DownTo1 Packs

The engine's answer

Best sleeping mat in frosty nights near −5 °C, under €700

Therm-a-Rest

NeoAir XLite NXT

The default answer for three-season backpacking, and deservedly.

  • Very high warmth for the weight
  • Packs to roughly the size of a water bottle
  • The NXT revision is markedly quieter than the old one
  • Still crinkles more than a foam mat
  • Thin fabric wants a groundsheet on rough pitches

Find it at Bergfreunde · Trekkinn · Decathlon · Alpinetrek · eBay (used)

Why it wins, in numbers

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT is the sleeping mat the engine picked for this trip: €230 and 354 g, R-value 4.5, a 50% match on the questions asked. The kit around it comes to €680 of the €700 ceiling, leaving €20.

What the engine asked for: a sleeping bag rated to −7 °C or lower, a mat with an R-value of at least 4.5, a pack of at least 43 L, and €700 for all four; anything that falls short of these is flagged beside the item.

The kit it belongs to

Four items chosen together, not four separate winners. Swapping one moves the others.

4.35 kg on your back · €680 of a budget of €700

Tent
3F UL Gear Lanshan 2: €130, 1.10 kg, Season rating 3, 50% match.
Sleeping bag
Robens Gully 600: €260, 1.40 kg, Comfort rating -7 °C, 50% match.
Sleeping mat
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT: €230, 354 g, R-value 4.5, 50% match.
Backpack
Forclaz MT100 Easyfit 50: €60, 1.50 kg, Capacity 50 L, 50% match.

What the runners-up gave up

Each of these still leaves a kit that closes — the budget holds and the pack shuts. This is where each one lost.

  • Exped Ultra 5RDown-filled insulation for cold ground at a fair weight.Exped Ultra 5R — €220, 620 g — gives up Weight: 620 g against the winner's 354 g. It scores 50% to the winner's 50%.
  • Nemo Tensor All-SeasonFour-season warmth, three-season weight, and unusually quiet.Nemo Tensor All-Season — €230, 460 g — gives up Weight: 460 g against the winner's 354 g. It scores 50% to the winner's 50%.
  • Big Agnes Rapide SL InsulatedThick, warm and better value than most of its rivals.Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated — €180, 600 g — gives up Weight: 600 g against the winner's 354 g. It scores 50% to the winner's 50%.

Questions this trip raises

How much does the whole kit cost?
€680 for all four items, €20 under the €700 ceiling. Prices are indicative euro list prices; the shops set their own.
How much does it weigh?
4.35 kg base weight — tent, sleeping bag, mat and pack together, before food, water and clothes. The pack is rated to carry 16 kg comfortably.
Is Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT warm enough on the ground at −5 °C?
Its R-value is 4.5. For nights near −5 °C the engine requires at least 4.5, which it meets.

Change an assumption

This page answers one trip. Yours is not that trip — adjust the nights, the budget or the company and watch all four re-rank.

Build my kit

Specifications are manufacturers’ own published figures and prices are indicative, not live. Comfort ratings and R-values are comparable across brands but describe a standardised sleeper on standardised ground — neither is a promise about you on a particular night. Check the current spec and price with the retailer before buying.