Sleeping pad slip n slide

Thermarest used to sell an anti-slip spray that left behind something like contact cement to make the pad a bit sticky.  It worked well.

I suspect contact-cement spray or a bottle of contact cement (from an office- or art-supply store) would do the same thing.  I’d be pretty limited at first in amount and coverage – you don’t want to bring every leaf and pine cone home with you.

I’m pretty sure putting dots of silicon sealant on the bottom of a pad is a standard solution, but I’ve never tried it myself.

I’d be inclined to go TarpTent style and puts some diluted smears across the bottom.

I decided to not add gunk to my tents or pads.  Instead, I use a Gossamer Gear Thinlight foam  pad.  It keeps my pad from slip-sliding-away and also serves as a sit pad and kneel pad.  An extra 2.5 ounces, but very versatile and adds comfort to my rear and knees!

Stripe/dot both the mat and the floor with a very thin layer of silicone or get a small strip of the anti slip mat sold for glassware on shelves.

My boyfriend put silnet all over the bottom of our Lunar Duo and it sort of works but not that well. It’s better than nothing.

works better if you do both , the mat AND the floor.

Tried to go lighter with the GG Thinlight by cutting off a square chunk (~19×19 inches) to use for anti-slip and sit pad. Works OK as a sit pad, doesn’t work very well for anti-slip. Next trip (someday …) I’ll try the bigger chunk.

I put a bunch of silicone caulk stripes on the floor of a silnylon tent. Didn’t make much difference for slippage, either. I’m gradually learning to choose more level campsites. Give me another 40-50 years :-)

— Rex

+1 to striping both pad and floor.

I found Seamgrip smeared on to pads worked well in tents with a PU coated floor.

Try some light “smears” of SHOE GOO on the underside of the mattress. This stuff is extremely durable.

If SHOE GOO peels off after some use then the only stuff I know that sticks to EVERYTHING is a clear caulk called LEXCEL. It comes in standard caulking tubes and in a smaller squeeze tube. ACE HARDWARE sells it.

I’ve used LEXCEL on polyethylene plastic kayaks to glue in closed cell foam bulkheads when nothing else would stick. The bulkheads are still there after 20 years.

A thick layer of silicone will peel off, a very thin one will not.

Details, details….

Tried stripes of 3-1/6-1/10-1 diluted (MS)-silicone. Thin and thicker. All peeled on first trip out. Could be the nylon(coated?) material I applied it to. Could be the wrong chemical approach. After easily peeling off by gently rubbing hand over the surface, I’ve opted for the 1/8″ mat approach. Still, will have gradual slip on some terrain. As Rex says, “…choose more level campsites.” ..argh, alas my one nemesis. The perfect campsite

Thanks for all replies, advice and opinions.  90% of the time im hanging in my hammock so this is not at an issue at all for me, lol. I have decided to go the Gossamer Gear 1/8 thinlight approach..  im sure it will work just fine.

+1 on the GG 1/8 in  pad.   I used silnet on my silnylon Notch Tarptent floor and it worked  but I am in Solplex or Duplex now and just use the pad.  Works fine.

The DCF floor, neoair X-lite pad, and Zpacks bag were sliding all over the place. Seam Seal works well on both sides of the X-lite. With the X-Therm, not so slippery, didn’t need the Seam Seal.

I have found with a Uber light pad that Seam Grip dots stuck on while Silnylon dots rubbed right off.

You can use diluted caulk, too. Just paint it on the entire bottom.
A cheap bristle “chip” brish, a little paint thinner or white gas, a small tube of 100% silicone caulk (clear.) Mix a bout 10:1 paint thinner and caulk in a container. Then paint on a thin coat over the entire bottom. Let dry for 24 hours. It can slip if it is wet, but otherwise, it works fine on tent floors.

I have an original Xtherm that doesn’t slide/slip (obvious layer of something sticky over it) and an Uberlite that is VERY slippy (like it was made for sledding). Does the XLite slip around as much as the Uberlite?

I would say no.. the Uberlight feels like a balloon or something weird…

20X40 GG or MLD CCF 1/8″ thick pad works well for me.  Sit pad during the day and anti-slip pad at night.