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Ok so I lost 2 Big Agnes pads last year to leaks I could never find and I’m pretty sure I just lost a Nemo pad to mulitiple leaks. Sealed 2 but she is still leaking.
Pads I have owned that have never sprung a leak.
2 Thermarest neoairs
1 Sea to Summit comfort plus
1 Klymit static V
As I sit here contemplating replacing the nemo pad,I’m interested in other peoples good and bad experiences with brands of pads where leaks are concerned.? THX
Last edited by ShawnD (7/06/2018 4:39 pm)
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I've had my NeoAir since 2013 and have slept on it for well over 200 nights - still holds up perfectly. When its finally time to replace it, I'll replace it with another NeoAir.
Prior to that, I had the typical Thermarest self-inflating pad - warmer but not as comfy - and that has been around since 2011 - still no leaks after around 150 nights - only bought the NeoAir cause I wanted to trade warmth for comfort.
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I've got the thermarest mondo, well over 8 years old, slept on about 150 nights or so. I travel through my whole tent, am a restless sleeper. Never had a leak yet.
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Another vote of confidence for Thermarest. Just a good old fashioned good company. Avoid MEC brand, in my experience.
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I had a Nemo pad that leaked. Nemo replaced it. So I guess that's a bad and good experience with the brand.
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One of the reasons I've moved to a hammock and underquilt system. I got sick of leaking pads (Exped, Big Agnes, Thermarest) as well and found i was bringing a back up on trips just in case one totally crapped out. With the hammock and underquilt there's nothing inflatable so nothing to worry about that way (although I have to be cautious to keep the down dry of course)
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My original pad is a circa 1998 self-inflating blue thermarest that has never failed me. I bought an identical one as my girlfriend's xmas present and its had no problem. To save space and weight I bought an orange circa 2006 3/4 light thermarest that got a puncture on the first night I used it. I patched it and have not had a problem since, and it's my preferred pad. We bought a neoair as my wife was not comfortable enough on the blue thermarest, due to a back injury, and we've had no problem. I am very happy with thermarest.
The problem with the 3/4 length is that dog always shoves her way onto it through the night so it's not quite big enough to share, so I sometimes use the old blue one. When wife comes along dog often monopolises about half the neoair so we periodically need to tell her to move. Dog swears by the neoair.
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I agree with nvm on avoiding the MEC brand - we had 2 inflatables and they both died within 3 years with less than 40 sleeps on them. We have the Thermarest (mostly) self-inflatables and they seem pretty solid. We also have Klymit V and V2 pads that are fairly new (for added comfort, as Peek relates), so it's hard to say how durable they are at this point...
Last edited by hiker72 (7/08/2018 8:33 pm)
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I've never bought any "expensive" pads new but usually rolled the dice at the MEC gear exchange.
Over the years I've picked up 3 Big Agnes Insulated Air Cores for about $10 each. The first had a leak which I fixed but it tended to spring a new leak every other time I used it. The second one was garbage with dozens of pinhole leaks down the side. Got lucky with the 3rd one. It had a leak as well but once fixed it was problem free. Still working 4 years in. I think age is an issue with Big Agnes.
My best purchase was a Exped DownMat 9 DLX back in 2013. Didn't know what it was at the time but it looked good for $15. It has a leak right in one of the corners but a little dab of seam sealer fixed it up and it has been problem free since then. Got to say, I was pretty happy with that purchase when I saw what they cost new!
Anyway, I use the Exped canoeing and the BA when I'm backpacking and both get used around the house fairly regularly. I also have an old MEC Apogee 3/4 that I bought new in 2002 which leaked from the start from around the valve. It's the designated dog pad.
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ShawnD wrote:
....leaks I could never find...
Sometimes they are tough to find. I find you often need to fold and squeeze them a lot to really build up the pressure before you see the bubbles coming out.
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I bought 3 SAIL brand seeping pads last year ... 2 work fine and one has a slow leak .. I'm taking it back this week. So the jury is still out for them ...
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Thx Everyone ! Lots of positive comments for Thermarest. That mixed with my own experience I decided to order another Neoair. Found a Camper version for $80. It's a little heavier but looks more durable and since it will be used primarily by my kids seemed like a good choice.
Last edited by ShawnD (7/09/2018 11:52 am)
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Thx Everyone ! Lots of positive comments for Thermarest. That mixed with my own experience I decided to order another Neoair. Found a Camper version for $80. It's a little heavier but looks more durable and since it will be used primarily by my kids seemed like a good choice.
I use that pad myself and have been very happy with it. It takes a while to blow up, but it's super comfortable (3 inches thick) and I've never had to repair a leak. This is year 4, maybe 5 with it.
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The Therm-a-rest camper mat came today.
Very impressed with it. The 3 inch thickness is super comfy.
Packs much smaller than I was expecting too.
Appears to be quite durable and no crinkle noise of the other neoair mats.
Last edited by ShawnD (7/11/2018 6:55 pm)
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+1 on thermarest brand. I had a bad one (seam) and they replaced it. They also fixed an old guidelite that I had kicking around - they found the leak that I could never find.
Appreciate a company that stands behind its products. Thermarest (owned by Cascades Designs I think) is one such company.
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Agreed! Them, and MSR by most accounts.
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I have the older model of the MEC Reactor 3.8 and it's lasted 6 years so far and I find it very comfortable and not as noisy as some of the other sleeping pads with thinner materials. It seems pretty tough to me. I've used it directly on granite to cowboy camp when there's no bugs or as a float on the lake when I want to lounge.
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