Pacific Outdoor Equipment Women’s Max-Mtn Sleeping Pad Initial Report

Personal Information:
Name:  Christine Korhonen
Age:  30
Gender:  female
Height:  5’4” (1.6 m)
Weight:  165 lb (75 kg)
E-mail:  chris@wormguy.com
Location:  Western Montana
Date:  December 16, 2003

Backpacking Background:
I recently moved to Montana where I’m becoming re-acquainted with winter.  Now that I’m back in the North, I’m attempting some winter camping and snowshoeing.  I’m a lightweight backpacker mentally, if not always in practice.  I’ve gotten my summer multi-day pack weight down to 13 lb
(6 kg), but winter backpacking is still new to me, and my winter pack weight hovers around 35 lb (16 kg). 

Other Sleeping Pads Used:
I’ve been using a full length Therm-a-Rest Ultralite for winter tent and shelter camping and a ¾ length Therm-a-Rest Z-rest for summer tent camping.

Product Information:
Manufacturer:  Pacific Outdoor Equipment (POE)
URL:  www.pacoutdoor.com
Model:  Women’s Edition Max-Mtn Insul-Mat
Size:  Petite
Color:  Stratus/Larix (Blue/Grey)
R-Value:  3.3~5.0
MSRP:  $64 US

Weight listed:  34 oz (960 g)  
Measured weigh compressed pad:  33.5 oz (950 g)
Measured weight stuff sack:  1.2 oz (34 g)
Measured weight Velcro strap:  0.4 oz (11 g)
Measured weight patch kit:  0.8 oz (23 g)
Total measured weight:  35.9 oz (1018 g)

Listed dimensions:  20” x 66” x 1.5” (51 cm x 168 cm x 3.8 cm)
Measured dimensions:  20.0” x 66.0” x 1.25” (51 cm x 169 cm 3.2 cm)
Measured dimensions packed pad: 11.5” tall x 6” diameter (29 cm x 15 cm)
Measured dimensions stuff sack:  13” tall x 8” diameter (33 cm x 20 cm)

Packaging:
The POE Max-Mtn sleeping pad came compressed and rolled in a stuff sack.  The stuff sack was surrounded by a glossy sheet describing the features of POE’s Insul-Mat Maximum Series Women’s Edition in English, German, French and Italian.  A small repair kit and instructions were stored in a pocket in the bottom of the stuff sack.  

Max-Mtn Description:
The Max-Mtn petite is a mummy-shaped sleeping pad 5’6” (168 cm) long and 20” (51 cm) wide at its widest point, tapering to 10” (25 cm) at the head and 12” (30 cm) at the foot.  There is an additional ½” (1.3 cm) seam of fused fabric around the sides of the mat.  The mat consists of open cell foam surrounded by two pieces of fused airtight fabric with a valve at the head end.  The mat self-inflates when the valve is open or can be blown up by mouth.  Blue 50 denier diamond ripstop is used on the upper surface, with an “Insul-Mat Women’s Edition” logo at the head end, and grey 70 denier polyester on the bottom.  There are several features to the Max-Mtn:

Hybrid Foam Core:  The main feature of the POE sleeping pads is multiple foam construction.  The open cell foam in the pad has been cut differently based on location.  There appears to be a solid piece of foam for the first 5½” (14 cm) at the head end, then the foam forms a honeycomb pattern for 33” (84 cm) of the main body.  At the legs the foam is in a diamond pattern, while the honeycomb repeats in the last 10½” (27 cm) for the feet.  The honeycomb appearance of the main body and feet is described as having lateral cross coring.  This cannot be seen directly when looking at the pad, but is shown in a cut-away diagram on the glossy sheet and website as interconnected hollow foam tubes that have had their centers drilled out from the side.  The diamond-patterned section under the legs is die cut, where foam is removed by cutting pieces from the top like a cookie cutter.  Cutting the foam like this is meant to save weight while leaving cushion and insulation in areas which need it.

