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Reviews > Sleep Gear > Pads and Air Mattresses > Pacific Outdoor Equipment Kids Mat > Colleen Porter > Long Term 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: The Kids 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, but on our recent Mojave Desert trip the overnight temps dropped to around freezing. It has been used six 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, hard-packed sand, 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). Long-Term Conclusions: There are not many kid-specific sleeping pads on the market. In fact, I could only find two, one of which is the Kids Mat. It's something of a niche market, which explains one of my two complaints about the Kids Mat. Even though it is the lightest kid-specific sleeping pad on the market, it's still too heavy for what it is. There are lighter adult self-inflating pads with comparable surface areas. If the weight reflects the best that can be done while maintaining the level of durability that POE wants out of the pad, that's understandable. It certainly seems durable! After four months of abuse from two children under the age of five, it is still working just as well as the day we got it. Paul has loved having his very own sleeping pad. He likes the animal footprints especially well, but suggested that maybe there should be pictures of scat, too. While I understand his enthusiasm, I doubt that pictures of animal feces will be a huge selling point for POE. The pad has performed well; Paul has never complained of being cold or uncomfortable on it (but to be perfectly honest, Paul has never complained about that with any pad). It packs down very small, and so takes up much less space in a pack than a foam sleeping pad (which we used for Paul prior to this test). Any messes that have been made on the pad have cleaned up well, but the DWR treatment has diminished in places as a result of scrubbing the pad. The Kids Mat has been a hit with my son and we will definitely continue to use it even now that the test is completed, although for trips where we really need to keep the weight low we may revert back to Paul's foam pad (which is much bulkier than the Kids Mat, but also lighter). Good Things 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. Heavy for what it is, but this may be a sacrifice in order to provide durability. 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 > Long Term Report | |||||
