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Can you inflate xlites w/ your mouth?


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Home Forums Gear Forums Gear (General) Can you inflate xlites w/ your mouth?

Viewing 17 posts - 1 through 17 (of 17 total)
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  • #3410505
    Gary Pikovsky
    BPL Member

    @gosha007

    Locale: New Hampshire White Mountains

    – Knowing that blowing up air pad with synthetic fill introduces moisture that can freeze up inside and cold spots. Xlite is metallic inside.

    #3410527
    Ken Thompson
    BPL Member

    @here

    Locale: Right there

    There’s a thread floating around her somewhere that shows the metallic insulation seperating inside a NeoAir with a puddle of water in it. But hey, TAR has an excellent warranty.

    #3410537
    Dean F.
    BPL Member

    @acrosome

    Locale: Back in the Front Range

    I’ve heard (total hearsay) that they’ll also grow mold if you leave the moisture inside.

    Get a BA Pumphouse– it is a stuff sack that also acts as an inflation bag, and their minimalist design is compatible with any almost pad inflation nozzle I’ve ever encountered (including the Xlite).  You probably already use some sort of stuff sack somewhere, so it’s no great weight sacrifice.  I keep my baselayers, sleeping socks, and inflatable pillow in mine since I’m going to need those to sleep anyway.  (I rarely end up using my baselayers for anything other than sleeping.)

    #3410538
    J R
    BPL Member

    @jringeorgia

    I don’t blow up by mouth. Even if mouth-blowing does not promote mold or compromise structural integrity, added moisture is added weight. It would be interesting if a thru-hiker who is starting with a brand new air mattress and will mouth-blow were to weigh it before and then again after the trek to see what kind of weight difference it adds.

    #3410539
    Ben C
    BPL Member

    @alexdrewreed

    Locale: Kentucky

    I’ve blown mine up by mouth for years with no issues.

    #3410546
    Matt Dirksen
    BPL Member

    @namelessway

    Locale: Mid Atlantic

    “I’ve blown mine up by mouth for years with no issues.”

    Me too. That includes every T-rest I’ve ever owned, going back to the mid-80’s.

    Although now that I think of it, all the older models I used were “self inflating”, but I still assisted with my breath more often than not. However, if I were sleeping in temps below 30 for multiple days, I’d probably bring a pump and a ccf pad along if I were stuck using an Xlite (but I’d prefer using an older T-rest model if I could.)

    Fwiw: when the right temperature and humidity conditions co-exist together, and a lack of air exchange, mold will grow on almost any solid surface.

    #3410550
    Dylan Atkinson
    BPL Member

    @atkinsondylan

    Locale: Southwest

    I thoroughly enjoy sleeping on inflatable pads but I hate blowing them up. My compromise is to blow ’em up using the trash compactor bag I use to waterproof my bag.

    http://gossamergear.com/wp/inflate-a-sleep-pad-with-a-trash-compactor-bag

    #3410639
    Andrew Priest
    BPL Member

    @aushiker1

    Locale: Fremantle

    Get a BA Pumphouse– it is a stuff sack that also acts as an inflation bag, and their minimalist design is compatible with any almost pad inflation nozzle I’ve ever encountered (including the Xlite).

    Are there alternatives to the BA Pumphouse? Being in Australia it can be difficult/expensive to get Big Agnes gear.

    #3410663
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    Of course you CAN blow up an air mat by mouth.

    Of course, you will get condensation and possibly ice inside it. And maybe other bad things. Your call.

    Cheers

     

    #3410682
    Gregory Stamer
    BPL Member

    @gstamer

    Andrew,

    I use a trash bag and the Therm-A-Rest “Air-Tap”.  You can make do without the “Air-Tap” (using your hand or rubber bands or homemade adapters). The price is high for what it is, but it makes the operation very easy.  I removed the “cap” from mine as it adds weight and occasionally blocks air flow.

    That said, I do this for ease of inflation, I personally don’t worry about inflating my Xlite by mouth — I don’t expect it to last forever.

    #3410685
    BC Bob
    Spectator

    @bcbob

    Locale: Vancouver Island

    Thermarest FAQs
    See….
    Will moisture build-up and ruin my mattress if I blow into it?
    Will my breath freeze when blown into my mattress at low temperatures?
    http://www.cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/faq

    #3410716
    Gary Pikovsky
    BPL Member

    @gosha007

    Locale: New Hampshire White Mountains

    Thanks @gstamer, going to try the TAR Air Tap – it can be used on a regualr pack liner to convert it to an air bag. That will save ave about 1.5oz, which at 6.5lbs total, will work. :)

    #3410743
    Link .
    BPL Member

    @annapurna

    #3410760
    Dean F.
    BPL Member

    @acrosome

    Locale: Back in the Front Range

    Andrew- The Exped Schnozzel is a similar product, though I cannot testify as to its universality.  Also, Therm-a-Rest makes something called the NeoAir Pump Sack but it is immense– it doubles as a pack liner instead of a stuff sack.

    #3415947
    tom lakner
    BPL Member

    @lakneremu

    Locale: midwest

    The Exped Schnozzel with the Therma rest adaptor will work with BA and Thermarest. At least the BA a friend had and my Neo UL.Saves a lot of huffing and puffing especially at high altitude.I use it to store my quilt in the pack also.

     

    #3416105
    Curtis B.
    BPL Member

    @rutilate

    Locale: Pacific Northwest

    https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/93713/

    Many people have been using the Instaflator. It it easier if I stand outside the tent as it is about 5′ long. But, the trash bag would also be hard to do inside a tent/tarp!

    Or maybe not. Just tried to buy one but it is out of stock, no longer being manufactured!

    What about using a 20×36 Nylofume bag and either using the method linked above of inflating with a trash bag and no nozzle, or using the TAR tap on one corner?

     

    #3416109
    jimmy b
    BPL Member

    @jimmyb

     But, the trash bag would also be hard to do inside a tent/tarp!

    not so much. A lot shorter and I find very easy to use. The key is after you gather the air and cinch the neck of the bag you insert a finger in the bag and guide the valve nozzle just into the opening you made. Of course you have to seal the two together without obstructing the airflow. I hold my hand around it in kind of a position like I’m making an “OK” sign. Now I use a see through nyloflume bag liner and I can actually see that I am not blocking the air valve. At that point you can fill as fast as you can force the air through. I think I usually use a bag and 1/2 to fill a standard xlite. I don’t really try to get every last bit of air out of one bag full. Easier to just grab another bag of air.

    It must look like I’m going all WWF on one of those inflatable air dancers in my shelter.

     

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