Downmat in the rain?

Another one here who would like to know! I know there are a lot of downmat (the non UL version) users here in the PNW, which is usually soggy all winter even above snowline.

I've found it fairly easy to dry the innards of synthetic insulated mats at home, by using an inflation bag held in front of an electric heater so that warm, dry air is pumped in. I let it sit for a while, let it out and inflate with warm, dry air again. Judging from before and after weight, it does make a difference. I suspect this would help the downmat between trips, too.

I live just north of you in Vancouver so I'm no stranger to rain/wet/snow. I use it in snow caves all the time [Exped down mat 9] and never use a ground cloth or layer between the mat and the snow [unless it's in a tent]. It has to be air proof so of course it's waterproof too. The surface fabric 'wets out', but that's typical of any inflatable sleeping pad I've used. I suppose you could spray the bottom and top with a DWR to prevent the wet-out issue. Having the fabric get wet doesn't affect performance, but it does make it heavier. The down mats are fantastic and the new UL is a wonderful addition as the down mat 9+7 are quite heavy and very bulky. When I get home, I inflate the mat and store it flat/inflated. I can use a much lighter bag with the downmat 9 under me … and of course it's ridiculously comfortable.

I am sticking with the Xtherm…and you can get the large size for a 2 ounce difference between the reg size UL 7 and the Large Xtherm.

The noise issue is completely a non-issue, once inflated and in use with a bag over it and the ground under it, you can't hear it at all. I can tell you from real use. I know it sounds noisy when you hold it, squeeze it, and roll around in the store, but if possible throw a sleeping bag on top and then check it out.

Besides being completely impervious to moisture, which is what you are asking, it also is made right here in Seattle WA not China if that matters to anyone anymore (it certainly does to me).

Good luck in your quest!

Blowing a downmat up with your breath is silly. OK, pass on.

Inflating one with a schnozzle or a pump is good. Yes, a tiny bit of water vapour will go in, but that is a quite small amount. If you can deflate the mat in the morning while it is still warm from your body, you should actually manage to expel most of the moisture. Deflating when cold is less successful at removing the moisture, but works fine for a number of days.

OK, after a couple of weeks you might need to really dry the insides out inside a warm building. But what length trips are you talking about?

cheers

It's been helpful to hear your experiences and tips, like drying with warm air, etc. From what I've gathered from you folks, the downmat would probably work fine for me, especially since my trips are short enough that I could dry it out well in between. It's also helpful to hear, from a couple sources now, that noise has not been an issue with the Xtherm. By "helpful", I mean "Gee, thanks– now it's even harder to decide which one to get!" It's between the Small/64" Dowmnat and the Medium/66" Xtherm. If anyone sees the Xtherm size Medium in stock anywhere, I'd be interested to know of it– I've only found it in Regular and Large.
Thanks again!

Try calling REI; they were able to order one for me even though they weren't listed in the store yet. Of course, the one I ordered is a regular, so I don't know whether or not they have any medium XTherms floating around. They had 18 in stock, but they seem to be selling pretty quickly…