Exped Down Air Mattress DLX - Long Term Report
April 27, 2004

 

Reviewer Information:
Name: Jim Hatch
Age: 44
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 9" (1.8 m)
Weight: 180 lbs (82 kg)
Sleep Type: Back & side sleeper (neither warm nor cold)
Email: colonelcorn76@yahoo.com
City/State: Simsbury, Connecticut
Date: April 27, 2004

Backpacking Background:
I've been backpacking and camping for 30 years (ever since I was a Boy Scout). I'm out once a month for a weekend or more and for 5 nights or more, 2 or 3 times during the year. Most of my backpacking is done in the mountains of the East Coast (Appalachians, Whites, Berkshires, Adirondacks) but I will occasionally camp as far south as the Florida Keys or as far west as the Grand Canyon. Having tired of 60 lb (27 kg) loads, I caught the lightweight bug about 5 years ago and am currently carrying a base pack weight of  less than 10 lbs (4.5 kg) before food and fuel and rarely venture out with more than 20 lbs (9 kg) anymore. I am now trying to develop a low-volume style to go with the lightweight nature of my gear.

Product Information:
Manufacturer: Exped Expedition Equipment
Year of Manufacture: 2003
URL: http://www.exped.com
Style: Air mattress, down filled
Mfg Weight (mat): 45 oz (1280 gm)
Mfg Weight (pump sack): 7 oz (200 gm)
Tested Weight (mat): 46.1 oz (1308 gm)
Tested Weight (pump sack): 6.6 oz (190 gm)
Tested Total Weight: 52.8 oz (1498 gm)
Size: 78 in X 26 in (178 cm X 52 cm)
Thickness: 3.5 in (9 cm)
Rolled Size: 15 in X 7 in (38 cm X 18 cm)
Tested Rolled Size: 16.5 in X 7 in (42 cm X 18 cm)
MSRP (pack): $169

The Exped DAM:
The DAM is a down filled air mattress composed of 8 channels running nearly the length of the mattress, two air valves at the head end, a 2 inch (5 cm) wide foam barrier running the width of the mattress at both ends to prevent down shifting, and a stuff sack used to inflate the mattress. According to Exped, the DAM is 3 times warmer than conventional self-inflating foam mats of similar weights due to 11 oz (320 gm) of 700 fill power down contained within the mattress. Additional product details may be found on the manufacturer's website as well as in my Initial and Field Reports.

To the Chase:
Jumping straight to the chase for readers interested in a quick snapshot I want to reiterate the bottom line from my Field Report --  "I have yet to find a significant negative to the Exped. It has performed precisely as expected and I've suffered no untoward events -- no blown seams, leaking down, cold sleeping, or any real discomfort." As I said then, "I am a happy camper."  I continue to find it an excellent balance of weight, size, and cost for the superior performance provided.     
 

Details:

TESTING LOCATIONS & WEATHER

Over the testing period, I spent almost 20 nights testing the Exped on a series of backpacking trips in the Northeastern region of the United States as well as to an island in the Florida Keys. These trips included sections of the AT in New England (the Berkshires), sledding in the foothills of the Adirondacks, and the requisite hard-duty in the Keys. Elevations ranged from 50 ft (15 m) to 3,491 ft (1,064 m) with temperatures ranging from the 70s F (24 C) in Florida (in February!) to -3 F (-19 C) also in February in the Adirondacks. Maximum snow pack under the DAM was a measured 34" (86 cm). Relative humidity ranged from 40% in the cold to 70% in the warm ocean breezes off the west coast of Florida. I also survived a night on the concrete floor of the Boston Science Museum surrounded by hundreds of snoring Cub Scouts and fathers (truly hazardous duty anyway it's sliced). Shelters included my Hennessey Hammock, Trease Flying Bivy, Zeus Exo 2, and Timberline 2-man tent by Eureka. Sleeping surfaces included concrete, air, snow and a firm sandy beach.

