With camping season fast approaching, there’s no better time to start testing three-season gear. That’s exactly what I did on a crisp March evening, when I put the Vango Thermocore XPD to the test. This four-season insulated sleeping mat enveloped me in a cocoon of warmth, shielding me from the near-freezing ground temperatures.
The Thermocore XPD stands out as one of the thickest and most insulating mats I’ve tried. Straddling the line between a camping mat and a lightweight camping bed/ mattress, it offers ample depth and width while still packing down impressively small—perfect for backpacking adventures. As a side sleeper, I was particularly pleased with its comfort, making it a welcome companion for nights spent under the stars.
Vango Thermocore XPD review
Price and availability
The Thermocore XPD is available now at Vango for £140 (approx. $181.18/ AU$288.27). It comes in one size, width and colour (Regular, wide and Rocket Red, respectively). It’s also available through a number of UK outdoor retailers. You can find more information about Vango’s international distributors here.
Specifications
- Weight (Regular): 735g / 25.92 oz
- Unpacked size (Regular): 195 x 58 x 10 cm/ 76.77 x 22.83 x 3.94 inches
- Packed size (Regular): 22 x 13 cm/ 8.66 × 5.12 inches
- R-value: 5.6
Design and materials
As a four-season sleeping mat, the Vango Thermocore XPD is all about minimising heat loss and ensuring you’re as far from the ground as possible (within reason). It features an ultralight TPU membrane and lamination technology, which is said to be more environmentally friendly and lighter than traditional PVC constructions.
Inside, Vango places four layers of ‘strategically’ placed Thermal Reflective Film to prevent your body heat from escaping and ground coldness to reach you. The non-woven aluminised fabric layers have the same function; it’s Vango’s own technology that works in tandem with other heat retention modalities to keep you from freezing.
As for comfort, the Thermocore XPD has a 20D recycled nylon fabric outer, which is both lightweight and durable. The material is welded together at specific points to create a waffle-like pattern, expanding the sleeping surface and enhancing comfort. The 10cm (4in) depth adds another layer of cosiness, and so do the soft stretch sidewalls, made from elastic yarn knitted into the fabric for easy inflation and deflation.
The Thermocore XPD has a clever dual-function airlock valve, allowing quick deflation and safe inflation with its backstop function. It’s much flatter than Therm-a-rest’s method but works just as well. The mat’s inside is treated with an antimicrobial film to prevent mould or bacteria build-up, should you decide to inflate the mat by mouth. The stuff sack doubles up as a pump sack.
Performance
I usually go for long sleeping mats, but since the Vango Thermocore XPD only comes in regular size, I had no option but to go for that version. To my surprise, the mat is quite long and wide, measuring just under 77 inches (length) by 23 inches (width). It’s also quite deep (approx. 4 inches), making it a de facto camping mattress (albeit a thin one).
I’m 6’0” (approx 72.44 inches), so I had more than enough space below my feet and above my head. However, it was the depth that I enjoyed the most. Most camping mats are pretty thin, which means that side sleepers like me will struggle on them. That four inches of depth made all the difference to me and helped me sleep like a baby without any back pain (the latter of which is a rare occurrence).
The brand says the mat has a ‘crinkle-free’ fabric, which I guess is true. It’s still a camping mat, so it will make some noise. My wife was sleeping on the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT next to me in the tent, and it sounded like both mats made about the same noise. That said, Therm-a-Rest says the NeoAir XLite NXT is quieter than its predecessor and is definitely not as crinkly as the Thermarest NeoAir XLite.
The waffle-like structure reminded me of the Vango Aotrom Thermo Platinum, which is a thinner four-season mat from the brand. The Aotrom Thermo Platinum packs down smaller than the Thermocore XPD but is half as thin and four inches shorter. Considering the Thermocore XPD is almost as big as a thin camping mattress, I’d say it’s impressive how small it is when deflated.
It’s not massively light, though, which is the price you pay for all the extra insulation. At 25.92 oz (735g), it’s almost twice as heavy as the NeoAir XLite NXT, although the Vango has a higher R rating (5.6 vs 4.5). It’s on par with the Sea To Summit Ether Light XT Extreme (25.40 oz/ 720g), which we called a “ridiculously comfy yet packable camping bed” in our review, indicating that it’s also a thicker model with a high R rating (6.2 in this case).
A big advantage of the Vango Thermocore XPD is its price. It’s not incredibly cheap at full price, but most retailers sell it for much less than that these days, undercutting big-ticket brands by half. This makes the Vango an irresistible value proposition for non-fair weather campers.
The 20D recycled nylon fabric outer feels sturdy but comfortable. I haven’t pushed the mat to its limits, but if you will, rest assured the repair kit is included in the box.
Verdict
The Vango Thermocore XPD is an excellent value-for-money four-season camping mat, particularly well-suited for tall side sleepers. It might not be the lightest mat, nor does it pack down the smallest, but for what it offers and for how much, the Thermocore XPD is a top choice.
I’d recommend this sleeping mat for any backpacker who prioritises comfort when sleeping under the stars but can’t be bothered to carry around an actual sleeping mattress. The Thermocore XPD is quite literally the next best thing after sleeping on a mattress!
