durability mean we can only recommend it for specific summer fastpacking-type use cases. But in those instances, those willing to fork over a high asking price are unlikely to find a better fastpacking sleeping pad.

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Check out more great options in our guide to the best backpacking sleeping pads of year.