Gone are the days of the old foam sleeping mat, and just as well for bikepackers - where would you have put one of those metre long monsters when it came to loading your bike? Instead progress has brought the luxury of inflatable mats, and Thermarest are at the forefront of the technology with the NeoAir range. The XLIte, as the name suggests, is at the lightest end of the range.
Packing to the size of a one litre Nalgene type bottle and weighing only 340g, the XLite is incredible light and compact to carry, but it doesn't sacrifice anything to comfort. We have used three NeoAir models in the past and the Xlite compares favourably to all of them, giving far greater comfort than the traditional foam mats or even the self-inflating models that Thermarest themselves still make.
It comes with a puncture repair kit, but we have had no problem in that department by keeping a close eye on where we bed down. They are fragile however, so keep your eyes peeled for potential puncture points.
A good tip is to get a hold of the NeoAir Airtap, an optional extra valve kit that converts any drybag into an efficient air pump to inflate the mattress - saving your breath when you need it the most to drink tea.
If you want to keep your pack size and weight down this is a no-brainer, and the fact it is supremely comfortable once you have tweaked the air pressure to your taste is an added bonus that pushes it into the 'must have' category for us.
