Highlander Thermalite Deflating

[chris_r]

Hi guys. Great forum; this is my first post.

I recently bought a Highlander Thermalite, which looks great and packs up smaller than my foam mat, but it seems to deflate quite a bit after lying on it for only a few minutes. I've stuck it in the bath to try to find any leaks, but that didn't reveal anything at all. The valve and seams look to be intact and there are no surface tears.

Should this happen with a new inflatable? From what I understand there's a foam lining that expands to cause the thing to self-inflate. Could it be that this is being compacted through initial use causing the appearance of deflation?

Cheers.

 

[Mesquite]

Hi Chris, welcome to the forum. You're in the right place to get helpful advice.

As for the mat, despite what all the blurb says about self inflating mats I always find I have to add a bit of air to them so it's fully inflated to my comfort level. Have you tried that?

 

[John Fenna]

Put it in the bath with a bit of water - you will soon find the leak! Blowing it up hard first/folding it to give extra air pressure helps as well
If you find no leak it is probably micro leaks from all over the fabric....not uncommon in cheap mats as the quality control in some of the chineese factories is not all that hot!

 

[chris_r]

Thanks guys.

I'll give it another go in the bath when I get back home. The instructions that come with it say that you need to inflate it with a few extra breaths on the first go, which I did. I'll blow it right up before submerging it this time.

Does anyone here use a Thermalite? If so, what's the general consensus with regards to quality and performance?

 

[chris_r]

Right, well. I'm confused. Blew the little fella right up and dunked him again. Again, nothing. Dried him off and spent half an hour lying on him; all is now well. confused, but happy.

 

[Shambling Shaman]

Glad all has worked out I've got a Thermarest and Highlander both work very well.

 

[Nagual]

Could have been that the valve wasn't fully shut, for whatever reason. Or if the surface you had it on was cold, that may have caused the air to compress a bit. During first few uses, unless you've opened it up and left it flat with the valve open for a day or two, the sponge stuff will not be at full decompressed state. You should store it like that too so it remains in shape while you're using it.

 

[Shambling Shaman]

You should store it like that too so it remains in shape while you're using it.

Nagual makes a good point, you should store your mats in a inflated stated. Also your sleeping bags should be aired (uncompressed) not always practical from a storage point of view. If I know I'm going out I try to air (uncompress air mat) day before, failing that get them out as soon as possible when you make camp.

 

[chris_r]

Thanks guys. Just trying to find somewhere sensible to keep it. Much better than foam, btw.

 

[John Fenna]

I keep all of my mats under the bed - with the valve open - and all my sleeping bags in giant sacks on top of the wardrobe.