Reviews > Sleep Gear > Pads and Air Mattresses > Pacific Outdoor Equipment Kids Mat > Curt Peterson > Initial Report

Pacific Outdoor Equipment

Kid's Mat 1.0

- Initial Report -
August 2006

1)Tester Background and Contact Information

Name: Curt Peterson
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight: 270 lb (122 kg)
Email address: curt<at>boopants<dot>com
Location: North Bend, Washington, USA

I live in the Cascade foothills, just 20 mi (32 km) from the Pacific Crest Trail via trails leading right from my backyard. My outdoor time in Washington is spent dayhiking, backpacking, climbing, and skiing everywhere from the Olympic coast to rainforests to Cascade volcanoes to dry steppe.  I played football in college and often evaluate products from a big guy perspective. My typical pack load ranges from 11 - 20 lbs (5 - 9 kg) and usually includes plenty of wet weather gear.

Co-Tester:
Name: Ethan Peterson
Age: 4
Gender: Male
Height: 3'4" (1.0 m)
Weight: 37 lbs. (16.8 kg)
Email address (Using Papa's): curt<at>boopants<dot>com
Location: North Bend, Washington, USA

I can't believe I'm already 4 years old! I hike on a trail every single day with my mommy and papa and dog. We go on the trail to the lake and throw rocks in the water. I've started to do a lot fishing now, too, but for some reason Papa won't put a real hook on my pole yet. This summer we're going to go camping a lot! We'll have a 4-day weekend every week, so there should be a lot of time to go into the mountains to hike, camp, fish, and play.

2) Pacific Outdoor Equipment Kid's Mat 1.0 Specifications

• Includes Kid's Mat, stuff sack, repair patches and glue, instructions, and marking pen
• Color: Sunshine (yellow-orange)
• Weight of Kid's Mat only: 15.4 oz (435 g) *P.O.E. lists 15 oz (425 g)
• Weight of Kid's Mat stuff sack: 0.5 oz (16 g)
• Weight of Kid's Mat repair kit, pen, & instructions: 1.1 oz (32 g)
• Width of Kid's Mat: 16 in (41 cm) padded portion, 17 in (43 cm) total *Same as P.O.E. list
• Length of Kid's Mat: 48 in (122 cm) padded portion, 49 in (124 cm) total *Same as P.O.E. list
• Thickness of Kid's Mat: 1 in (2.5 cm) *Same as POE list
• Manufacturer Website:  www.pacoutdoor.com
• MSRP: $39 US 

3) Pacific Outdoor Equipment Kid's Mat 1.0 Initial Report

The Pacific Outdoor Equipment Kid's Mat 1.0 fits into a category of outdoor gear that I believe is almost totally neglected: outdoor products for kids built to the same quality standards as premium adult products.  For example, I have looked long and hard for a sleeping bag that uses decent down and fabrics made for a little guy.  So far, I haven't found a single one that is lighter than my sleeping bag and I'm many times the size of my kid!  Real backpacks are tough to find, too, and until I was introduced to the Kid's Mat 1.0, there were no inflating sleeping pads that I could find.  Not only has Pacific Outdoor Equipment created a quality sleeping pad for little ones, but they seemed to have had a lot of fun doing it.  The Kid's Mat 1.0 uses almost all of their top materials and construction methods, but they went a step further and created a pad that would appeal to the user - someone who probably doesn't care at all about die-cut foam cores and diamond ripstop face fabrics.  By adding a height chart, animals,  and animal track graphics to the pad, they have created gear that undoubtedly belongs to the youngest member of the household and so far brings requests to sleep outside almost daily.

This may sound like pretty high praise for a product we haven't even had out in the backcountry yet, but since this pad arrived my little boy has asked to go camp in the mountains almost every day, has requested a special spot in my gear closet to store it with all of my kit, and spent the first night with it identifying all of the animals on it and asking all kinds of questions about the tracks.  What else could a mountain-phile gearhead father ask for?

The pad itself - from an adult perspective - does indeed appear to be very well made.  Construction quality seems every bit as solid as any top-notch brand sleeping pad on the market.  Without the kid graphics, the pad would simply be a narrower version of the adult pads available from Pacific Outdoor Equipment.

The Pacific Outdoor Equipment description claims that the Kid's Mat 1.0 is, "A real lite weight mat because we know who's going to be carrying it for the first couple of years, Mom and Dad. Sized to fit little people at a proportionate 16”W by 48” long; not just a ¾ length mat. Built with our light and compact 3-season Matrix foam core, 50D Diamond Rip upper and an extra stout 70D 210T bottom. Included is a permanent marker so that you can record growth by trip on the printed scale. Alaskan animals keep your little person company and paw prints are a great inspiration to look for tracks in the woods."

