Tiny, tiny hole in Exped Downmat UL7.

Have you tried blowing it up with a bag late at night when the air is already cooled down ?
If you don't have a bag (to avoid filling it with your warm breath…) you can make one in a few minutes and at no cost , providing you have a thin trash bag and a rubber band..
(I can post some simple instructions )

Sorry Franco, I'm not sure I understand. What will blowing up the mat during the night show me? I guess I just need to find this tiny hole so I can patch it.

I wonder if Exped will cover it under warranty?

I have had three micro-holes in my UL 7 so that it would also deflate halfway by morning.

I inflated the pad as much as possible to create a good amount of internal pressure and submerged it in a bathtub. Although I also was slightly concerned with moistening the down, I figured if I pressed hard on the pad while it was submerged, the air being forced out would prevent any water from entering.

I found the pinhole by doing this… a very thin but steady stream of bubbles. The hole was repaired using the included patch kit.

This worked for about a week's worth of nights, and the pad again began to leak during a 7 day trip… I simply put nylon tape over the existing patch, which got me through that trip.

It is leaking again. My original Downmat 9 also had chronic leaks, and Exped replaced it without hassle. I am going to do one more patch and if it again leaks, I will contact them as I need reliability in an inflatable winter pad.

Thanks for the insight. I may just contact Exped and hope they replace it. It would be a shame is this keeps happening though. It seems like such a great pad otherwise.

Matthew,
You may or may not have a hole.
It has to do with the air contracting as it cools down.
A few days ago I blew up my Neo Air at around 25c (by mouth) then topped that up at around 18c (about 9PM) then again at about 4AM at 10c (just one breath).
No I don't have a leak in my mat.

Anyway, from Thermarest :
Q : My Neo Air looses air throughout the night, do I have a leak ?
A :Unless your mattress is going completely flat, it is unlikely that you have a leak. What you are noticing is the natural effect of cooling. The air you are inflating your mattress with is at body-temperature and, like all air, it contracts when cooled. A few more breaths once the mattress has cooled to ambient temperatures should suffice.

Franco,

I have definitely experienced slight deflation due to what you describe, but I knew I had a leak when the pad was deflating by about %50 over the course of the night. Also, (I assume) that there will be less air contraction with the downmat due to not inflating it by mouth but rather by using the included pump sack… the air being pumped is almost always cooler than what I would blow into a mat myself.

One could test this I suppose: inflate the pad indoors, put something heavy over the length of it and see how much it deflates over a period of time.

Also, if there is not leak you might as well submerge it in a tub to check… can't hurt it, no?

One of my mats had a very tiny hole (or three) , I never did find it/them nevermind what test I did…
So I am familiar with both possibilities.

If you paint / spray your pad with a dish soap & water solution, little, small holes will inflate a bubble over time to something noticeable. Without soap, a small hole on a high spot can't be noticed. Theoretically, submerging in a bath tub works, but I find it tedious to get each and EVERY section of the pad submerged, under pressure, and observed for long enough to be sure. It is easier in a hot tub, with a glass of wine, and a partner giving you a back rub.

And by partner, I don't mean the guy from the tire shop.

>"And by partner, I don't mean the guy from the tire shop."

I mean, unless you're into that.

You can get a leak through the valve, if the flap doesn't seat correctly, happened to my wife twice, first time was a small piece of down, second time the flap had been bent back on itself, presumably due to careless rolling up.

Dave

well actually, yes david, that would be great.

As mentioned, first wipe out the seats for the vent plugs and test again.

After that, a deep bathtub. And you have to get in there with it. Its a pretty funny wrestling match to an observer.

By folding and leaning on the matt you can eventually find the leak. A deep tub helps because you can use the bottom to trap the matt.

I made the mistake of loaning a matt for a canyon trip. It obviously had encounters with a cactus patch and the hair-like spines at the base of the major ones.

I went through 3 iterations. Only by folding and "bulging" each and every area of the matt was I able to find the leaks. Lots of pressure. I could turn them on or off by how the fabric was manipulated. I marked the wet hole(s) with a sewing pencil. After I'd patch with SeamGrip the next set of smaller holes then would start bubble streams. Or just a bubble every 5 seconds or so. I would watch them emerge. Four days of wrestling. Tedious.

Good Luck.

Interesting Franco, but this is definitely a hole. I always blow up the mat with the bag that comes with the pad, so I'm not using my warm breath. I've also used this mat many times in a variety of conditions and it has never done this. Now it does it every single time I try sleep on it. The thing is basically useless at this point.

What David said

I've tried submerging pad in swimming pool, but it's difficult to get it pressed under. When you find leak it's hard to mark it.

Spray bottle with soapy water easier.

Patch it with polyurethane like McNett Seam Grip or shoe goo

A small bottle of kids bubble will dual use as a good airmat leak tester. I has a Pacific Outdoor Equipment (POE) POS so I fixed a couple dozen small leak in heat seal areas. At home a spray bottle with dish soap sprayed on mat after a full inflation with weight on the pad. Much easier than manhandling into a Rob especially for small leaks.

So I just called Exped in WA. They asked me to ship it to them and they will find and repair the hole and send it back to me.