Inflating UL Synmat 7 by mouth – loss of insulation?

Yes
Yes
You can try hanging it up in the sun with the valve open.

Cheers

There are a couple of threads on this.

try "matt condensation dry", or similar …

My synmat has been so soaked inside that you could see it through the material. Even blowing it up with a inflation bag. The worst its been was on a trip along lake superior. The humidity was high so there is moisture in the pad nomatter how you fill it. I warm the air in the mat sleeping on it through the night I got up early pulled out my bag to hang, the cold air hits the warm mat and condensation forms on the inside material, I roll it up not getting the moisture out. And then inflate the mat again the next night with more humid air and repeat the problem by night five there is a lot of water inside which really shows up the next morning when I roll it up. My solution is to try to get the water to vaporize before I roll up the mat. Easily done by setting the mat in the warm sun. Not easy on a cold morning that you want to hit the trail quick and since I use my pack liner to inflate my mat not easy to do on breaks in the day cause I don't want to empty the contents of my pack. So when I decide to get up in the morning, if its not warm and sunny and I wanna leave quick I open the deflation valve before I get off the mat and let my weight get most of the air out then get up and roll the mat up right away. Then when I get to camp if early enough inflate the mat and let it warm in the sun and vaporize the water then roll it up to get the moisture out. A inflation bag will help cut down on how much moisture you are blowing into the mat. At home I used a aquarium pump to blow air in the inflate valve and exit the deflate valve. The pump does not work with my neoair which I try to warm in the sun or with a heat source in the house. Hope this helps

Inflating by mouth puts moisture in anything, which is why I use my Schnozzle (or an Instaflator for other brands). R-value probably takes a hit depending on how damp you get it, but there's also the issue of mold/mildew growth. I've never done it but I've heard a good way to dry out an air mattress is with an aquarium air pump.

Edit: spelling

So…based on your comments I can infer that most of you use an inflator or pump of some sort? I suppose I'd like to know more about how significant the moisture introduced by mouth reduces the insulative properties of the pad. Is this something only crucial when temps are around freezing or below? Is it is generally not a good idea to inflate by mouth? I really don't want to carry the extra weight of a pump…

> I really don’t want to carry the extra weight of a pump…
I use an Exped pillow/pump. There’s a review of them here. Makes a good pillow.

Cheers

"So…based on your comments I can infer that most of you use an inflator or pump of some sort? I suppose I'd like to know more about how significant the moisture introduced by mouth reduces the insulative properties of the pad. Is this something only crucial when temps are around freezing or below? Is it is generally not a good idea to inflate by mouth? I really don't want to carry the extra weight of a pump…"

The Schnozzle (2.2 oz) doubles as a dry bag for my sleeping bag and camp clothes. The Instaflator weighs something under 2 oz IIRC. You can make your own with a garbage bag and a rubber band.

I started to notice the pad being cold at around 40-45F if I inflated by mouth. I always use a plastic bag now because of that, and because the internal moisture could lead to mildew and fabric coating degradation.

It seems that there's been no scientific studies done on R-value of pads and moisture levels, or am I wrong? It seems that some of you prefer inflating devices (other than by mouth), whereas others don't. I'll admit that often I feel like I'm losing a lot of heat to the ground, but it's really hard to say whether it's a moisture issue.

Roger, do you have any plans to test this? Inquiring minds want to know.

David,
I posted a video on how to make a sub 1oz (tiny pack size) inflation bag for no cost, assuming you have a plastic bag and a rubber band .
This :

Can you send the link again? Will it work with an Exped Synmat UL7?

Yeah…I'm not sure how just a bag and rubber band would work with the synmat…I knew it will work with a neoair, but I don't see how you would get a good seal on a synmat without some kind of adapter to click into it…

Sorry about the missing link but yes as pointed out you need a protruding valve for my version to work .
Here is the clip for the other type valves:

> Roger, do you have any plans to test this? Inquiring minds want to know.
For extensive air mat testing, see:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/airmat_sotmr_part1_2011
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/airmat_sotmr_part2_2011

For the effects of water inside the mats … Sorry, no data.
Personally, I would simply NOT inflate by mouth.

Cheers

The trick to this is to find a plastic tube or elbow which fits inside the Exped inflation valve snugly enough to allow the air to inflate the pad. I found an aquarium filter protein skimmer intake attachment which worked when I slid a cross section of narrow bicycle inner tube over it. Then you can rubber band the bag over the other end of whatever tube you're using. It pops out of the valve sometimes, but other than that, it works fine.