Personal Biography

Name: George Griffin
Age: 42
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 7" (1.7 m)
Weight: 205 lb (93 kg)
Email: griffin42(at)tiscali(dot)co(dot)uk
City: London U.K
Date: 03 May 2004

Backpacking Background

I have been backpacking since 1986. Mainly in the Peak District, Lake District, Wales and Southern England. I am also the London liaison member for the Backpackers Club. In the early days I backpacked solo but in recent years I have backpacked with two friends. Most of my trips are from September through to May, I normally get four 4+ day trips in that time, plus the occasional weekend.

Terrain and elevation on these trips can be anything from coastal paths to mountains, sea level to 3,000-ft (914 m). Temperatures ranges from -5 C to 23 C (23 F to 75 F).

Product Information

Manufacturer: Insul Mat

Year of manufacture: 2004

Manufacturer`s Weight: 23 oz (650 g)

Measured Weight: 24.6 oz (700 g)

Colour: Red (top)/Black (bottom)

Field Test

I haven`t used the sleeping pad as much as I would have liked in the Field Test period; but I have managed seven nights sleeping on it.

A 3-day backpacking trip in late February and two, two night car camping trips in mid-April.

The backpacking trip was in Sussex; staying on proper campsites. The weather was cold with temperatures not going above 2 C (35 F) during the day and with night-time temperatures on one day down to -5 C (23 F) and heavy ground frost, although cold the days were sunny and bright. On the last day we woke to a dusting of snow.

The car camping trips were to give my daughter (6) a chance to experience camping; the weather on these trips were fairly warm for this time of year with temperatures in the 15-20 C (60-68 F) range.

Usage

A couple of minutes of blowing into the valve and the pad is inflated to about 80% which is right for sleeping on, but not for sitting on; because when you lay on the pad, the air inside is distributed evenly but sitting on it forces the  air up the tubes and you find yourself sitting on the hard ground.

The comfort of this pad is unbelievable, if you get the inflation right it`s like sleeping on a bed at home.

Initially the pad is cold to the touch but once you have been laying on it for a few minutes, it warms with your body heat.

When I was younger, I found that I could get by with a few hours sleeping and be uncomfortable on extended backpacking trips and still do the miles the next day; but as I`m getting older that`s not the case and getting as comfortable night is really important, this pad gives me that comfort.

In my initial report; I did wonder if I would be slipping off the pad but this is not the case, even when turning over the pad gives good support and I stay on it very well.

On the 3-day backpacking trip; each morning I did notice there was some moisture build-up inside the pad. This was only noticed when deflating the pad and the two parts of the material touched, there was also some water coming out of the valve.

I used the GoLite Trek backpack for this trip; so the pad was rolled and packed inside the pack, I had thought about using the pad as support in a G4 but I don`t think it will work, as when deflated this pad is quite soft and pliable (I`m still to use my G4; I only use it in the Summer and will try the pad properly then).

The two car camping trips were arranged to: 1. give me a chance to use the pad again and 2. to give my daughter a chance to try-out camping.

On both these trips the pad was inflated when we arrived at the site and was left inflated until we left. There was no noticeable deflation of the pad over the two days that it was inflated. I also noticed that there wasn`t as much moisture build-up in the pad when deflating it after two days; I don`t know whether is was because being inflated for two days gave the moisture time to evaporate or because the temperatures were higher 15-20 C (60-68 F) and this helped.

With a self-inflating pad; I normally let the pad inflate and then store it down the side of a wardrobe with the valve open but I find you can`t do this with, this pad. So I store it rolled up and in its stuff sack with the valve open, but before doing this I leave it hanging over the banisters for a day or two to make sure that any moisture is removed.

Summary

So far I have found this pad to be really comfortable for sleeping on. On the cold nights back in February; I never noticed any cold coming up through the pad.

Getting the pad inflated to the correct pressure is still a bit `hit or miss` but it is not a major issue; either inflate or deflate a little to get the right pressure.