 

TEST RESULTS
When beginning this test, I reviewed Exped's claims for the DAM and focused on validating (or refuting) them as I slept. These were: 
 

Exped Claim	Tested Result/Verdict
Down fill insulation reduces heat loss by 65%	True. I've never slept warmer or better in a tent or during the winter.
Fabric Surfaces are textured for slip proof comfort	True. I was initially worried I might slide around a lot but I found I stayed where I lay.
Seams are far stronger than conventional sewing or glue	Unknown. All I can say is that they've not failed. There is no sign of wear or tear along the seams.
Neutral colors dry quickly	Again, unknown. It doesn't get wet easily and it seemed to dry fast enough. Nothing significant one way or the other on this one.
Dual valves offer fast deflation	True. I can deflate and roll it as fast as any standard self-inflating mattress.
Foam barriers prevent down from escaping (through valves) or migrating (between chambers)	True. No down has passed through these valves or apparently between the chambers.
Baffles between shell chambers eliminates cold spots	True (or at least something prevented cold spots).
Nocar treatment of down prevents effects caused by moisture buildup	True (again, no clumping regardless of the humidity of the inflation air).
Unique pump/packsack fills mattress within minutes	True. It takes about 2 minutes to fully inflate.
Pump inflation keeps down from clumping or freezing due to humidity from breath	True. However, I didn't experience clumping or freezing even when inflating with my lungs.
Pump sack makes a great pillow	True! A great bonus feature (I usually throw a vest or shirt into the sack, leave it about half inflated and close the roll-top). A very comfortable camp pillow.

 

Additionally, I thought of several other features I felt warranted testing: 
 

