The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Uberlite is the lightest ultralight backpacking pad currently on the market. At 2.5 inches thick, it’s comfortable and packs down incredibly small. The 2.3 R-value makes it ideal for summer nights and warmer 3-season use. For those counting every ounce, the UberLite is my favorite ultralight sleeping pad.
Product Overview
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite
Price: $199.95 - $259.95
✅ Ultralight
✅ Packs down small
✅ Comfortable
❌ Expensive
❌ Less durable
❌ Lower R-Value
KEY SPECS
- Size: 72 x 20 x 2.5 inches mummy shape
- Weight: 8.8 oz
- R-Value: 2.3
- Packed Size: 6 x 3.4 inches
- Thickness: 2.5 inches
- Type: Inflatable
- Material: 15D Nylon
- Insulation: Triangular Core Matrix™baffle design
- Valve: WingLock™ valve
To compare with other sleeping pads, see our best sleeping pads post.
Performance Test Results
What We Tested:
How We Tested:
Tested on a four-night backpacking trip to the Queen Charlotte Track in New Zealand. Weather conditions were damp, windy, and rainy on two nights and clear on the other two. Lows ranged from 45 to 50 degrees. Tested on both grassy and rocky ground with a quilt rated to 30 degrees. The model tested was the regular size. My height is 5’8”.
Weight: 10/10
At 8.8 ozs, the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite is unbelievably lightweight. If weight is your main concern, your search ends here. It’s almost 4 oz lighter than the nearest competitors like the Sea to Summit Ultralight Air Sleeping Pad and the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT Sleeping Pad. The only con I found with the weight is that when windy the pad is prone to blowing around the tent if nothing is on it.
The weight has a drawback as it can blow around the tent when windy if nothing is on it.
Price: 6/10
The price of the UberLite is one of its biggest drawbacks. It retails for $229.95 (regular size), making it one of the most expensive sleeping pads on the market. I have seen it on sale for closer to $165 so it pays to wait. It would also be a good one to save your REI 20% coupon for.
Comfort: 8/10
With a 2.5-inch thickness, I found this pad to be comfortable. As a back sleeper, I slept well on it. The mummy shape was big enough to allow me to roll over at night without sliding off the pad. The horizontal baffles add additional support to keep you on the mattress. If you’re a side sleeper, you might want to opt for a slightly thicker pad to pad your hips. But 2.5 inches should provide plenty of comfort for most sleepers out there.
I was pleasantly surprised to find the UberLite much less noisy than my Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite. The material of the UberLite was slippery on the floor of my tent. I found it tricky to get on the mattress without it sliding around. Laying down on it was sort of like getting into a tippy canoe or kayak. But once I was on, it was all good.
The pad was comfortable for a back sleeper, with a mummy shape that allowed for easy roll over at night without sliding off.
Warmth: 7/10
One sacrifice to make the UberLite so light is warmth. With an R-value of 2.3, the UberLite is best for summer nights and functional in early fall/late spring conditions. That being said, warmth is highly subjective.
For cold sleepers, I’d rate this as a summer-only sleeping pad, and for warm sleepers, you could likely make this work as a 3-season pad. I fall somewhere in the middle of a cold and warm sleeper. I tested it in temperatures in the mid-40s with a 30-degree quilt and was warm all night.
Close-up of the wing lock valve.
Packability: 10/10
Along with weight, the packability of the UberLite is second to none. Forget a Nalgene bottle, it folds down to be slightly larger than a soda can. I was surprised that my puffy jacket took up more space than the UberLite. This thing just disappeared from my pack.
To get this to fit in the provided stuff sack you need to fold this just right. Fold lengthwise in 3rds or 4ths and roll from the bottom. If you don’t it’s impossible to get all the air out making it hard to pack.
Inflating the UberLite with the provided inflation sack.
Durability: 6/10
To keep the weight down Therm-a-Rest constructed the UberLite with 15D ripstop nylon. Compared to other inflatable pads, this is one of the thinnest nylon constructions. Other similar ultralight sleeping pads range from 20D to 40D nylon thicknesses. I didn’t have any issues with durability while testing, but the material felt very fragile.
Another area of concern for me is the WingLock™ inflation valve. To get the inflation bag on the valve it requires pushing on the thin material near it. This could be a point of failure after repeated use. Overall, with careful and proper care this mattress should last, but I’d be wary to use it in extremely rocky areas.
Horizontal baffles add stability and provide insulation.
Design and Features: 8/10
Therm-a-Rest put a lot of thought and engineering into the UberLites design to shave off every unnecessary gram. This means a simple, no-frills design with few features. The most notable feature is the WingLock™ inflation and deflation valve. This is the same valve found on other Therm-a-Rest inflatable options. It acts as a one-way valve. When set in the inflation mode, air can only be put into the mattress.
When set for deflation, the opposite is true. It also deflates fast, nice for packing up camp quickly. It comes with a pump sack for inflation. Using the pump sack instead of blowing into it keeps warm, moist air out of the sleeping pad. This extends the longevity of the pad and keeps the insulation dry. If the insulation gets wet (or moldy) it's less effective.
The pump sack also saves you from using your lungs to inflate, a nice bonus after a long day of hiking. However, the pump sack weighs an additional 2.3 oz. I’d suspect many (myself included) would likely leave at home if counting the ounces.
Therm-a-Rest's UberLites design is simple, no-frills, with a notable feature – the WingLock™ inflation and deflation valve.
What’s included when buying:
- Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite Sleeping Pad
- Pump sack
- Stuff sack
- Repair kit
650-Calorie Fuel
