Downmat clumped up

[Kelly G]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>A quick search but I don’t see anything about this. I just this week purchased an Expedited downmat 7. I used the Schnozzle to inflate it. Very clearly, there is a large amount of down at the head and foot of the pad, some spread throughout the middle, and part of the middle has very little down.</p>
Suppose I could shake it to try to redistribute? Or is this considered defective and I should return to Exped. This was a direct purchase from Exped.

Kelly G

[James R]

Why wouldn’t you just call Exped and discuss it with them?

[Kelly G]

Plan to. Was hoping to hear something here as well.

[baja bob]

I have a down air mat by Stephenson’s Warmlite. It does the same thing.

Pat or tap on the mat from end to end to break up the down and redistribute it.

You will probably need to do this every time you use it or have some cold spots with no down.

[Kelly G]

Thank you, didn’t know down pads did that. I’ll see if I can get it fixed. Appreciate the help.

[Stephen Seeber]

I discovered this a couple years ago when I was testing a number of pads.

I discovered this when my son watched me carry an inflated pad past a window through which sunlight was streaming.  He saw the voids illuminated by the sunlight.  I tested the pad on my kettles and confirmed the problem.

I contacted Exped to ask about this.

They sent me an unlisted video describing this issue. The pad shown in the video does not compare to the voids in the above pad.

Here is another unlisted video describing what you might do after you inflate your pad.  Note that the video is speeded up.  I don’t know how long this process might take.  Or, how effective it is.

I feel the last thing I want to do when camping in the cold is search for insulation voids and massage them away!

 

 

[Terran Terran]

Exped has excellent customer service.

[Kevin M]

It’s a relatively common problem to down mats, especially when first purchased as they’re been stored rolled up while ship to the stores and waiting for purchase etc.

I’ve saw the second video listed above, I think maybe in the instructions for the mat or something cant remember where exactly, but this worked for me. Once the down had a chance to break up and fill the mat its not been an issue for me again.

(I do store it unrolled and partly inflated when in the house, and only roll it up when actually heading out on trips, but this is good practice for all mats anyway if you have somewhere out the way you can leave them. Under the bed works for me)

[Roger Caffin]

A major hazard with down mats comes when the down gets slightly damp. And that happens when the mat is blown up by mouth rather than with some sort of pump. It’s unavoidable.

To fix the problem, try hanging the down mat out in hot weather and/or good sunshine with the valve OPEN. It helps to inflate and deflate the mat a few times while it is hot – always with a pump of course. This should dry the down out.

Cheers

[Kelly G]

 

I agree Stephen, I’m not keen on fiddling with the pad each time I use it. Mine also looks much like yours, large empty spaces in all tubes.

The videos should be helpful.

Kevin good to hear that the breakup procedure worked for you. I’ll be trying it.

That’s what I’ve heard, Terran Terran, Exped good to work with. Likely they will call back tomorrow, but this is good info in the meantime.

Kelly

[Jerry Adams]

my down vests and sleeping bags have the same problem

down can get clumped one place and no down other places

hold it up to light and you can see

once you get the down evenly distributed then it’s good for a long time.

check it occasionally

[Kelly G]

Thanks Jerry. Forgot my phone (gasp) today and see I missed the Exped return call. Sigh. But sounds like this can be fixed. Another gear project :)

[Kelly G]

Thanks Roger. I’ve had Synmats for years and love the Schnozzle. Makes sense to not let the down get damp, too. Occasionally I would put the Synmats outside in hot weather, in the shade, to try to evaporate any moisture. Figure some gets in there, even with the Schnozzle. I would also top off the air with my breath but will need to change that for the down mat, sounds like.

[Roger Caffin]

I have an Exped Pillow Pump and an Exped Mini Pump. The former is wonderful and I use it all the time, but it appears to be no longer listed. The latter is extremely compact but it takes longer to pump up a mat. It is listed but not in stock right now. Both of these pumps have very light open cell foam inside so they inflate the pump all by themselves. Sue (my wife) just sits there inside the tent out of the weather and ‘pumps’ our mats while I fix guys, get water, etc.

Cheers

[Terran Terran]

Exped really treated me well when I had baffles blow out on a mat I bought from eBay. No warranty, so they gave me a choice of 50% a new one or one of their seconds. They sent me a double wide R5 for free. I couldn’t tell it was a 2nd. Very nice mat. Good folks.

I think like a quilt, you probably need to shake it back and forth a few times.

Good attitude on your part.

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