Gear

Hi there,

I bought an Exped Sim Lite 2.5 five months ago e.g.
http://www.exped.com/exped/web/exped_homepage_na.nsf/0/6F6FCED1EA2AD8B4C125767E00705EA7?opendocument

and

http://www.bananafingers.co.uk/exped-sim-lite-25-p-847.html  (didnt buy it from here. this is just an example)

it worked fine for a few months but recently I put it in a thermarest chair kit, there was a tearing sound, and the glue attaching the outside to the spongy stuff came away a bit (like a bubble), which progressively got worse. now there is a huge bubble where my legs should go and if i blow the mat up to a level of firmness needed, there is a tearing sound and the bubble gets bigger.  have I any grounds for returning this mat?  seeing as the chair kit was thermarest i have no idea whether these Exped mats are built to handle being used as a chair.

i've heard off someone else that he once bought a cheap sleeping mat and this is what happened.  it was £35 reduced. i was thinking of just getting a £20 one from Sports Direct or Go Outdoor.  Is there any advantage in getting a more expensive one?

Cheers for the help,
Buswell

I had that with my years old Thermarest in my pre-Neoair days. Thermarest said it had delaminated and replaced it.

Unlike another conpany I could mention Thermarest took customer service and delamination seriously.... ho hum

I've just had a replacement for my 18 month old Neoair.  It started crackling, then bulged up at one corner.  No problem, emailed the distributor who told me to post it back. A new one turned up 2 days later, complete with repair kit, which I'd had to buy as an extra with the original model.

My 2nd replacement Thermarest.   Excellent customer service.

its delaminated, my thermorest did this and it was replaced under warranty.

i expect exped will do the same, just don't tell them you tried shoving it in a thermorest chair.

cheers for the advice. especially now i have a verb to describe what has happened  ;^)

i think i'll take it into the shop and try. they can only say no 

Another one who had a Thermarest with the same problem.  I was 5 days into a 14 day walk and was a bit miffed (though the rugbyball-shaped blister it grew into made a passable pillow).  Told Thermarest about it when I got back and not only did they replace it but also sent me a bag of goodies from Ireland, including a very nice Platypus hydration pack.

I have heard that Exped also has an excellent after sales record so I don't think you'll have a problem getting it replaced.