Sleeping mat alternatives

[Aushiker]

All Exped mats now use a built-in hand pump with a valve for air in and a valve for air out= two valves. .

Sorry but need to correct you there. Not all Exped mats come with a built-in hand pump. The Synmat ULs for starters do not have pumps. Neither do the Downmat UL mats but they are supplied with a Schnozzel Pumpbag. I didn't bother to check the other models but I suspect that your statement does not apply to all models.

Andrew

[il padrone]

All Exped mats now use a built-in hand pump with a valve for air in and a valve for air out= two valves. .

Sorry but need to correct you there. Not all Exped mats come with a built-in hand pump. The Synmats for starters do not have pumps. Neither do the Downmat UL mats but they are supplied with a Schnozzel Pumpbag.

Strange, my Synmat, and my mate's Downmat* both have this style of built-in hand-pump



* both recent purchases in the last 12 months.

[Aushiker]

Strange, my Synmat, and my mates Downmat both have this style of built-in hand-pump

I stand corrected. I should have included the UL in the reference to Synmats; my bad. You can easily verify which models have built-in pumps and which don't at http://exped.com .

Cheers
Andrew

[Aushiker]

I had pretty much given up on my Exped Synmat UL 7S as I couldn't find the cause of it deflating and was pretty close to pulling the trigger on a Big Agnes Air Core or a Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Trekker when I did one more search on ideas as to how to find leaks in Exped mats. My search turned up a post at the Backpacker forums where it was recommended to use warm to hot water; water at a temperature you can get your hand in so not too hot, but still hot in a bath or tub and then dunk the inflated mat.

Well blow me down it worked! I found a leak on a part of the mat that I had tested more than once in cool water and Mainpeak had also tested for. So now I have repaired the hole and hopefully it will stay inflated overnight and my wallet is happy to

Andrew

[Benfruns]

I use a Kathmandu 25mm inflatable mat, and it's awesome. Slept on a rocky cliff with it, didnt feel anything - might post a pic from home later. Had no troubles with it. Rolls down very small, and is light. The pillow from Kathmandu, however, sucks. Doesn't stay inflated (found out on a trek to everest base camp, the sealant around the valve has degraded), takes up too much room, and is extremely uncomfortable. I used to use the inflateable pillows from Big W - light, takes up less room than my spare jocks, and it's $5, so I'll probably be going back to that.

[bumblebea]

For a mat I use a 3/4 length thermarest for fast and light trips and I augment this with a full length strip of that bubble wrap style building insulation for longer and colder trips.

where do you get this bubble wrap stuff from? it sounds good.

[Aushiker]

For a mat I use a 3/4 length thermarest for fast and light trips and I augment this with a full length strip of that bubble wrap style building insulation for longer and colder trips.

where do you get this bubble wrap stuff from? it sounds good.

Officeworks is one source.

Andrew

[wurtulla wabbit]

Hammock.

[Aushiker]

Hammock.

Great idea if and it is a big IF there are good opportunities to actually set it up. Wouldn't work so good here for example ...



Andrew

[wurtulla wabbit]

Yeah bit there so adaptable. Tie ropes off to anything solid.
Fence post.
Tree trunk
Branch
Towbar of 4by (done this one)
Lamp post

Keep you off the cold deck

Great photo by the way

[il padrone]

Yeah bit there so adaptable. Tie ropes off to anything solid.
Fence post.
Tree trunk
Branch
Towbar of 4by (done this one)
Lamp post

Keep you off the cold deck

Been there - no such luck.

"Where was that lamp-post Rob??"





What keeps me off the cold deck is this:

[Cheesewheel]

Hammock.

Bad idea IMHO.

I tried using one during a 2 week tour once and regretted it every evening.

Sleeping posture in a hammock is painfully similar to one's riding position. And if the temperature is anything close to making you think about the type of sleeping bag you are bringing, you will also get these cold drafts on your back that make the prospect of a bad night's sleep even worse.
I had a small thin woolen blanket that I used to lay on (and which is a real work out to get positioned correctly as you wiggle around in the hammock). Sometimes I even use a small inflatable mattress .... which I guess defeats the purpose of looking for a mattress alternative ....

That said, I still use it occasionally when I do the odd quick 1 or 2 nighter spin.

[wurtulla wabbit]

Dunno if you can get them here but to kept my para regt gear and the sleeping bag is top notch. Yes, it's 22yr old and still in perfect nick.
Slept in it for 6 wk exercise, nov/Christmas about 3 deg to about -15.
Find somewhere flat, throw down some pine needles or branches etc , good to go !

Just want that barrier between you and the deck, even if its 2mm thick.

[il padrone]

Find somewhere flat, throw down some pine needles or branches etc , good to go !

Good grief! That was the bedding technique of the mid-70s (don't forget digging the hip-hole)...... before they came out with the 'revolution' of closed-cell foam mats. They seemed like luxury by comparison to the pine needles, leaves and moss.

My current sleeping mat is 2-3 generations further on from the closed-cell mat. You can keep your pine needles

[wurtulla wabbit]

Parachute regt breacon beacons and mt snowdon mid winter.
Not for school teachers ill padrone, only real men.