rebeccad
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Writing like a maniac
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Post by rebeccad on Sept 10, 2020 17:59:36 GMT -8
I know it would add weight, but would anyone consider adding a stop leak solution to their pad. Like you would add to a tire? Wouldn’t something like that be kinda problematic when you deflated and rolled it up, then tried to reinflate?
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texasbb
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Post by texasbb on Sept 10, 2020 19:29:17 GMT -8
I know it would add weight, but would anyone consider adding a stop leak solution to their pad. Like you would add to a tire? Wouldn’t something like that be kinda problematic when you deflated and rolled it up, then tried to reinflate? And wouldn't it pretty much destroy whatever insulation might be in the pad?
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Sept 11, 2020 10:24:59 GMT -8
My previous troubles with slow deflation had always led back to some sort of valve issue. Including a recent BA AXL insulated.
Cover that area with a diluted laundry soap after you tightly inflate and put weight on the pad and look for bubbles? The soap works for pinholes anywhere as to that.
Or if it’s under warranty just send it in. Far less trouble.
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Post by hikerjer on Sept 11, 2020 18:13:51 GMT -8
I have yet to find a air pad that I completely trust since I've had a couple that went flat and I coulnd't find the leak. In both cases I returned the pads to the manufacturer (Big Agnes and Thremarest). BA sent a new pad while Thermarest made repairs to my satisfaction. The design and preformance of air filled sleeping pads still has a long way to go before they are completey satifatory, IMO. In fact, on a prolionged trip i.e., a month long bicycle tour, I take my first generation Thermarest. Heavier but much more robust. Never had a problem with it.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Sept 11, 2020 18:18:08 GMT -8
Ones with the metal valves? You’re luckier than I was: multiple failures all attributable to the valves.
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Post by dayhiker on Sept 12, 2020 12:22:45 GMT -8
I have a BA insulated (before the really light ones) I got for a self contained kayak trip down the whitewater section of the Rogue River. I have used it twice I think after that , mainly to float on a lake as well as in the tent (why take 2 pads). It is already leaking. I will try some of these tips. I was wondering how you guys did not have leaks , but I guess you do not.
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Post by Lamebeaver on Sept 15, 2020 6:41:44 GMT -8
I've had good luck with the bathtub, but the trick is pressure. When your body weight is on the pad, this increases the pressure. A pinhole leak will be hard to detect. You need to blow the pad up so it's really tight, then submerge it one part at a time until you find the leak. Quite often this will be near the edge of the pad or on a seam.
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almostthere
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Post by almostthere on Sept 15, 2020 9:21:42 GMT -8
If after a couple tries I can't find a leak, I send it back to the manufacturer. My Exped Synmat was patched by them a dozen times, for free each time, in and out of warranty. When the patches started to leak I tossed it and got another Exped. Thermarest simply sent me a new mattress instead of even trying.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Sept 16, 2020 17:40:30 GMT -8
My previous troubles with slow deflation had always led back to some sort of valve issue. I'm 2 for 5 in finding leaks by submersion. One of them was a straightforward pinhole. One was definitely an essentially unrepairable valve leak. I strongly suspect the other three were also valve leaks of some kind, but very slow.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Sept 18, 2020 19:38:18 GMT -8
This isn't about finding the hole but a leak tip. I very fully fill my mat like a week before a trip if I can. I leave the mat leaning somewhere. If it doesn't stay firm for a day or so there is a leak.
If I have leak I have had good luck with submersion. Even out in the field. I haven't had a valve leak yet.
Another thing is to mark the leak with a sharpie when you find the bubbles. It will take a while for the mat to dry before you patch it. You don't want to lose the hole again.
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Post by tallgrass on Sept 21, 2020 12:20:38 GMT -8
I have yet to find a air pad that I completely trust since I've had a couple that went flat and I coulnd't find the leak. In both cases I returned the pads to the manufacturer (Big Agnes and Thremarest). BA sent a new pad while Thermarest made repairs to my satisfaction. The design and preformance of air filled sleeping pads still has a long way to go before they are completey satifatory, IMO. In fact, on a prolionged trip i.e., a month long bicycle tour, I take my first generation Thermarest. Heavier but much more robust. Never had a problem with it. Seems like a lot of the mats are trying so hard to shave weight/size they've made them so damn fragile as to be almost unusable. I have an old thick therm-a-rest from years ago. It's a tank & never had a leak. Several of the neo-air type pads hardly make it a trip without losing air.
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