Uberlite Durability Survey

[AK Granola]

“if you put your hand on the mattress and put all your weight on it, that can cause delamination. ”

Yes, it’s like a canoe – you have to get in carefully. Put your whole ass on there at once, and spend most of your time lying down, not sitting in one place. Don’t pull it out and use it as a seat cushion at camp. No bouncing. The older one I have that delaminated after almost 70 uses, probably did so on really rocky ground, at one of the campsites we had to use in Glacier NP. They are tender things, to be sure.

[darrell johnson]

We might be the most prolific users, between the two of us have 1,200+ nights on uberlites, but have gone through 7, on our 8th and 9th

three from baffle delaminating

four from leaks caused by stressing the material at the extended wing of the new value

we would love to continue using them but the reality of just consuming and disposal is wasteful

we tried preventative use of dynema repair tape

going to trial something more durable out on the AZT to see if the weight gain might be offset with a better nights  sleep

 

[Jeff McWilliams]

Several posts on Reddit state that the Uberlite has been discontinued AND that they have no stock to use as warranty replacements either.  So far I haven’t seen any announcements for an “Uberlite NXT” that replaces it.  Maybe something will be announced at Outdoor Retailer Winter 2024 in November.

[Scott Nelson]

I just had an Uberlite delaminate two baffles after less than 20 nights use.  Cascade Designs was great in covering it under warranty but they are sending me an XLite not an Uberlite as a replacement. They said the Uberlite was discontinued.
My other experience with an Uberlite was somehow managing to slice a one inch cut in it while thrashing about getting into my quilt.  The buckle on my watch is the only thing that could have cut it.  I patched it by headlamp and it soldiered on.

Scott

[bradmacmt]

Apparently it should have been branded the Stupidlite…

[Philip Tschersich]

I’ve used my Uberlite XL for 6 summers now as my main pad. It has a leak that’s so slow I have not bothered trying to find it. Otherwise, it’s been great.

[Jan Rezac]

My first uberlite lasted seven nights (I used it occasionally for about a year). Then, it started leaking slowly, and two of the baffles delaminated a little. Because of the delamination, I returned it and got a replacement. It’s holding up better, with about ten nights without a problem.

I’m now using it only for one-night trips, I won’t trust it on a longer hike.

The leak I had was at the weld of the fabric with the valve. It’s an obvious weak point, so I reinforced it with a tape preventively on the new one.

[AK Granola]

Another update! The last one on this thread, since my Uberlite is a thing of the past. The replacement the company sent me has not lasted anywhere near as long as the original with the old valve. It has some slow leak somewhere, and loses about half its air by morning. I didn’t have any issue sleeping on it that way, but I have to think it will only get worse. Not sure if winter will have me trying to find and patch, or whether I’ll just search for the new thing. I have no regrets about buying the original, since it served me well for a very long time (long to me anyway), and I slept well and carried little weight. I sure wouldn’t buy one of these used though. Once they’re done, they are done.

My Christmas wishlist is starting to fill up.

[Jerry Adams]

Now that you mention it, my uberlite is maybe half full when I get up in morning.  I tried finding a leak with soapy water.

It’s still full enough in the morning to keep me off the ground.

I was wondering if it let’s air out if pressure is too high. Like when it’s full and I lay down on it there’s a lot of air pressure.  Maybe I’m too heavy :)

[DWR D]

Same experience Jerry… but I am a  lightweight… and it didn’t lose air like that when it was new… :(((

[Adrian Griffin]

Some of the morning floppiness might be from cooling. If you blow it up late afternoon when the air is 70–80 F, some softness is to be expected as everything cools to about 40 degrees. Not an obvious calculation, because pressure, volume, and temperature will all change. I’ll try it when I get a chance.

[DWR D]

Mine definitely not due to cooling. I know what that is… this is much more.

[Robert Spencer]

My most recent Uberlite has been losing air, and while I originally thought it was from cooling during the night, I know it’s more serious. I haven’t been able to locate the leak (nothing obvious) but suspect it’s from the valve area. My wife swears by her Uberlite and has had no issues, but I think this is number 3 for me even though I’m very careful with my gear. Instead of trying to locate and patch my leak I’m leaning towards contacting customer service and seeing if a replacement is offered or at least a patch from the pros. I hate to abandon the Uberlite, but maybe the lightweight materials and valve are not quite there yet.

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