Feature	Results
Ease of setup with gloves & in inclement weather	Mixed results on this one. I did find it somewhat difficult to remove the mattress from the pump sack with gloves on. I had to resort to either my teeth or removing my gloves in order to get a pinching grip on the material of the pump sack. Inclement weather meant I had to perch in the vestibule of my tent while inflating the mattress. Rolling the mattress tighter the next night made removal easier, but some sort of grab loop on the bottom of the sack would be handy.
Effect of cold air on flexibility of mattress	Cold weather had no apparent negative impact on the mattress fabric. The mattress remained flexible throughout the temperature range I subjected it to.
Effect of high humidity external air used to fill mattress on warmth of the mattress	No apparent effect. Humid outside air (sleeting in freezing temps) did not result in freezing of the down filling.
Water/moisture resistance of the mattress shell	The shell did not appear to absorb any of the minor spills encountered over the past six months. Cleanup is quick and easy leaving just a damp looking (but not noticeably wet) spot that dries over the course of a day or so. Again, no impact on comfort & warmth when sleeping.
Water resistance of the pump sack	The pump sack survived multiple exposures to incidental water (light rain, sleet, sea spray) without wetting the mattress. The pump sack when turned inside out makes a credible camp shower (its black coloring allows it to soak up the heat and a tube with a Platypus shower valve on the end fits nicely into the inside-out fill valve).
Ease of repair of shell, valves, and pump	Unknown. My DAM has suffered no ill effects from the abuse I've provided (including a week of sleeping directly on coarse sand).
Repairability in very low temperatures	Unknown.
Durability of chamber baffles over the duration of the test	I experienced no failures of the baffles. All of the channels seem to have the same amount of fill as they did when the test started. Apparently the baffles have not been harmed by my sleeping on them.
Durability of lofting	Again, the mattress seems to be retaining its loft. I store it flat with the valves open and roll it only when backpacking. I left the mattress standing in a corner for a week and felt the channels top to bottom and could discover no perceptible difference in the loft when squishing them between my palms.
Sleep surface suitability (e.g. hammock, tent floor, AT hut floor, direct snow contact, etc.)	The DAM works well in all cases but is particularly well suited to tents and other firm surfaces. It's the perfect complement to my Flying Bivy which allows me to remain suspended in air as in a hammock but provides a firm, flat floor like a tent while preventing air infiltration (the bane of cold weather hammock camping).
Comfort for side sleeping	I found no issues in sleeping on either my side or back. I did not experience "hip poke-thru" where my hips or shoulders bottomed out against the ground as I often do with a traditional pad.
Storage requirements	I store the pad horizontally with the valves open. This requires a bit of extra space due to the mattress' size but I find it rests nicely on top of my kayak suspended from the rafters of the garage.
Effect of inflation amount (under/over) on comfort or sleep surface suitability)	I've found that a little "under inflated" provides me with the best comfort. I use 11 pump sacks of air to inflate it (somewhat less than the recommended 15).
Effectiveness with various sleeping "bags" including a Nunatak Arc Alpinist (quilt type)	With the Arc Alpinist's straps fastened under the DAM, it keeps the sides of the quilt wrapped well around me. However, the combination of the extra-wide size of the mattress (the DLX version is wider than the standard version) and the smallish size of my AA (I have the medium size quilt) means I am snugly confined. Otherwise lengthening the straps to release the snug fit results in occasional drafts as I roll in my sleep.
Packability	I was afraid the mattress would defeat my low-volume approach to packing. However, it fits nicely width-wise in my pack and does not impact my packing.
Noise factor of the mattress/fabric	Not noticeable in my testing. Neither I nor any tent mates were bothered by any noise.
"Roll" test  - do I "fall" off in my sleep	I was worried that I might roll off the mattress in my sleep as it inflates to a nicely bulky 3.5" (9 cm). My fears were for naught as I never fell off in any night.
Alternatives to the pump for inflation	I successfully tried an air mattress inflator (battery powered) and lung power. A note of warning: Inflating by lung left me lightheaded and dizzy. It also took about 10 minutes. Doable but not desirable. While it's nice to know I don't need the pump sack, I can't foresee an event that will leave me with the mattress but a pump sack that wasn't repairable by the suitable application of duct tape.
Impact on mattress using breath to inflate	Weighing the mattress before & after lung inflation resulted in a weight gain of 7 oz (198 g) which took almost a month of storage in my garage to return to the original weight.
Ease of deflation/roll/stuffing	The mattress presents no real difference in deflation/rolling/stuffing over any self-inflating mattress. I can accomplish these tasks as quickly with the DAM as with any of my other pads with the exception of my Z-Rest which simply folds like an accordion.
Any sharp edges to tear the silnylon in my hammock or Flying Bivy	The Exped caused no damage to any of my other gear -- including the lightweight fabric used for my Nunatak quilt (.85 oz/24 g per sq yd ripstop nylon taffeta).
Effect of unevenness in site	I was worried that sloping campsites would result in rolling or sliding. Neither was notable during my testing.
Comfort!	What can I say but that this mattress provided me with the best nights of sleep I've had in the woods while in a tent...ever! In addition to the sleep comfort, I'm convinced that it's the only thing that kept me from freezing one night when the temps unexpectedly fell to -3 F (-19 C) and I had only my 10 F (-12 C) quilt (it's a 20 F/-6 C Nunatak Arc Alpinist with 2 oz/57 g overfill).
Other features/uses I tested just for curiosity's sake:
Can it be folded in an "L" shape and used as a camp chair?	Nope. Well, sort of. But it's ungainly and awkward in this configuration.
Does it fit within the uprights of a dogsled so I can nap while someone else mushes?	Yes it fits, but no, one's mushers will not permit naps.

 

OTHER RESULTS

A couple of other things I checked on checked on was the ability to use it in the pad sleeve of my Moonlite pack (nope, doesn't fit) and if I could use it rolled & slipped vertically into ,y backpack to give it shape (yes, but in that form it doesn't leave much room for any gear). I also tried the pump sack as an ad-hoc camp shower by turning it inside out. This reveals the foam sleeve that gives the lower half of the pump sack its shape. This foam sleeve is easily removed, and when filled, water does not penetrate the shiny coating of the inside (now the outside) of the pump sack. I slipped a thin plastic tube with a Platypus shower valve on one end into the sack's valve. The water was quite warm after a day in the sun but ran slowly out of the hose. I suspect a larger tube slipped over the sack's valve would result in greater water flow & an absolutely hedonistic experience in the wilds.