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New mat advice, please!

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petrochemicals said:
As for the down, if its like a sleeping bag that compacts easily, I can't see the benefit. I carry a downbag and half the weight of it is compacted to nothingness beneath me. Maybe a top bag next time.
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Its not like a sleeping bag and the down is uncompressed. If you are feeling you are carrying too much weight in your down bag you should consider a down quilt as you dont get the compression below the body. I thought you didnt use down though as 'it rots away' :D
 
@bare thrills.

To be honest, anything compressable seems to be a waste of space, synthetic or no. I do have a really nice Robens down bag at present, but it seems a shame to watch it rot like the last down bag I owned. I understand now aboot the down mat, seems like a good idea, especially coupled with a top bag/quilt, lots more room,
 
petrochemicals said:
As for the down, if its like a sleeping bag that compacts easily, I can't see the benefit. I carry a downbag and half the weight of it is compacted to nothingness beneath me. Maybe a top bag next time.
Click to expand...

I imagine that the down in the mat is not compressed because it is surrounded by the air that has been pumped into the mat which is then held in place by the valves/caps.

I do hear the message about foam mats and generally take one of those Thermarest ones that looks like an egg tray for quails' eggs: it protects the more delicate inflatable ones and provides that bit more insulation. My only quibble about them is their size but you can't have everything!
 
Andy BB said:
Exped Comfort 10 http://fitness.mkroyale.co.uk/Detail_i547925

I have the long/wide one, and at R of 10, it sneers as the pathetic R-rating of the Downmat 9:)

Its a good half-kilo heavier than the downmat though, but incredibly comfortable. Two things I like about it are 1 - its self-inflating (with a bit of help to get it full!). If it gets punctured, it will still provide a lot more insulation than a deflated downmat would.
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This looks to be a beast! It is, at 1.9kg, just a little too heavy for my liking but I do see the advantage of it if it suffers from a puncture.

Increasingly, I like the look of the Exped UL down mats as they have the same R-rating as their heftier cousins but with less weight. I am still undecided though...
 
Reply to Tiley, post No23

Tbh, I think it's in the construction of the mat. I wouldn't have bought one at the price it cost; it was a Christmas present from my sons :), but having had one now, if it died, I'd buy another.

"Providing unmatched warmth and comfort for 4-season backpacking, the innovative Exped DownMat 9 inflatable sleeping pad has a toasty R-value of 8.0 and its own built-in pump. Insulated with high-performance 750+ fill goose down, the DownMat 9 ensures a comfortable night of sleep regardless of the temperature.

The DownMat 9 employs separated air chambers to provide 3.5 inches of comfortable support. Top-of-the-line laminated polyester fabric is air tight, slip proof and offers both UV and abrasion resistance. A layer of goose down insulation laminated to the bottom and top of each baffled air chamber eliminates cold spots. Exped uses only IDFL-certified goose down that is specially treated to eliminate the negative effects of humidity. Lightweight horizontal foam blocks at either end of the pad prevent down from escaping or migrating between chambers. The combined thickness of the DownMat 9 and the insulation lend the pad a year round-worthy R-value of 8.0 making the pad ideal for winter use and snow camping.

Glues used in sleeping pad construction are often broken down by moisture but Exped's proprietary fabric lamination process creates air tight baffles and prevents moisture build up in the pad from destroying these glues, resulting in no loss of air over time. Another stand out feature of the DownMat 9 is Exped's flat valve construction. Separate valves for inflation and deflation offer a high volume of air flow in and out of the pad making inflating and deflating the pad fast and easy. Many inflatable sleeping pads fail due to their valve construction but the DownMat 9's flat valves eliminate the stiff edge commonly found around traditional valves. This results in lasting, durable valve construction for the life of the pad. "

M
 
Last edited:
Another option are bags from Big Agnes Seedhouse. They have a thin synthetic base and down on the top. They also have a sleeve on the base for their mats... Great kit but you'll need a mortgage to get one :)

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
 
Toddy said:
I have to say that I've never had any of those issues.....and I have a really good sense of smell. Trust me, if it smelled of foosty chicken, it'd be out :yuck:

I admit that my personal tendencies would be for synthetic, just because I'm not fond of feathers and how most of them are obtained, but I genuinely have not had any problems.
It did take me a bit to get used to closing the valves properly though.

I store mine with the valves open and loosely folded in one of the big airtight barrels in the loft.

cheers,
Toddy
Click to expand...

Sorry Toddy only saw this now.

When I got mine I didn't have space to lay it out with valves open so loosely folded it with valves open but then something got put on top so it was too tightly folded and it got stale in there. It doesn't affect the performance but there is no way of getting rid of the smell now.

I think the 7 I have is more prone to uneven down than the bigger 9.

Don't get me wrong I think its the best mar I have had but I'm not trying to be negative I just like to try to point out any issues I encounter so people can. Make an informed decision. A top tip I have found is to use the new pump bag. The inflate valve is bigger but use the deflate valve (remove rubber flap) then it I my takes 2 or 3 pumps of the integrated pump to get it filled.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4
 
BareThrills said:
R value is 5 for that mat Mike but its an estimate as theyve never had it tested or published it in the specs. Sill plenty warm enough for uk though and a good price too
Click to expand...

This is the closest equivalent I can find to mine:
http://hyaliteequipment.com/sleeping-pads/view/peak-oyl-elite-poe

As Pacific Outdoor seems to be no more and the hyalite pads seem almost identical/
Rated 5-8

The next model down doesn't have the Aerogel insulation.

Looking closer mine isn't the same model as on the link I posted, just very very similar.
 
The Hyalite one looks pretty good in all sorts of ways. It looks as though they're out of stock currently. I wonder (a) whether they're worth a punt, (b) how durable they are and (c) how to get hold of one...
 
Tiley said:
The Hyalite one looks pretty good in all sorts of ways. It looks as though they're out of stock currently. I wonder (a) whether they're worth a punt, (b) how durable they are and (c) how to get hold of one...
Click to expand...

I have a Pacific Outdoor mat in the same shape. It's not a bad mat but I find it too narrow at 20", my arms fall off the mat in the night.
 
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