NeoAir XLite (Small)

Continue using your foam pad, but add an Xlite in the smallest size that works for you on top of it.

I thru hiked Te Araroa with a torso length Therm-a-rest NeoAir in 2019. I still use it for all my solo 3 season backpacking/fastpacking trips. It weighs about 8 ounces, but I think the newer generation short Therm-a-rest pads are heavier.

You could also do the opposite and bring a minimal full length ccf pad and a torso length inflatable. I recently started using a [torso length thermarest x-lite](https://imgur.com/gallery/therm-rest-torso-length-pad-with-myog-pillow-straps-Jqssx26) and with two 4mm thick 30x60cm pieces of ccf pad (cheapest decathlon one) it kept me warm and fairly comfortable down to -4*C. The key is to use something to prop up the pillow above the pad to get more length out of it.

I can tell you that I was cold pretty quickly at -6 Celsius on a short x-lite. At those temperatures I wouldn’t be caught without my x-therm.

For comfort alone i could not do that. Some can. Not me. A comfortable place to sleep is THE biggest luxury on the trail. It’s important to be comfortable. I took a neoAir torso length and a torso length GG evazote 1/8 inch to go under it for more warmth, but mainly protection for the neo air and a something to lay or sit on during breaks. It’s really nice to have a foam pad for laying down on during breaks!!! When you don’t want to inflate your air mattress. It was a nice UL dual pad setup, with my food bag and backpack under my lower legs. I still got a couple holes in my air pad, so having the foam pad helped when i had a slow leak that i had trouble locating for a few days until i had access to a pool of water to put it underwater in to look for the bubbles from the pin hole puncture! I patched it and was good. I now use the neo air winter / 5.7 r / 4 season full length pad and love it! No punctures, even on some sketchy rocky ridge bivy setups.

I did a gossamer gear evazote 1/8 in pad torso length and a thermarest neoair torso length. It worked well. I had the exazote for rest stop to lay down and it protected my neoair from punctures and added some warmth About 12oz between the two

I started out with a wide rectangular pad (Nemo Tensor Insulated at 540gr), before realizing I slept just as well on a regular mummy pad (Thermarest Neoair X-Lite at 380gr) or even a torso length pad (X-Lite at 205gr). Too often people (including myself initially) think they need a wide rectangular pad for whatever reason.

>For people that move when they sleep, I’ll take all the width I can get And yet, for what it’s worth, it’s this kind of statement that leads many to get a wide pad even if they don’t really need it 😉 I frequently switch sides and yet found I can do this just as well on a regular (short) mummy pad. If you wanna drop your pack weight, you’ve simply got to try things out.

You can try to source an old X-Lite NeoAir that originally came in a torso length version. Mine is just over 200gr. It’s less high than the NXT and I have no issues like some describe above - although I mostly sleep on my side so that helps.

>Weight: the combined weight of the Sea to Summit (349g/12.3) and the Switchback (415g/14.5oz) comes to 764g (26.8oz). That’s.. a lot. Even when looking at the pads individually. 350gr for 120cm and 3.1R are not really competitive specs. A torso length NeoAir (which you might be able to find second hand) is both warmer *and* 40% lighter. If for whatever reason you think you want redundancy, get a lighter torso pad and chop the switchback down to 6 or 7 panels. You can then use the CCF for your legs, and it could be your spare if your inflatable would fail for a combined 400gr or so.

I think nothing beats the Thermarest X-Lite torso length (120cm). They don’t sell them anymore but you might find one second hand. It is both considerably warmer and more durable than the short Tensor Elite (160cm). Weights are similar (my X-Lite weighs a hair over 200gr).

I have used the Tensor Insulated RW (predecessor of the All Season) and (older generation) X-Lite mummy extensively, and I sleep equally well on both. Therefore, I prefer the X-Lite for it’s lower weight.

For me personally, my 115cm X-Lite (205gr) is my choice for long hikes because of its much lower weight (my prolite is 455gr so 2.2x as heavy!). The difference with the prolite xs would be smaller, of course, but still significant and in favor of the X-Lite. Packability is typically less of a concern to me, but in that aspect the X-Lite also shines. One real disadvantage of the X-Lite to me is its inflated height. On a torso length pad it’s really the lower the better, to me.