A very comfortable, packable, sleeping pad ideal for bikepacking - Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Venture WV Sleeping Pad

My standard sleeping pad is the Thermarest Trail Scout, largely because of it's insulation and ease of use. But I wanted to try one of the NeoAir's because I heard so much about the comfort. I bought the Venture and took it on a weekend ride on the Missouri Katy Trail to see how it worked.

The 2" loft really is great for side sleepers; at no time during the night did my hip rest on the ground. Which is good because the Venture doesn't have much of a R-value since there isn't any foam insulation like in a self-inflated pad (fortunately the ground was warm). That comfort does come at a price though - I have the large size and it takes me two sprints of blowing to inflate it. It wasn't a big deal since I was just out one night, but on a two week trip I'd want to invest in one of the battery operated Thermarest mini pumps.

The material is super tough and just feels like it'll last a long time. It weighs a couple of ounces less than my Trail Scout, and rolls up into a nice small package. Looks like it'll be a good piece of gear to take on weekend bikepacking trips.