UKC

Having suffered yet again the slow collapse of my blow up sleeping mat while camping in Scotland I am at a loss as to what sleeping mat to get. I love and perhaps need the comfort that the blow up mat provides but I am fed up having to carry a foam mat as a base for the blow up mat and wondering if there is a reasonably puncture proof lightweight and packable mattress I can use as a one job does all. Your collective wisdom would be much appreciated. 3 season preferred

In reply to goatee:

Which ones have you tried and found wanting?

In reply to adamarchie:

Well I have used the light foam ones and I find them too uncomfortable. I have had a self inflating vango one that while better is a bit bulky and almost a kilo in weight. I got a Pacific outdoors lightweight blow up mat and when it is inflated gives a very comfortable sleep but it seems to puncture really easily and seems to be difficult to repair.

In reply to goatee:
Some species of Thermatest RidgeRest is probably best for you, if you're boycotting inflatables. Foam mattresses in some kind of zig-zag shape that traps air, and has a foil blanket-like surface for reflecting IR radiation (i.e. heat) back where it came from. If memory serves, they come in a couple of different sizes and models. I'd be tempted to go for the thinnest one I can get, with the ones that fold up like a concertina preferred, and cut it down to about 90cm x 50cm - enough for my torso. Dry bag full of dirty socks for a pillow, feet up on the rucksack and you're all set for a comfy night's sleep on a bit of kit that can't go tits-up when you least need the hassle.

In reply to Rapsling:

I guess what I am really hoping is that there is an inflatable out there that has a fairly tough skin that doesn't puncture too easily

In reply to goatee:

Ah, see what you mean. I use an inflatable Thermarest Neoair Xlite at the moment, and it hasn't let me down yet. Not sure how it compares to others thickness-wise though.

I have an 80l dry bag, which I'm carrying for an unrelated purpose. Might try inflating the mat inside that just to keep it away from sparks, fork prongs, or anything else trying to cause problems.

Good luck with the hunt.

In reply to goatee:

Presumably the groundsheet of your tent is full of holes too? I've only ever had one puncture (so far, touch wood)and that was in an original neoair. It was not on the bottom of the mat so very tricky to locate. I'm certainly far more precious about the bottom of my tent staying hole free.

In reply to Roguevfr:

Actually no my groundsheet is intact. The punctures came in the bottom of the ridges and I'm somewhat mystified as to how they came. Maybe the zips on the end of my pants or something like that. Perhaps I will try the Thermarest Prolite or something like that.

In reply to goatee:

I use an EXPED SynMat UL 7 and have had no problems or punctures (though I always carry the wee repair kit on trips). Very comfy and their pillow (separate) is great too. Handy to have the slightly raised sides which stop you rolling off. One caveat: it makes loads of noise if laid on some wooden surfaces, which can lead to unpopularity in bothies!

In reply to goatee:

Punctures can be caused by dirt/grit over time, not just be noticeable sharp objects. Give a mat a good shake off/brush down before rolling up, and wipe down occasionally, to help prevent dirt gathering which is then pressed into the fabric when you roll it up.

My Thermarest lasted well over 10 years before puncturing, and I retired it from most use then anyway as it was a bit heavy. An Alpkit mat wasn't so durable, repaired twice, but is really comfy. I've fairly recently bought a really light Exped one, which has done about 25 trips so far without a problem.

In reply to Mal Grey:

Thanks for the info. Looks like the Exped is one to call a definite maybe. I will investigate further.

In reply to goatee:

exped ul 7 very comfy and small and light, as to the durability , i can't say as i have only used it ten times or so

In reply to goatee:

I feel your pain with regards to Pacific Outdoor. Bought one a wee while ago (Peak AC?), managed one night on it, very comfy and then all I have done since is keep repairing it, 8 times before I gave up and thought I just had a faulty one.
The original company is gone, so you can't even take them up on the lifetime guarantee.....New company won't honour either, which is understandable when you have a search on google.
I currently use my trusty Thermarest Ridgerest......and a hipflask to ensure a deep sleep

In reply to aultguish:

That's exactly the model and its been my experience. I am fed up trying to repair it. Alas I need the comfort. A ridgerest is too uncomfortable for me. I'm getting old and soft

In reply to goatee:

Exped UL 7 user here too.