Ovalback:  The material covering the sleeping pad has a slightly raised diamond pattern repeating every ⅛” (0.3 cm) throughout its length.  This proprietary surface is advertised to increase friction and add insulation.

Solid Brass Valve:  The single valve which allows air in and out of the sleeping pad is ½” (1.3 cm) long and ¾” (1.9 cm) in diameter.  It is made of brass, although the external screw top is covered in plastic.  So far, the valve has been easy to open and close, and the cap is comfortable to blow into.  The valve is screwed into a ½” (1.3 cm) thick corner of the sleeping pad reinforced with hard polyurethane. 

Repair Kit:  The repair kit consists of one grey and one blue patch, each 4” x 5¾” (10 cm x 15 cm), a tube labeled “Mat-Fix A” which contains glue, a 30” (76 cm) Velcro strap, and an instruction sheet.  The instructions do not say how to use the patch kit, but instead describe inflating, deflating and caring for the sleeping pad.  There are several cautions against things I never thought of doing, such as putting the pad in a washing machine, sleeping on coral or pins and needles, and using the pad in a swimming pool (not discouraged because the pad will get wet, but because of the adverse effects of chlorine). 

First Inflation: 
The Max-Mtn came with a sticker suggesting it would take up to 30 minutes for the pad to self-inflate the first time, while the instructions from the repair kit recommend blowing up the pad for its initial inflation.  I unrolled the pad and left it with the valve open for two hours.  When it had not inflated by this time, I blew it up.  With the pad fully inflated, the differences in the interior foam are clearly visible.  I left the pad inflated for 24 hours then opened the valve and attempted to roll it up.  The Max-Mtn is thicker than the self-inflating pad I’m used to.  I had difficulty folding it in half lengthwise, since it tended to bounce back open.  The pad is irregularly shaped and only 6” (15 cm) wide at the toe end when folded.  This is barely enough room for me to use both hands to roll it up.  With it bouncing open and my precarious grip, I had trouble lining up the two sides of the folded mat.  I was finally able to roll the sleeping pad all the way and push out most of the air.  I then unrolled and re-rolled the pad with the valve closed as indicated in the instructions.  When I opened the valve after the second roll not much air was released, so I felt that the pad was compressed fairly tightly.  The rolled sleeping pad fit easily into the stuff sack.  In fact, there was so much extra room the pad unrolled some in the sack.  I rolled up the pad again, and this time used the Velcro strap to secure it.  The strap fit securely around the pad.  With the pad secured, the stuff sack was 2” (5 cm) larger in diameter than the pad. 

When I unrolled the pad a second time and opened the valve, the Max-Mtn took 5 minutes to inflate on its own.

Plusses:
The pad fits easily into the stuff sack.
The Velcro strap keeps the pad rolled tightly.
I appreciate that a repair kit is included.

Suggestion:
Instructions for using the repair kit could be added.  I’ve never used a patch kit and have several questions.  I would like to know if I should rough up the patch and the area around the hole, what tool is recommended to do this, if I should put the cement on both surfaces, if I should wait for these surfaces to get tacky before joining them, approximately how long should I wait for the patch to adhere before attempting to inflate the pad, and what solvent is recommended to remove excess cement.

Test Plan: 
In the coming months, I will test the Max-Mtn sleeping pad on backpacking trips along the Continental Divide and in other areas in Montana.  I will test the pad in a tent on snow and frozen ground.  I will see if the pad can keep me warm under various conditions.  I will test the self-inflation properties of the pad, and see how well the Ovalback surface prevents the pad from slipping on the tent floor and me from sliding on the pad.  I will see if the brass valve becomes difficult to open in frozen conditions, and if the plastic cover on the screw top protects my skin from adhering to the cold metal.  I will watch to see if the valve’s attachment is a weak point for the pad.  The durable water resistant finish will be tested, and I will see if I become more proficient in rolling up the pad.