GEAR: Sleeping Outside #2

Well, I was all ready to come back from my backpacking trip last week to tell you how wonderful the new Thermarest NeoAir Sleeping Pad is...but I just can't. Now don't get me wrong, this pad is super light, extremely cushy (2.5 inches thick!) and packs the size of a 1 liter water bottle but there is a fault too large to ignore, durability. Unfortunately, even with my newfangled tarp protection system, this pad proved to be just too delicate for me. I found myself at 2 a.m. on our third night out after an exhausting day, waking up to my hip hitting the frosty ground. I thought it might be the cold weather shifting the air density but when I had to blow it up again at 4 a.m. I knew I had another leak. Darn it! As I lay under the stars unable to sleep I looked over at Tim, snoring and happily sleeping on his Big Agnes Insulated Air Core and while I wanted to wake him so he could share in my misery, I considerately held back. He's had this pad now for over two years without any trouble, pops or leaks while I've taken mine on two trips and it's given me grief both times! I'm ready to switch over to the more durable and just as comfortable Big Agnes as soon as I can muster up the energy to head back to REI. Phew!