Gear

Can anybody give me a review of this item Exped Airmat .

Anything lighter/cheaper/better just for summer autum use.

Also can i leave the pump and sack at home and what would this weigh on its own ??

Any info appreciated  .

Also here its shows the Alpkit Airio as a 6 tube airmat Alpkit airmat

But here it shows it as just another airic looking mat   Alpkit Airo

Am i missing the point?? is it tubes underneath???

I have one that I've been meaning to stick on fleabay for ages.  Its light, packs down to nowt, but I find it too narrow, hence the reason I want shut.  Plus, I've got a neoair for summer use now, which is great.  The Exped airmat actually replaced some pacific outdoor mat, which I sent back coz I cudn't stand the shape of it.  Me legs cud never stay on it.

As for weight, it weighs 530g (mat only) according to the Exped website.  I didnt get the pump and wouldnt bother either for the amount of effort it takes to blow it up.

Glynn09

You have mail....

I use an Exped Airmat 7.5 and wouldnt swap it.

Its approx 556grams plus another 30g if you take the stuffsac and repair kit(not the weight as stated by Exped). Very easy to blow up without a pump and very comfortable. In fact, it gives such a decent nights sleep i dont feel like i'm camping any more now i dont have the morning aches and pains of a rollmat!

My only warning would be there is little in the way of insulation. I was in the lakes a week ago and the temp dropped to 3C at night and i could feel some cold coming up throught it. I think this would have been solved if i had a 100g Duomat underneath for most of its length or a piece of Thermawrap which i hadnt bothered taking. i also sleep cold mind.

Overall great for summer use even longer with a bit more insulation and very comfortable. Bargain at the price.

Thanks El Manana

Thats just the kind of review i was after,i do sleep on airmats normaly in summer but i have always had the cheap ones like Gelert airmat.

A real pain in the ass to blow up and deflate but really worth it in terms of comfort imo.

How many cells does this matt actually have? if i get a puncture will it all deflate or just part of it??

Have you ever had a puncture? easy to fix?

Thanks again.

Packed into its stuff sac its roughly 24cm x 11cm - about the size of the large Nalgene bottle, it fits the stuff sack no bother, not say like a Montane windshirt which has an impossibly small stuffsac. As glynn09 says, packsize is impressive.

The repair kit is a piece of the material, instructions and a tube of glue which i've never used - about 20grams in weight and i definitely wouldnt risk leaving behind.

There are 2 valves, 6 tubes/cells which are all connected as one,  so if it punctured the whole lot would deflate (hence why i carry the repair kit). The reason (apart from price) I went for it is when compared to the Big Agnes ClearView is the material seemed much thicker and resilient. It feels more solid than the NeoAir as well, and doesnt have that awful crunchy crisp packet affect that put me off the NeoAir. Its probably not as warm as a NeoAir.

I've used it for about 18 months with no punctures or problem, i dont have any worries about getting a puncture really. It blows up in about a minute with about as much effort as a balloon. I deflate it by opening the valves when packing up which gets rid of most of the air, then slowly fold to force the air out.Its more awkward to deflate than inflate but no big deal.

Glynn09 found it too narrow, but i'm a really restless sleeper and dont have this problem at all.

i feel the cold wild camping, and i reckon April - May, and Sept-Oct time i might start taking a bit of two thirds Thermawrap or my Duomat to double up on my main body. I bet a lot of people wouldnt need this though. I've read about people using the Multimat equivalent at Oc and not feeling the cold, i think that one weights sub 500grams but dont quote me on that.

I'm prepared to sacrifice the extra weight of carrying this as the Airmat/RAB Q250/Air Pillow/Earplugs combo gives me a solid sleep and feel much more prepared for the next day.

The review just keeps getting better,many thanks again for all that info EM.

Just one more question : i did not roll my other mat up but deflated it flat folded a little and put to the bottom sides of my pack taking up NO room at all.This is possible witht the exped mat right?

I too am a cold sleeper but will see just how long i can use this seasons around.

Many thanks again.

I also purchased one second hand and cheap off Glynn09 so if i  dont get on with it (tho i defo think i will) its no major outlay .

yeah, you could do that with it, and that would probably be easier than the trying to get it back into its stuff sac. I use an Exos 58 so dont have to worry about tight packing.

I open the valves when packing my other kit, then when i get round to it, its a case of running your palm up the cells to get rid of the excess air, a little awkward with all 6 tubes being one, a bit like deflating a beach li-low if you know what i mean? Its certainly no big deal though, just not as easy as inflating.

I seen mine cheap in an online sale and thought i would just give it a daft try, when it showed up its one of those bits of kit that makes you think 'ooh that looks nice'  First night i used it I slept 11pm - 6am without waking. A first for me wild camping!

thats a good sleep and i with you on the ear plugs thing too,slightest noise im awake so they do be good..

Cheers again for all info and will let you know how i get on with it in the Lakes this wekend.

No bother mate, hope it works as well for you as it does me.

Let me know how you find it on the colder nights, be interesting to know if its just me being soft...