New mat advice

[dirty ben]

Hi all,i am after some advice on a new sleep mat my pacific outdoor airmat has developed a slow puncture which i can't find tried all the usual methods to detect the leak like placing the mat in the bath but i can't for the life of me find the bloody leak,so im looking at new mats two in particular,exped synmat ul 7,exped simlite ultralite 3.8 and the mountain equipment 3.8.
I am leaning towards the simlite and away from another airmat im worried about leaks on multi day camps,the self inflating mats are so much easier to repair.
Do you guys have any experience of any of these mats.
tip tap tapping away

 

[petrochemicals]

my tale.

Peter had the mountain equipment helium 2.5 , had a faulty valve,
only leaked air with him on top of it ,the mat on top the ground
didnt show the leak until he wa far away
never use these heavy things again as they have let me down .

I go for something more failsafe. There are campbeds for the same sort of weight as mats

 

[Graveworm]

my tale.


never use these heavy things again as they have let me down .

I go for something more failsafe. There are campbeds for the same sort of weight as mats

What sort of weight are we talking about?

 

[dirty ben]

Went for the exped synmat ul 7,had an exped mat before and was impressed with the build quality and after sleeping on a thick mat i could not see myself getting a comfy nights sleep on a thin mat,and it was on offer

tip tap tapping away

 

[petrochemicals]

Graveworm

Mountain Eqipment Helium 25 @ 550g .

You can tape a puncture but not the valve. A foam mat is about 300 g heavier (every little counts) and I found them cold too compared to a closed cell they draw alot of heat. Have looked at the insulated ones but they are the size of a foam mat and four times the weight. A four season mat in foam weighs 300g , and an inflator weighs a kilo. Multimat do a lovely mat called the ice mat , closed cell 14mm thick, only thing is it's 100 quid.

 

[petrochemicals]

Forget the last one , like a prat , off at a tangent.

sorry Graveworm.

Campcot 2lb 12oz or 1200g thats about the same as a fourseasons goose down inflator ? y/n ?

I know you can get light ones like the previous tangent indicated but they`re cold.

 

[Graveworm]

Well a Neoair Xtherm is pretty warm and under 450g it has a pump sack etc but it is not that hard to blow them up by mk 1 lung power. I haven't used a camp bed in anger out and about but uninsulated I can't see how it could be as warm as a mat given how chilly a hammock is in comparison. But I agree that it is of course less likely to get a puncture.

 

[dirty ben]

Gave my synmat ul 7 a try out this weekend and very,very happy with my nights sleep especially as it got down to -4

tip tap tapping away

 

[petrochemicals]

glad to hear it ben. Anywhere nice ?

Yup graveworm its light and probably uninsulated, suppose you have to take a light foam mat too with the campcot ?!? I don't know of the exact weight of a mountain hardwear helium 35, but even that is considered badly insulated. I'm 30, and I think inflators are more for comfort for most people, so a foam mat is warm and comfortable enough for me. I havn't tried any other mat due to valve failure possibility, but the helium's surface was cold when your used to foam.
Did you have a look at the campcot by the way?

 

[Graveworm]

glad to hear it ben. Anywhere nice ?

Yup graveworm its light and probably uninsulated, suppose you have to take a light foam mat too with the campcot ?!? I don't know of the exact weight of a mountain hardwear helium 35, but even that is considered badly insulated. I'm 30, and I think inflators are more for comfort for most people, so a foam mat is warm and comfortable enough for me. I havn't tried any other mat due to valve failure possibility, but the helium's surface was cold when your used to foam.
Did you have a look at the campcot by the way?

Not sure what you mean the Xtherm is for example significantly better insulated than a Symat UL 7 and nearly every foam mat on the market. (R 5.7)

 

[dirty ben]

Nice little bimble on Dartmoor,princetown to bellever,not so nice on Sunday with horizontal rain though,but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger,oh and it makes you appreciate a nice roast and a large glass of red

tip tap tapping away

 

[ex-member BareThrills]

Gave my synmat ul 7 a try out this weekend and very,very happy with my nights sleep especially as it got down to -4

tip tap tapping away

Glad to here it mate. I love mine. About half the weight of the down mat 9LW and still toasty warm. The shnozzle pump is stunning. much better than the hand pump business on my others

 

[Outdoordude]

I have an alpkit dirt bag. I love it.
Read my review here-
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=100600

 

[petrochemicals]

jealous !

Message must be ten characters .

 

[dirty ben]

Giving the shnozzle pump bag a real thought as i don't want to breathing into my mat,and it doubles as a liner,drybag

 

[dirty ben]

i had an exped airmat that came with a mini pump that you can't get anywhere