sleeping pad inflation with ones breath – affect on insuation effectiveness

Matt, much discussion on this if you can search for prior posts. Issues of insulation degradation to delamination. All I can add is one sure way to eliminate the worry is to simply learn to use an already carried stuff or BP liner to do the job for you. My nylofume liner is my pump bag and its a heck of a lot easier than blowing it up manually. It leaves me worry free.

Adding to Jimmy’s comment, mold likes moist, confined spaces like the interior of an inflatable mat.

I’ve been using an Exped Schnozzel pumpbag for a sleeping bag stuff sack & mat inflator. It works great, and at 2.1 oz, it’s cheap on the scale for the insurance offered. I was a little concerned about giving up the packed size of a compression sack, but I find it’s easy to shove a down bag & a few other things in the Schnozzle, work the majority of the air out by hand, and sit on it with the fill valve open for further compression. Once it’s in my pack, it expands a little to fill whatever void is available.

This forum software is dreadful.

Anyhow, the Field Testing section of the SOTM – 2011 article specifically discusses moisture. In my experience, it isn’t much of a problem over a few days. Pushing lung air into a mat for a week or more, especially in a cooler or humid environment, deposits a lot of water in the mat.

.How to Inflate a Thermarest NeoAir Camping Mattress with a Trash Compactor Bag nothing special needed

+1 on the trash compactor bag inflation method. Using a compactor bag still takes about the same amount of time as using your lungs, but with no moisture and less work, although it does take a few tries to dial in the technique.

Matt,
What an interesting question.  Without down filling, I think the losses wouldn’t be that appreciable but an interesting concept nonetheless.

Anyhow, the Field Testing section of the SOTM – 2011 article specifically discusses moisture. In my experience, it isn’t much of a problem over a few days. Pushing lung air into a mat for a week or more, especially in a cooler or humid environment, deposits a lot of water in the mat.

Shawn Kimble.  Very good article, thank you for posting it!

Sorry regarding my laziness to not search, and many thanks for the replies.  I am a bit embarrassed I never considered using my nylofume bag to inflate my neoair, I guess old habits die hard.  I am a fairly new convert to the lightweight techniques and always learn something new when I ask a question.

The exped schnozzle bag, or its equivalent in the sea to summit bag is what got me thinking about this to begin with.  I recently purchased one with an exped mat for my son and liked the way it worked.  I wanted to use it on my neoair, but figured I would leave it for the other mat since it has insulation.  That got me wondering about moisture and its affect on the insulation, hence the question that started this thread.

I was not too worried about moisture in the neoair, but now that I know the bag technique I won’t be using lungs except to top it off as necessary.  Sort of funny story, I paid my son a snickers bar to blow up my neoair on top of Whitney because I was so altitude sick I could not bear the thought of doing that.  When we hike the High Sierra Trail this summer, if that happens again I will be able to save my snickers.  ;-)

Unfortunately I can not read the study linked to above, as I am just a cheapskate member who paid only to access the forums.

thanks, Matt

I’ve been using the no-longer-available Instaflator because I don’t use a pack liner with my Arc Blast, which has proven to be rain-proof (at least thus far… fingers crossed!).

It actually takes one breath to inflate, but the vortex behind that one shot of lung power inflates it enough to perfectly inflate my TR 47″x25″ air mats (old-style Neoair and Trekker). Seems a bit under-inflated at first, but always turns out juussst puuurrfect when proned out, with maximum support of body contours.

I have a newer-style Neoair xlite with delamination of the metallic stuff—easy to see when holding it up to a strong light source—but I have no way of proving that moisture had anything to do with it. However, in line with the previous mold/mildew comments, certainly it can’t be a bad thing to limit the amount of moisture going in… certainly with down air mats! I have some quite old (more than 20 years!) TR self-inflators, and they emit a somewhat funky smell when deflated. ;^)

The sonzzle is the way to go, it’s a great pack liner, also can be used as pillow if you put some clothes in it.

So now that we established that using an aux. inflator be it already carried or an UL addition, I think we need to have a shoot out to see which one is faster. Having used most of the above my guess is the instaflator wins but Bob will have to let us know how much a PITA it is using it inside a shelter when its pouring out :) I had cut mine down slightly for that purpose but stopped carrying it.

This is my video on using the Instaflator in or outside the tent :

Stephen M – Last trip, I stupidly left my little Exped pillow in my roof top tent, so I ended up using the Schnozzle as a pillow. I agree, it isn’t too bad with some clothing inside and a shirt covering the exterior. It’s also pretty nice for supporting a more upright, reading position. If Exped could keep the weight down while improving the feel of the exterior, it’d be perfect for a weatherproof stuff sack/pad filler/pillow.

but Bob will have to let us know how much a PITA it is using it inside a shelter when its pouring out :)

LOL, well I have done it twice, once in WV at Seneca Creek a couple of years ago and once somewhere else that I don’t quite recall, but it was eerily similar to what Franco did! However, mine remains at original length.

Franco, is there some situation for which you don’t have a video? Way cool, man!

When they were still available I ordered 2 of them, so I have another one that is brand-spankin’ new that I am willing to part with for $200. :^o

I inflate mine by my breath and I don’t lose any sleep over it,

To the extent I can, while on the trail, I try to let my mattress self inflate with cool air (hence containing less absolute moisture), and deflate it while warm (say, after leaving it in the sun for a bit) so as to expel air containing more moisture than went in.

Not religiously, but periodically at home, I inflate my pads a few times with cold (hence dry) outside air in Winter (or air from the chest freezer in summer), leave it a while in the utility room which is about 85F and then deflate it while warm.

From the OP :
I have a neoair and an exped synmat

You would be waiting for a very long time for those two to self inflate….

ive never had a problem with my prolites or neoairs …

;)

Interesting, because it’d be a golden opportunity for TR to promote THIS!

Great marketing answer, no, but…