Reviews > Sleep Gear > Pads and Air Mattresses > Insul Mat Womens Max-Mtn > Laurie Shuster > Field Report

Reviewer Information
Laurie Shuster
shustelm@yahoo.com
Olympia, WA

Age: 35, Female
Height: 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m)
Weight: 125 pounds (57 kg)

Backpacking Experience
I’ve been a dayhiker since the mid 1980s and a backpacker since 1992.  I love the outdoors and I get out as much as I can, taking daily walks/runs, weekly day hikes, monthly backpack trips, and some occasional car camping adventures.  In the winter I love to snowshoe and am learning to cross country ski.  I would not call myself a lightweight backpacker, but I am happy to say that my pack weight is gradually coming down.  My goal is to have a manageable pack weight without sacrificing safety or a whole lot of comfort.

Product Description
The Max-Mtn Insul Mat by Pacific Outdoor Equipment (POE) is a tapered sleeping pad designed as a less bulky, lighter weight, winter sleeping pad for women.  To put it plainly, heavier foam with a higher insulation value is used at the torso and feet, and lighter foam is used under the knees.  POE describes the system on their web site and in the materials accompanying the pad as a "hybrid mtn foam core".  Three types of foam are used in this product:  1)A  high R value lateral cored foam is used under the torso and the feet;  2) A lighter die cut foam  is used under the knees;  3) A slightly raised honeycomb insulation called "Ovalback" is layered over the thicker foam.  Ovalback is intended to add to the insulation factor and increase surface friction for non-slip sleeping.

A stuff sack, Velcro strap, and repair kit were included with the sleeping pad and will be described in the next section of this report.

Product Information and Observations

Straight out of the packaging, this sleeping pad looks very different than any other I've used.  The tapered shape reminds me of a mummy bag shape - narrow at the head, wider at the core and tapered at the feet.  The surface of the Insul Mat is covered by a grayish blue slip resistant fabric made of rip stop nylon.  That part is pretty normal, but what's underneath is obviously quite different.  I can plainly see three distinct insulation patterns just by looking at the top of the pad:  1) The core section from the neck to the upper thighs (32 in or 81 cm) is a slightly raised honey comb pattern of oval rings (the Ovalback insulation explained above under Product Description).  2) The same pattern is visible in the lower 10 in (25 cm) at the foot of the pad.  3) The 18 in (45 cm) section under the knees is a slightly raised diamond shaped pattern. This area is the lighter weight foam not covered by "Ovalback". 

The Insul Mat came with some other neat stuff I did not expect - a stuff sack, repair kit and Velcro strap. The coated nylon stuff sack is intended to be used with the pad folded in half before rolling.  A generous 6 in (15 cm) pocket is sewn into the bottom of the sack to store the repair kit.  What a great feature!  The repair kit is quite nice, too.  It contains two large pieces of fabric (one each of the top and bottom cover material) and a small tube of glue.  The Velcro retaining strap is a fantastic addition as well.  One end is 6 in (15 cm) of hook material and the rest of the strap is loop material making it possible to secure the strap pretty much anywhere along its length.  The strap works just fine when the pad is rolled at full width or folded in half and then rolled. 

Field Test

Weather Conditions and Test Locations
Before heading into the great outdoors with the Insul Mat,  I used it for several nights in the house, and once in a tent in the backyard (elevation of about 250 feet or 76 meters).  Temperatures in the yard that night ranged from 28 - 35 F ( -2 to 2 C).  Skies were clear and there was a heavy frost on the ground in the morning.  

Last weekend, we spent a two-night backpack at the beach in Olympic National Park, and we had a real weather potpourri!  The first night began with patchy clouds and changed into a driving rainstorm with winds of about 35 mph (56 kmph).  Unfortunately, our floorless tent was pitched a little too high off the ground and some of the rain blew in.  Day 2 was cloudy and windy with sustained winds of  about 30 mph  (48 kmph) and gusts to 45 (72 kmph) along with some brief showers and small hail that continued through the night.  Temperatures both nights ranged from 35 - 45 F (2 C - 7 C).  Our elevation was at sea level.

Product Performance Observations  

Comfort/Warmth
At first glance, I was a bit uneasy about the size and shape of the Insul Mat.  The tapered shape and short length made me wonder if I'd actually sleep on the pad, or if I'd roll off and wake to find only part of my body on the pad and the rest of me on the ground.  I am happy to report that for the most part my whole body stayed on the pad.  When sleeping in my mummy bag that was zipped to my partner's mummy bag, I did find that my feet tended to drift to the gap at the foot between my tapered pad and his rectangular pad.  The cut of the mummy bags forms a V shape that tends to funnel our feet toward the inside edges of our mats.  When my bag was not zipped to another bag, staying on the Insul Mat was not a problem at all.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that even when I rolled over in my sleep, I stayed on the pad without any effort or re-adjustments.  

