New mattress needed

[Moondog55]

I have an older Thermarest and I cannot figure out why it keeps going down, I can't find any leaks even when I put it in a bath of water; so if I am going up the snow this August I need a new ground layer.
I sleep cold so was thinking that I would finally try one of the down mats and see if they will help, what is considered to be the best :"Bang for buck" at the moment.

Exped 5? or Exped7??

Neo-air???
limited budget $250- would be a real stretch at the moment.
Before I started to have problems with the Thermarest the combination of the 3/4 pad 40mm thick and my 15mm closed cell pad was borderline on snow, so needs to be warmer than that as I'm older and less fit and tough by a decade now

[ninjapuppet]

whats this exped 5 you speak of? is this the one you area talking about? http://www.snowys.com.au/Hiking/Sleeping-Gear/SIM-Comfort-5-Sleeping-Mat.aspx?c=10&sc=75&id=932

[Moondog55]

No the bigger one
I'm 185 and 105kilos

http://www.mainpeak.com.au/outdoor/slee ... 24835.html
Mainpeak has them at a good price

[Tony]

http://www.snowys.com.au/Hiking/Sleeping-Gear/SIM-Comfort-5-Sleeping-Mat.aspx?c=10&sc=75&id=932

At 860kg no thanks.

[Moondog55]

Decimal point missing perhaps???

[DonQx]

Exped SynMat 7 (R4.9) or Exped DownMat 7 (R5.9).

Good price & fast delivery from here for example: http://www.bivouac.co.nz/gear/camping-and-tramping/sleeping-mats.html (Make sure to change currency to AUD at the top first. Free delivery.

[Moondog55]

Not that much cheaper than local
$230- @ Bogong and i could get it Monday

I really am in a quandary about this expense. i do worry about the fragility of modern lightweight gear but I know I need to get the load on my back as low as possible

[Dale]

The price of a lot of Exped gear doesn't seem to be that much different buying locally vs overseas once you consider postage. A lot of users on the forum have had bad experiences with their Downmats so might be a good idea to buy locally and have that support if something goes wrong. FWIW my downmat hasn't missed a beat.

[DonQx]

Not that much cheaper than local
$230- @ Bogong and i could get it Monday

depends on whether or not you consider $30 difference "much"

apart from that ... buying local is a good thing to do

also better if you have to make a warranty claim ... recent DownMats seem to be pretty hassle-free AFAIKT ... anyone know any different?

but I know I need to get the load on my back as low as possible

DownMats and SynMats aren't exactly light. And light mats won't give you more insulation than your previous Thermarest & Closed Foam Cell Mat. Sounds like you're stuck with nowhere to go ...

[baronessbunyip]

Exped downmat M $162 at http://www.hiking.com.au/p/1061804/exped-down-mat-7-m.html when you apply the 10% off coupon. Free postage. I have ordered from here before and received my package in 2 days. Good, competitive prices on a lot of stuff and they often have 10% off deals etc.

[Moondog55]

Trouble is I know a short standard mat isn't what I need, but if I buy a better/warmer mat I can leave half of the double bag and the big down parka behind and save 2 kilos there

[DonQx]

Exped downmat M $162 at http://www.hiking.com.au/p/1061804/exped-down-mat-7-m.html when you apply the 10% off coupon. Free postage. I have ordered from here before and received my package in 2 days. Good, competitive prices on a lot of stuff and they often have 10% off deals etc.

good price

well spotted

same deal on the other mats by the looks of it

[Hallu]

Regarding air mattress people don't seem to understand that air can even swift through the fabric (at a slow rate, so slow you wouldn't see it in a water bath, but would see a difference after an 8 hour night), even when there's no leak. That's how balloons deflate for example, not through the knot, but through the material itself. Same thing for mattress if the fabric isn't good enough.

[Ent]

I have a range of mats. The Exped 7 down mat has a slow leak that means about after five hours you are hitting bottom. Warm and comfortable enough until then.

The new Neoair works well and is warm enough for all bar snow camping but have not used it on that so it might be ok. The older Neoair was not up to snow camping.

Cheers

[Beacon Hill Ben]

man, I am so over air mattresses: At our last trip, both mine and my GF's air mattress got punctured and the glue in the repair kit had dried out! So we slept on them as tarps for four nights! Cold! I am now reverting back to RidgeRest Solar, the thick ones, cut down to 2/3 length and only 343g, using our back packs for our feet. Nice and warm and light, comfy enough, beats a punctured air bed!! We also use Exped air pillows, essential for a good nights sleep. I roll up the ridgerests as a 'inner wall' for inside our ULA backpacks, the rest of the gear goes inside that.

Also, all the 'professionals' I speak to say that an air mattress is always colder in the winter, as the air just conducts warmth away from your body.

[Mountain Rocket]

Also, all the 'professionals' I speak to say that an air mattress is always colder in the winter, as the air just conducts warmth away from your body.

That comment ignores mats such as those of the Exped range, which use down to trap warmth from your body in the mat, and those of Thermarest that use reflective baffles to reflect heat back at your body.

[ULWalkingPhil]

I own a Exped Downmat 9 Deluxe, since converting to hammock camping it gets no use. I do have a couple hikes I'm planning on that requires me to go to ground, I'm looking for something a lot lighter than my downmat.
I've been considering selling my downmat, let me know if your interested.

[David M]

I have an Exped Downmat 7 and am very happy with it. I have used it in the snow and its insulation is excellent and I never "bottom out" in the mattress (I weigh 70 kg). It is almost like sleeping in a proper bed. The Exped Symat version is much lighter but less robust and less insulating.

[Moondog55]

I weigh 120 kilos, not all of it excess.
In the end i am happy with the combination of the RidgeRest Solar and the bigger cheaper thermarest clone i bought on sale from MD.
For carrying on my back I am saving for the narrower Solar and as my Thermarest repair ( using roofing silicon) was successful I'll use that until it dies completely.

[Strider]

I have an Exped Downmat 7 and am very happy with it. I have used it in the snow and its insulation is excellent and I never "bottom out" in the mattress (I weigh 70 kg). It is almost like sleeping in a proper bed. The Exped Symat version is much lighter but less robust and less insulating.

The ultralight versions (Both SM and DM) are less robust, the regular Synmat is the same construction as the DM but with synthetic filling.