It comes with the same warranty that most Pacific Outdoor Products carry, "All Insulmat and WXtex products are warranted against defects in materials and workmanship for the lifetime of the product. Should at any time you find one of these rare defects, we will repair or replace the product at our option. We'd much rather keep our gear out of the landfill and in service. If a product should develop a problem as a result of normal wear and tear, misuse, alterations, or a random act of Murphy, we would be happy to provide an estimate and help you repair your gear at a reasonable cost. If an issue should arise with one of our products, please contact our warranty department at (406)-586 5258 support@pacoutdoor.com for further assistance and shipping instructions."

There are 3 notable features to the Kid's Mat 1.0.

1. Die-Cut Foam: This pad uses the same foam that the adult pads do.  I'm not sure if the foam is cut and stretched, stamped, or originally molded this way, but the result is an inner foam sleeping pad with dozens of small diamond-shaped holes through it to reduce weight and bulk (see picture below).  It would appear that - while lighter weight and bulk are a benefit - the cost could be reduced insulation value and puncture resistance in the "hole" areas.  A reality check of this will be a big part of testing.

2. Valve: A tough hard anodized aluminum valve - the same as on the adult pads - is used on the Kid's Mat 1.0.  In my initial inflation, it seems to work every bit as well as other self-inflating pads I've used.  It is nice to know it's not entirely plastic, as this pad will undoubtedly get stepped on and abused.

3. Graphics: This is the most obvious feature that sets it apart from "typical" self-inflating pads.  I have seen checkerboards printed on sleeping pads and some homemade notes and maps drawn onto pads, but these graphics will likely never be mistaken for mom or dad's pad (see picture below).  To be honest, when I first saw this pad I thought it was a cute idea, but certainly a bit of a gimmick that wasn't necessary at all.  After seeing my kid's reaction, I'm all smiles and impressed with the creativity that the designers brought to this product.  If there's any doubt the folks at Pacific Outdoor Equipment are having fun doing their jobs, a quick look at their "Backcountry Fun" product line - which includes items like inflatable backpacking yard flamingoes, gnomes, ligers and a new Whoopie Valve for your camp mates' sleeping pads - will put that to rest.

I found the Pacific Outdoor Equipment website easy to navigate and useful.  Not only are products well-detailed - including materials and construction methods for us gear geeks - but my experience is that it is regularly updated and offers a wealth of information about the products, prices, and the company.

Initial Highlights:

• Fantastic reaction from a 4-year-old!
• Packs small
• Light for a self-inflating pad
• Fun factor: adds some silliness to the camp experience

Initial Could-Be-Better:

• Nothing to really complain about at this point - the pad was very well received by the most critical reviewer: Ethan
• Could be even shorter and possibly a bit thinner for even lighter weight
• How about a Kid's Uber-Lite with graphics for the budding ultralight mini-backpacker?

4) Test Plan

Typical trips should range from 1500 feet (460 meters) on valley trails to over 8,000 feet (2500 meters) on a planned trip in the Okanogan.  Temperatures will likely range from the mid 20s F (-5 C) to the mid 80s F (30 C) over the entire test period. We will definitely use it in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness of the Cascades and likely the North Cascades near the Canadian border. Other areas will be determined by rains, the speed of the melting snowpack, and how soon the new snow flies. In addition to overnights, the test period will be interspersed with a few dayhikes. It will go on every trip Ethan goes on - dayhikes (for naps) and backpacking trips. Most of the trips using the POE Kid's Mat will be shorter in nature with lots of basecamping as we'll obviously be running on a 4-year-old's schedule and limits.

We will test the Kid's Mat in various conditions and report on:

• Material and Specs: What are the fabric and foam like over time? Do they age well? Does it pack small - especially important for a toddler-sized pack?

• Fit: Is the length and width sufficient for a 3/4 year old? Is it overkill? Is it sufficiently padded for a good night's sleep?

• Comfort: Little kids can sleep just about anywhere - does this pad allow for a decent night's sleep or is it a source of tossing and turning? Kids are so small and light that a simple foam pad is a logical light solution - does the Kid's Mat offer a better solution and better sleep?

• Ease of Use: Does it inflate, deflate, and pack quickly and easily? Can a 4-year-old do it or is it strictly a parent chore?

• Slipperiness: Can a squirmy little guy stay on this pad? Will slippery nylon sleeping bags slide right off or will they stay put?

• Durability: Four-year-olds aren't particularly careful with things - can it stand up to the use (abuse) of a little guy?

• Insulation: Is it warm enough to keep ground cold from chilling?  Does it do the job on duff, hard dirt, and rock?

• Fun Factor: The animal tracks and height measurement look like fun additions to a sleeping pad with a kid's interests in mind. Does this provide a fun element that increases the enjoyment and adds to the experience or is it just a marketing gimmick?  The graphics are initially a big hit, but is the "wow" short-lived or something that can stay interesting over the longer term?

Thanks to BackpackGearTest.org and Pacific Outdoor Equipment for the opportunity to test the Kid's Mat 1.0!

Reviews > Sleep Gear > Pads and Air Mattresses > Pacific Outdoor Equipment Kids Mat > Curt Peterson > Initial Report