The petite length pad is just slightly taller than I am, and seems to be long enough to keep me warm and dry under normal conditions.  However, I did wish I'd ordered the longer pad the night the rain blew into our floorless tent.  The Insul Mat is a good match for my height, but my sleeping bag is a few inches longer than the pad.  The last few inches (about 5 cm) of the foot section of the bag hung off the pad and absorbed water from the ground.  Fortunately, the rest of me, the bag and the pad were dry.  It never dawned on me to consider adding in the extra length to keep my sleeping bag off the ground so it would stay dry.

The Insul Mat does definitely keep me warmer than one of my other camping mattresses.  During my backyard campout, I brought a full length, 1.5 inch (4 cm) thick Therm-a-Rest Guidelite self-inflating mattress into the tent along with the Max-Mtn.  I laid on each mattress for a half  an hour, observing if  I felt a difference.  Both mattresses felt cold under me for the first few minutes of use.  After my body heat soaked into the Insul Mat, it dramatically outperformed the other mattress.  I felt no chill at all on the Insul Mat and was able to sleep with a lighter sleeping bag than I originally intended on using.  I hope to do more side by side tests with other sleeping pads in my collection for the Final Report.       

Inflation/Deflation
The Max-Mtn inflates very quickly and easily. In a heated house, it took only 4 minutes for the pad to reach its maximum self-inflation level.  Outside, at a temperature of about 40 F (4 C), self-inflation took about 6 minutes.  A few creases remained across the pad, so I added three or four breaths for some additional inflation.

The Insul Mat deflates just as easily.   I followed POE's deflation instructions that came as part of the paperwork with the pad, and they worked quite well.  I was able to get most of the air out of the pad by opening the valve, rolling the mat from the bottom, closing the valve, unrolling the mat and re-rolling the mat with the valve closed.  This pushed most of the remaining air to the front of the mat.  I re-opened the valve, releasing the remaining air before wrapping the Velcro strap around the pad and loading it into my pack.

In addition to the easy inflation and deflation process, I also like the feel of the brass valve on the Insult Mat.  The coating gives good traction, it's easy to twist, and it feels very sturdy. 

Ease of Packing
The Insult Mat can be rolled as is, or it can be folded in half lengthwise before rolling.  In fact, the Max-Mtn is made with a slight crease up the center on the bottom of the pad to make the folding and rolling process easier.  Furthermore, the stuff sack is short and wide, so it can only be used if the pad is folded then rolled. 

I tried the fold and roll process, and it was pretty easy.  The fold stayed fairly even without a constant fight and a lot of effort as I've experienced with other pads.  After rolling, the Max-Mtn fit in the stuff sack easily.  However, I did not have enough room in my pack for the folded pad.  I generally roll my sleeping pad unfolded and attach it to the outside of my pack.  I did the same with the Max-Mtn and was pleased to see the roll was a bit thinner than my other pads.  The Velcro strap was handy to have to keep the pad rolled up while I attached it to the pack. 

Surface Fabric Performance
So far, the cover of the Insul Mat seems pretty durable and water resistant.  I thought disaster hit while I was packing for my trip.  Our new kitten, in a fit of kitten energy, attacked my pack and the sleeping pad with his claws out, getting four or five good scratches in.  I quickly tested the pad for leaks by spreading a bit of water on the surface of the pad.  To my great relief, no leaks showed and the water beaded like mad.  In fact, the pad was repelling water so well that it was difficult to spread the water over the surface to perform the check.

During my leaky tent experience, I was pleased with its water repellency as well.  Even though I was lying on a wet ground cloth, the only part of me that got wet was the section of my sleeping bag that was off the pad.  In the morning, I noticed that the top surface of the pad was damp at the foot, but once uncovered, it dried in less than an hour.

Coupling
On our beach backpack, I joined the Max-Mtn to my partner's rectangular mattress with a standard size Therm-a-Rest Couple Kit.  This is a system of two straps that hold two self-inflating pads next to each other.  Each strap has two loops in it.  The pads are laid side by side, one loop is slipped over the top of the pad on one side then the other loop over the top of the pad on the other side.  The same is done at the bottom end of the pads, securing the top and bottom of the pads together. 

The loops in the Couple Kit don't adjust, so I was concerned that they would not fit the tapered Max-Mtn pad.  I was happy to discover that with a bit of creative positioning, the straps worked just fine.  Instead of looping the top and bottom of the pads, I moved the loops closer to the middle until they were secure around the pad.  The only downside is one I mentioned earlier.  The tapered shape at the bottom of the Max-Mtn leaves a gap between the two pads in the foot area.  Once I trained myself to move my feet out of the gap if they got cold and onto my pad, it was not much of an issue.

All in all I am very pleased with the performance of the Insul Mat.  It insulates very well, is comfortable to sleep on, easy to pack, and durable.  I'm looking forward to spending some more nights on it!

Reviews > Sleep Gear > Pads and Air Mattresses > Insul Mat Womens Max-Mtn > Laurie Shuster > Field Report