One puncture but that was caused by my dog's front claws one cold night when he came over to steal my heat / keep me warm (not sure of his exact motive) and put his weight on the mat (which I was lying on, so it was already under pressure). It was more a tear than a puncture hole so I sent it away to the manufacturer who repaired it for free.

In reply to goatee:

I've been using an Alpkit Numo for the past couple of years. Looks similar to the Exped/Thermarest mentioned above. Material seems to be pretty durable too.

In reply to goatee:

another vote for exped, pretty tough and very comfortable if somewhat noisy when you move about on them.

In reply to aultguish:

If you do a search on the Pacific Outdoor Peak AC mats you will come up with a lot of disappointed folk, me being one.
They had issues with the valve leaking. I sent mine back and waited for them to solve the issue, but apparently they never did...

To the OP, look at AlpKit, they are doing one now and it looks good.

Regards
Euge

In reply to goatee:

I have just purchased one of the new Sea to Summit mats. I haven't taken it out for a spin yet (booked some flights but my for next week but my boss has been in a shitty mood so I'm trepedatious about asking him).

Have a gander at them. They have something to do with airsprung cells and have won a lot of gear awards for a product that is barely released. The inflation mechanism is either blowing it up, or they sell a pump which doubles as a dry bag.

In reply to peachos:


I've had the insulation break away on three Numo, and had a leak in the seam by the valve on one. Alpkit replaced that one for me in their normal no quibble sort of way (that's why we have three as they said they didn't want the leaky one back), but of course its better if your product just doesn't break in the first place.

They told me that they couldn't really find a way of stopping the insulation delaminating (I think its trapped moisture in there from you blowing it up - you can see liquid accumulate inside) and by the looks of the pics of the new Numos that they have now on their website, I think they've given up on the insulation idea. Without insulation, I think the Numo isn't much good for camping beyond summer (for which its very good!). Long geeky blog post on why here: http://lightfromthenorth.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/physics-you-can-sleep-on-de...

In reply to Thelongcon:


Knowing Sea to Summit I bet the mat will be good BUT I'm rather cynical nowadays about awards for products design in outdoor industry. So stuff that wins ISPO awards hasn't actually been tried in use necessarily I was told, rather its done by people just looking at the design specs. I've reviewed a number of products that were ISPO award winner which weren't as good as various other products made by those companies.

In reply to TobyA:

My numo wore a hole around the valve as the body of the valve has corners and edges on it that rub against the fabric.

In reply to DaveHK:

Might have been the same thing with mine - it was in an incredibly difficult spot to repair anyway.

Punctures are a weird thing though, my original 3/4 length ultralite Thermarest has had two punctures in 24 years and probably at least a year's worth of nights being slept on. It still works fine now. I do think that going for the original in this case might be worth the price premium in the long term.

In reply to TobyA:
Fair enough about the awards, you've a ton more experience than me.
So far, from when I've lain on it at home, it seems pretty nice. Here is STS's page on them and explaining the new technologies behind them.
They say since there is no insulation, the pads are less likely to delaminate. The warmest pad has an R value of 5.

http://www.seatosummit.com.au/latest-news/sea-to-summit-new-sleeping-mats-c...

Also, I'd like to jump on the shitty Pacific Outdoor Peak AC mat bandwagon too. What a waste that was!

In reply to goatee:

You can buy thin ~3 mm closed cell foam (think oldschool karrimor mat) and I've often considered buying some and laminating it to the base of my self inflating mat to add a bit of extra comfort. This would add a bit of bulk but would also add some durability and make the mat a bit better than useless if the worst happened and you got a puncture.

In reply to goatee:

I was a little alarmed to see that, in Dan Bailey's review here that he punctured his ul synmat on its first outing.


http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=6534

That sort of problem is a total deal breaker for me. Ultralight is very often the wrong way to go methinks...