Using tyre self-sealant with inflatable air pads?

[Mitch Chesney]

When I mountain-bike I removed the inner tube of my tyres and use gorilla tape to replace the band covering the spoke holes. Then I fill the now-tubeless cavity with a couple tablespoons of Stan's Tubeless sealant. You may be unfamiliar with the process, but an alternative is documented here: (http://www.bikeradar.com/us/gear/article/workshop-convert-standard-mountain-bike-wheels-to-tubeless-27915/).

So the thought occurred to me that an inflatable camping pad benefits from the same self-sealing method as a tubeless bike tyre. Of course, this wouldn't work on pads filled with down or other materials, but something 'plain' like an XLite or XTherm may work…

The process would simply be getting the Stan's Tubeless or Slime self-sealing liquid into the mattress. I think only a couple tablespoons would work for this. And the idea is, if a pinprick hole develops or you begin losing air through an old seam, you angle the pad such that the leak is on the lowest point and gravity does the rest. Putting pressure on the pad forces the sealant out the hole and seals it up for at least the duration of the trip, or until the morning when a proper repair can be made.

Thoughts on this?

[Aaron Baldwin]

I've run tubeless tires for years on my mountain bike for years. Tire sealant works great (most of the time) on bikes but I think it would be a bad idea for your sleeping pad. The biggest issue would be that in my bike tires the sealant "boogers" up 1-2 times a year. By "booger" I mean it turns into a solid mass that I have to open up the tire and remove. This would be impossible to do with a sleeping pad.

Also, I don't think it work all that well in a sleeping pad. The sealant needs to be where the hole is for it to work. The rotation of the tires on the bike is constantly moving the sealant around. Sleeping pads have a much larger surface area and are laying flat on the ground so the sealant is going to pool in one spot.

All that aside, do you really want to risk getting that stuff in your mouth when blowing up the pad?

[Greg Mihalik]

The fibers in Slime clog up the hole/tube-tire interface to help create the "scab". Same with a just a tire, but even better because the hole is small and the tread is relatively thick.

So it is hard to imagine how the very thin fabric of a matt would provide enough of a "plug" for things to seal and stay in place.

It will take a fair amount of Slime just to flow around to find the hole. (Weight, and problematical when you roll up the matt and squish out the air.)

I'm not sure how Slime will react to the constant and generous supply of fresh air over the course of a trip. It might turn into a very thick slurry that wouldn't flow at all.

Last, Stans has a strong ammonia component (a base) that will de-bond some tire casings. If you are going to experiment, start with Slime.

my 2¢

[Mitch Chesney]

" Last, Stans has a strong ammonia component (a base) that will de-bond some tire casings. If you are going to experiment, start with Slime."

Oh, yea, you're right – I forgot about that. Good call!

[Franco Darioli]

Will that slime not bond to the walls when the mat is compressed for storage ?
Will it try to exit the valve when deflating the mat ?

[Nathan Wernette]

exactly what i was thinking.

AND you have to add new stan's every few months b/c the old sealant eventually dries out (after all the tire is porous right?)

SO that sealant in your pad will dry stick to not only the pad but the insulation inside your pad and probably render it useless.

And it would come out every time you deflated the pad

but good thinking!

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