Astro (Updated Model) Sleeping Pad Mattress

The Nemo Astro is an air sleeping pad and camp mattress for backpacking: a thick, rectangular pad built from recycled polyester, with baffles running across the pad and a pump sack in the bag. It comes Insulated or Non-Insulated, in Regular or Long Wide.

Who it's for

Walkers who want a proper night's sleep on the ground and a pad that is simple to live with. If your old mat has you feeling every tree root at Wilsons Prom, or you are kitting out for a first overnight walk and want one pad that will not need replacing next year, the Astro is where we would point you.

Side sleepers get the most from it. The pad is deep enough that your hip and shoulder sink into it instead of finding the ground.

What R-value means for you

R-value measures how well a pad stops the cold ground drawing heat out of you. Higher is warmer, and the Insulated Astro has the higher R-value of the two.

• Astro Non-Insulated: the summer pad. Warm nights on the coast, Queensland and northern New South Wales for most of the year, the Top End in the dry.
• Astro Insulated: the one to take when nights turn cool. Spring and autumn in the ranges, the Grampians, the Blue Mountains, and high country summers where the ground stays cold after dark.

If you own one pad for the whole year in southern Australia, take the Insulated. The PrimaLoft inside it is made from post-consumer recycled material.

Comfort and noise

The baffles run side to side, not head to toe. That does two things: the pad lies flat instead of curling up around you, and your arms and legs rest across the tubes instead of slipping into the gaps between them.

At the head end the Pillow Baffle is raised, which props your pillow up and stops it skating off the pad in the small hours.

Inflation and packing

The Vortex pump sack comes in the bag. Scoop air, roll it down, and the pad fills without you going light-headed, and without the moisture in your breath ending up inside it. The Laylow valve sits flush with the pad and lets air out in small taps, so you lie down, press, and stop when the firmness is right.

Deflated, the Astro rolls up into its stuff sack and a velcro strap holds the roll tight. Repair patches are included as well.

Weight

The Non-Insulated Astro is the lighter of the two versions and the Regular is the lighter of the two sizes, so the Non-Insulated Regular is the one for counting grams on a summer walk. We would take the Long Wide if you are tall, broad across the shoulders, or a restless sleeper: the extra width is what you notice when you roll over.

Durability and repair

The recycled polyester shell is bluesign approved and built for years of nights on real ground. Repair patches come in the bag, so a thorn on day two of a walk is a quick fix at camp.

Looking after it

Clear the tent floor of sticks and burrs before you inflate. At home, store the Astro unrolled with the valve open so any moisture can escape.