Inflatable Sleeping Mats

Specifically for cycle touring subjects & questions
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Sweep
Posts: 8444
Joined: 20 Oct 2011, 4:57pm
Location: London

Re: Inflatable Sleeping Mats

Post by Sweep »

For folk wanting to experiment at the cheaper end, Aldi this week have this for £11.99
https://www.aldi.co.uk/compact-self-inf ... 0445269201
I know nothing about it but definitely compact compared to some of their previous mat offerings.
Maybe a bit bigger than an old original style thermarest when rolled up.
Has its own bag.
Sweep
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andrew_s
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Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 9:29pm
Location: Gloucestershire

Re: Inflatable Sleeping Mats

Post by andrew_s »

horizon wrote: 28 May 2021, 1:25am Just to emphasise what willem has said - we're not talking about puncturing, we're talking about internal delamination. This is where the sidewalls between the baffles become unstuck and combine to form large balloons, making the mat (although full of air) unusable.

The problem is worse because it seems to be unpredictable: it could happen in the middle of the night in the middle of a tour; it could happen with an old mat or quite a new one. And it happens suddenly. If they just got old and wore out, that would be fine. The system seems to rely on replacement under warranty. So it's a wonderful product that you basically cannot use (even though many people do and successfully).
In insulated air beds, like the Exped Down/Synmats, or the Thermarest Neoair, it is indeed failure of the baffles that form the visible tubes, so that instead of a set of narrow tubes forming a flat sleeping surface, you've got a big fat section.
With self-inflating mats, it's the shell becoming detached from the foam core (delaminating), again giving a big bubble.
Both have much the same end result - you don't have a flat mat any more, air goes into the bubble allowing you down onto the ground, and any attempt at adding extra air to compensate merely results in the bubble getting bigger. There's nothing you can do about it other than get a replacement.

By way of prevention, it would be best to avoid leaving a fully inflated mat in the tent during the day, partucularly if it's sunny. With a self infalting mat, you can just leave the valve open, with an air bed it means letting a fair bit of air out, and reinflating in the evening.

In terms of what's likely to fail, comparing the results of googling "neoair baffle fail" with "downmat baffle fail" is instructive. The Thermarest Evolite mats don't get a very good press either.
domnortheast
Posts: 13
Joined: 18 Apr 2021, 7:41pm

Re: Inflatable Sleeping Mats

Post by domnortheast »

After half a dozen self-deflating mattress experiences I've ended up back with closed cell foam for the past decade.
The Multimat Nato mats are warm enough, comfortable enough and light enough for me and are virtually indestructible. My current one was bought 15 or so years ago and gets used all year round. No issues. Sure it's not as comfy as the deluxe Thermarest I still have kicking around for car camping but unlike other way more expensive mats I've had that have all either delaminated or become 'porous', deflating gently overnight, the Multimat is completely reliable. It gets slid under the groundsheet so it doesn't slide around and provides protection for the groundsheet as well as being a sleeping mat. It's only downside is its bulk but strapped to a saddlebag it's not in the way.
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