Personal Biography

 

Name: George Griffin
Age: 42
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 7" (1.7 m)
Weight: 205 lb (93 kg)
Email: ggriff(at)talk21(dot)com
City: London U.K
Date: 29 February 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

Website: www.pacoutdoor.com

 

Manufacturer`s Weight: 23 oz (650 g)

Measured Weight:  24.6 oz (700 g) 

Colour: Red (top)/Black (bottom)

 

From the swing tag

 

 

 

The day before the pad was delivered, UPS phoned to say that the package would be arriving the following day.  They gave an a.m. delivery time but the package didn't actually arrive until 4 p.m. (I`ve included this as it is unusual for a courier company to phone and let you know when they are delivering).

 

The pad arrived in a long box; I expected it to take up the whole box but upon opening the pad was in its stuff sack and took up less than half the box.  Apart from a small amount of packing the pad was the only thing inside the box, (the invoices were attached to the outside of the box).

 

 

Contents

 

Sleeping Pad

Repair Kit

Stuff Sack

Swing tag attached to the drawstring on the stuff sack

 

The swing tag is actually a 12 page booklet in four different languages (English, German, Italian, & French) with instructions on how to inflate/deflate the pad.  It also contains the lifetime warranty.

 

The stuff sack

 

The stuff sack is a nylon bag with a drawstring and a plastic cordlock toggle, it also has a pocket in the bottom which contains the repair kit.

 

Repair kit

 

The repair kit consists of two pieces of material, one for the top and one for the bottom of the pad.  These are about 4 in square (10 cm), a tube of Mat-Fix A glue and the instructions on how to repair the pad; this is all contained in a little plastic ziplock bag.

 

Sleeping pad

 

After looking at the website; I was expecting a sleeping pad that was much bigger that it actual was.  I knew it would look like a lilo but I was surprised how tough it looked; I was excepting something more flimsy and not constructed as well as it is.

 

I was surprised at how small this was packed, I did expect it to be a much bulkier item.  The pad was folded and rolled inside the stuff sack on arrival and measured 10 in x 5 1/2 in (25 cm x 14 cm). I removed the pad from the stuff sack and unfolded it, my first concern was would I be able to fold it back up small enough to fit back in the sack (more on this later).

 

A check of the valve and seams showed no sign of defect and the pad was in good order.

 

I unrolled the pad and was greeted with a mummy shaped pad; red on the top and black underneath with a plastic valve in one of the top corners, on closer inspection the valve is actually brass with a plastic cover.

 

The pad measures 72 x 20 x 2 1/2 in (183 x 51 x 6.3 cm) when inflated; the first two dimensions are the same when the pad is deflated but the last one is roughly 1/8 in (3 mm).  This is a manually inflated pad which means `you blow it up`, I did think that it would take some time to inflate but it inflates quite quickly in about 2-3 minutes, 20-30 normal breaths.

 

The pad is made from two different weights of nylon 70D for the bottom and a lighter 50D ripstop for the top.  The pad is made up of six interlinked tubes; only four run the full length of the pad, the other two give the width at the shoulders.

 

The synthetic fill feels like it is attached to the top of the pad and also has a sponge-like feel to it and this helps to give it warmth.

 

 

When air is blown into the valve it gradually circulates to all of the tubes and inflates the pad. 

 

The air inside the tubes can move around as you shift your body weight, different parts of your body get pushed up so when you lean on an elbow the air gets pushed down to your feet and you find them being raised.

 

Weight distribution plays a part in deciding if the pad is correctly inflated.  When laying on the pad the weight is spread evenly and the air inside the tubes support you but if you sit on the pad the weight is all in one area and this forces the air into the areas where there is no weight and you can find yourself sitting on the floor.

 

Getting the pad inflated correctly is a bit hit and miss at present; too much and you are sitting on top, not enough and you are sitting on the floor.  This is something that needs to be looked at more closely. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The G4 is a lightweight rucsack designed by Glen Van Peski; which needs a sleeping pad sloted in the back to give the pack support.

 

Lilo=Inflatable rubber mattress