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Reviews > Sleep Gear > Pads and Air Mattresses > Pacific Outdoor Equipment Kids Mat > Colleen Porter > Field Report
Product Description: A scaled-down sleeping pad aimed at kids (well, at the parents of said kids). The top is a bright, cheery, yellow 50-denier diamond ripstop decorated with forest animals (moose, bear, mountain goat, fox, and owl), their footprints, and a growth chart printed on it. The underside is screaming neon orange in a much heavier, non-ripstop fabric. Included are an orange stuff sack (also decorated with animals & footprints), a Velcro strap, a patch kit, and a permanent marker (I assume for marking the child's height on the growth chart). Field Information: So far, the Kid's Mat has been used in western Montana and southern California. Elevations have ranged from sea level to 3400' (1036 m). Nights have been mostly warm; I doubt overnight temps have dropped below 45 F (7 C) on any of the trips when we used the Kid's Mat. So far it has been used four nights outdoors and multiple nights indoors (Paul cannot be convinced to sleep in his own bed very often). One of the outdoor overnights involved rain and light wind, but we were in a fully enclosed tent. Terrain has consisted of hard-packed dirt, coast live oak duff (twigs and very prickly leaves), grass, and a wooden dock. Paul typically sleeps in 200-weight fleece pants & top when we camp, with a down bag or blanket thrown over him when he complains that he's cold (very rare). Performance: Testing kid's gear is difficult. They're very susceptible to suggestions, but conversely they are not elaborately descriptive. So trying to figure out how to question Paul without influencing his answers is kind of like tightrope-walking. The best I can tell is that he likes it, has no objections to sleeping on it, and doesn't think about it much beyond that. Very refreshing. So I must revert to my observations and a description of the types of abuse and indignities it has endured. As I predicted, Paul has jumped on it, rolled himself up in it, attempted to use it as a slide, folded it and pretended it was a tent, attempted to smother his baby brother with it, eaten breakfast on it, spilled breakfast on it, kicked it, and drooled on it. He did manage to sleep on it a few times, too. One night we slept in a tent in Grandma's backyard, and in the morning a multitude of cousins ran out to join us and tramp all over the sleeping pads. So far it's holding up well (no leaks) and cleans off pretty easily with just water. There was a rubbed-in chocolate stain that I scrubbed off with a brush and watered-down Dr. Bronner's soap, but this does seem to have adversely affected the DWR finish on that portion of the mat. My only minor complaint about the pad is one I already addressed in my Initial Report - the growth chart is too short. Paul has now grown to 43 in (109 cm), and the growth chart only measures up to 45 in (114 cm). This means that most kids older than Paul (he is not exactly tall for his age) will not be able to use the growth chart. Over the next two months of testing, our focus will shift to the deserts and lower mountain ranges of southern California. I am planning to visit the Mojave National Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park in November. December is not yet scheduled, but will certainly involve some more family trips to similar areas. Good Things Seems very durable Easily cleaned Cute, but not TOO cute - Paul loves the printed animals & tracks Comfortable for my child Not-So-Good Things The growth chart tops out at 45 in/114 cm. Taller children cannot be measured on it. Read more reviews of Pacific Outdoor Equipment gear Read more gear reviews by Colleen Porter Reviews > Sleep Gear > Pads and Air Mattresses > Pacific Outdoor Equipment Kids Mat > Colleen Porter > Field Report | |||||
