View Full Version : Better all season pad: Xlite vs. Xtherm
teambayern
04-30-2015, 14:25
I'm new to backpacking, and was fortunate enough to be given an Xlite (new) and also an Xtherm (almost new, REI garage sale). I know from other threads that xtherm is more durable, warmer, but also a little heavier. Being new to this, I don't need two pads, and plan on returning/selling the one I don't keep (the Xlite actually cost $40 more given the deal my wife got on the Xtherm). I will be doing mostly April - October camping/backpacking in MA, NH, and ME with an EE 20 degree quilt. I'm mainly trying to decide whether Xtherm would be overkill/too hot for this use, or whether i'm better off hanging on to the more durable pad.
Dholmblad
04-30-2015, 14:35
Will you actually be camping in the winter? Or what do you think the lowest degrees you will be going down to?
teambayern
04-30-2015, 14:54
Very little winter camping, if any. We sometimes go up to Maine in late Fall, where it gets near or just below freezing, but that would probably be the limit for the foreseeable future. (The title probably should have been best all around 3-season pad, I now realize).
The Kisco Kid
04-30-2015, 15:29
Go with the Xlite. It's plenty warm for three season camping. XTherm is just too heavy.
Sorry if this is a noob question, but the xtherm is only 2.8oz heavier than the xlite, but has a significantly higher r-value. Might not the warmer pad allow for a lighter bag and maybe lighter sleepwear.
Is there any way to calculate what the weight savings might be for a given r-value.
Personally I sleep cold, and find a 40deg bag just about at the limit in summer in VA on the AT, I'm thinking investing in a xtherm just for the warmth (extra comfort would be nice also)
I bought the Xtherm for the more substantial materials. I used it last summer/fall, plan to use it this summer/fall. I'm happy with my choice for year round. Never slept on it on a sweltering night, but don't believe it would be much different than any other pad in those conditions.
LoneStranger
04-30-2015, 18:49
I'm also a quilt user and my xlite is good down to about freezing with extra sleep clothes. If you expect to be out colder than that hang on to the xtherm because the xlite gets chilly real fast below that.
If not sell it to me :) I hate having to carry two pads when I go winter camping but can't justify the retail price for something I'll only use 10 nights a year tops.
I worried needlessly that the Xtherm would be hot. Nope. I slept on it on the floor of my apartment for two weeks. It was just as comfortable as my bed. A great nights sleep and durability trumps a few ounces in my book. The Xtherm is 8 ounces lighter and about +R-4 better than the pad it replaced. It sleeps 10 times better too.
Wayne
Sent from somewhere around here.
I use my Xtherm year-round. Best investment in a sleeping pad I've ever made.
To directly answer your question in the Title...... Xtherm. It is a dream in colder whether.
CarlZ993
05-02-2015, 20:37
My $0.02. I don't own the Xtherm. I do own the X-lite & the NeoAir All-Season (earlier version comparable to the Xtherm... probably). I've had the X-lite down to about 15 deg & wasn't cold on my backside. I've had the All-Season down to about the same temperature. I was warm on my backside.
If you're a gram weenie & hiking in 3-season weather, go with the X-lite. But really, it is a small weight penalty for 4-season coverage w/ the Xtherm.
My NeoAir XTherm and WM Alpinlite are the first items that I have purchased over the decades that are exactly at their advertised weight. They are both definitely keepers. Kudos to both companies.
Wayne
Sent from somewhere around here.