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Uberlite Durability Survey
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Home › Forums › Gear Forums › Gear (General) › Uberlite Durability Survey
- This topic has 40 replies, 24 voices, and was last updated 5 months ago by Robert M.
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Sep 15, 2022 at 12:49 pm #3760038
I have heard the thin light multi-use argument too. Using it as sit pad, naps etc. It then picks up thorns and debris that seems counterproductive to why it’s brought-to protect the air pad. It’s a poor sit pad compared to the z-lite pad.
Sep 15, 2022 at 1:12 pm #3760039I have heard the thin light multi-use argument too. Using it as sit pad, naps etc. It then picks up thorns and debris that seems counterproductive to why it’s brought-to protect the air pad. It’s a poor sit pad compared to the z-lite pad.
Totally agree. And would 1/8″ evazote isn’t exactly what I’d call durable.
Sep 15, 2022 at 1:42 pm #3760041It’s not an “argument;” it’s what I do and it works for me. Does it need to be “argued?” I just don’t put it down on top of thorns, doh. Works great.
Sep 15, 2022 at 2:48 pm #3760042@AK Granola, don’t forget where you are. BPL is full of people who know better than you what you should do. Regardless of how well it has been working for you, and how long.
Sep 15, 2022 at 3:56 pm #3760043Thanks for the reminder, Dan! It’s always a breath of fresh air to go back to some of the women’s groups on FB! Still a few useful nuggets over here now and then.
I’ve had the thinlight since at least 2017 if not before. Still all in one piece. Who knows what y’all are doing with your gear to tear it up so bad.
Sep 15, 2022 at 6:16 pm #3760054Figure of speech, not a argument. Two different view points-you like yours fine, I have used them and don’t think they are all that great. It’s nothing more than that.
Sep 16, 2022 at 3:19 pm #3760132Thought I was the uberlite king around Timberline last year (east of Portland OR), .. but the pad only lasted 2 nights earlier this year in San Diego county due to “goats head”. This is a spiky headed weed and gets everywhere.
Hoping they take the new reported Xlite upgrade for ‘23 and can apply it to a new tougher uberlite with less height.
Sep 16, 2022 at 4:05 pm #3760142Thought I was the uberlite king around Timberline last year (east of Portland OR), .. but the pad only lasted 2 nights earlier this year in San Diego county due to “goats head”. This is a spiky headed weed and gets everywhere.
I wouldn’t come down too hard on the uberlite for losing to a goat head (aka “tack weed”). Tires have fallen prey to those devilish things.
Oct 18, 2023 at 6:11 am #3791237After only 6 nights of use I now have a slow leak on my Uberlite…not good! A very expensive pad that’s also very fragile. Does anyone have advice on what to do? Should I immerse the fully inflated pad into a bathtub full of water and look for the leak? I knew I was a fool for buying the ultra-thin and overpriced Uberlite.
Oct 18, 2023 at 6:30 am #3791238“I knew I was a fool for…”, but I did it anyway. Story of my life.
Oct 18, 2023 at 7:10 am #3791240Monte, when I’ve patched a pad at home, I inflate it fully, fill the tub with enough water to submerge it, and have a bottle of soap nearby. I’ll wet the pad fully, then soap up one hand while I hold the pad out of the water with the other, and then run the soapy hand across one baffle at a time–a leak will make a little cluster of bubbles grow. Going one baffle at a time lets me be methodical about covering the whole pad. When you find the leak, dry off that section and use a sharpie to draw a circle around it so you can find it again easily. Keep soaping the other baffles to see if there’s more than one leak. Then, wash off the soap in the tub and dry off the whole pad and you are ready to patch it. For tiny punctures, just a dab of seam grip has worked for me, no patch needed.
Oct 18, 2023 at 7:16 am #3791241Thanks a lot Greg. I found the leak, it’s right on one of the baffles. And you must have been reading my mind because I was thinking Seam Grip, but I was going to use a patch with it as well. However I can see where just applying the Seam Grip alone would be best. Thanks again.
Oct 21, 2023 at 1:15 pm #3791450All the more reason…
Oct 25, 2023 at 8:53 pm #3791855on the 40th night leak on a seam line (top size) during the BPL GGG meetup. It’s been babied. Rather disappointed.
Oct 26, 2023 at 12:12 am #3791858What do you all think is a reasonable number of nights an inflatable mattress should last? What do you expect? Everything wears out sooner or later, so I guess it’s a question of expectations versus reality.
Side note: Update on my Uberlite, purchased in 2017, old valve type. I’m not actually sure how many nights it has now, 80? It delaminated this summer when I was on my Montana Glacier trip, lots of rocks in tent areas (required campsites), but I’m not sure how it happened exactly. A large bubble started just under the shoulder area. I managed to use it for the rest of the trip by switching head/foot. That wasn’t too bad but not great either and I was worried it would spread more. When I got home I contacted Cascade designs to see if they could recommend a fix or if it was toast, unfixable. They replaced it free with a new Uberlite, new model valve. Awesome service I did not expect. I will continue to use it indefinitely. I love the low weight, easy inflation, and low noise factor.
Oct 27, 2023 at 9:52 pm #3792023I’ve had to repair mine every few trips however I backpack mostly in the desert where there are many sharp things. It patches well. The most annoying thing is that it deflates as the night air cools and soon wake up 3 -4 times a night having to blow it up. I do use a thin thermarest pad underneath, perhaps its R value is too low to avoid this problem?
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