Sleeping Pad Leaks

“my big agnes has a very slow leak, so small that the bathtub method for finding the leak doesnt work. could it be the nozzle isnt sealing properly? ive already had it out a few times, would the company trade me in for one that doesnt leak? probably not, eh?”

“yeah they will, do a search and you will find the owner of Big Agnes email on here

found it bill@bigagnes.com
last edited: 8/17/05 9:28:22 PM”

“omg two gear threads and a trip thread (albeit a rather b!tchy one) are at the top of trailtalk. this has gotta be a first!
last edited: 8/17/05 9:28:34 PM”

“Let us know what happens. I bought a Big Agnes last month and it was missing the patch kit...need to get one. So far with about 14 nights on mine I have had no leaks.”

“They come w/ a patch kit? Is that a new thing?

Guess I better look for mine. No leak, but just in case.”

“My first Big Agnes had a leak w/in it's first 1/2 dozen uses.
Big Agnes said they would return it if the website from where I purchased it, wouldn't take care of it... But, Backcountry.com happily returned it. And, sent a new one. Very promptly, too.

Yes, they come w/ a patch kit.
last edited: 8/18/05 6:31:27 AM”

“My big agnes started leaking within 4 uses. The vendor said I had to take it up directly with big agnes, which didn't get very far. It started leaking along the seams, so now the seams are gooped up with lots of adhesive. It works, but looks like heck. Oh yeah- the repair kit that came with it was useless. The adhesive previded had already hardened into a lump.”

“What's a good repair kit/adhesive for fixing these leaks?”

“Treebait, that's the second BA I've seen seperate at the outside seam. I'm pretty rough with my Insul Mat Max and throw it on the ground around the fire, fold it in half and sit on it. It's been about one season and no problems.”

“Nigal, do you use your Insul Mat Max in a chair kit? I have one and haven't used it to sit on around the fire yet”

“I have a Thermarest prolite mat (the short one) that I use with a chair kit when I am feeling like a little luxury. It works well. I generally wind up sitting on a stump getting sap on my butt, however.”

“You should NEVER sleep with your spork!!!”

“I use the Insul-Mat in a chair kit.... oh, but Nigal was asked. never mind..... LOL ;-P”

“This weekend I'll be using a Insulmat for the first time. I hadn't thought about using it with a chair kit. I'll have to try that!”

“I have the Big Air Core 3/4, used it twice and no problems, yet”

“See the "Poppin' Big Agnes' Cherry" thread.”

“The insult mat is soo comfy in chair kit.

I think there's another thread about Big Agnes problems.”

“I love my insul mat too. Used it on a recent two week trip and slept great. I think it's about 2.5 or 3 inches thick. Well worth the weight.

Haven't tried the chair kit yet.”

““What's a good repair kit/adhesive for fixing these leaks?”
Sarge
9:13:18 AM
8/18/05


Sarge, if I remember correctly, our local outdoor center (Dick's Sporting Goods) had mattress repair kits right where they sold the Thermarests. If you can't find one of those I would recommend a good wader patch kit. I repaired a wader leak just last summer and as an added measure applied a piece of good ductape and haven't had a problem since.”

“Sarge - Try calling Big Agnes. They just might send you one if yours didn't come w/ one.”

“I never have this problem. but then again, i only use a pad when the ground is frozen and snowy. The rest of the year I keep it at home.”

“Ummm pads don't spring leaks in only spring, summer and fall, SC. I'd be keeping a repair kit handy, especially in winter. I've gone on two trips where an inflatable pad has failed me when snow was on the ground. It's not warm, I can assure you.”

“less likely to pop on something sharp like a rock or a stick wehn theres a foot of snow underya :) In any case when I do use it, its never outside the tent.”

“hike yer own hike, girl.”

“for those that give a damn i found three (3) frickin' leaks in my InsulMat TorsoLite sleeping pad that i got from backpackinglight.com ... a Bozo Mountain Works design. i am more than a little hacked off. i paid 50 bucks for the thing and was impressed with the reviews on how rough the thing is ("might as well toss away the repair kit!" kind of stuff.) well, do NOT throw out the repair kit. I slept on a bed of leaves under pine trees friday night and picked up three leaks in the pad. well i am patchin' them and i am writing the people that make them to see if they will accept this as warranty replacement. there are lots of other lightweight options...”

“Bummer Jimmy, my first Insulated Air Pad from BA had a leak....they sent me a new one”

“patched three leaks and found a fourth... major bummer.”

“found 6 more... a total of 10 holes in the TorsoLite ubercrap.

i am not a happy camper, but i had to REALLY look for the last one so i am hoping it's the last.”

“Is it from the pine needles?”

“i find that really hard to believe. i feel like the dude that woke up and had to gnaw his own arm off to get away from his date from the night before without waking her up. what did i sleep on!”

“10 holes at once don't come from a bad seal. Certainly not from leaves. Are they all on the underside? If so, must be needles or twigs. If not, maybe it was something in your backpack?”

“they are all on the down side. it must have been something i slept on. i did use a ground sheet (silnylon). there were pine cones on the ground but i thought i pitched most of them out when i pitched my tarp and groundcloth. the holes are dispersed in a fairly wide area about where my the weight would sit on the pad.

i seriously doubt it was the pack or anything in the pack. i insert the sleeping pad into the back slots of my pack uninflated and folded roughly in one-thirds. then i blow a little air into it, not much, just to add some support to the pack.

i have an old prolite 3 from thermarest that i have used for ages. it's 3/4 length and slightly heavier than the insulmat. i have used it for many, many trips without a problem.

anyway, i probably will talk to the warranty people only because i already opened up call with them, however i won't push the repair of the pad unless they tell me there is some reason the material on the underside of the pad might be sub-standard (i.e. if they insist on replacing it). i don't think it's a defect in the product, materials... but for sure one in marketing. the web site talks about how tough these things are. i baby my gear big time and don't think i did anything outrageous.

oh well! that's gear!
last edited: 10/24/06 12:04:15 AM”

“But Jimmy... seafoam baby had a leak, too. Whatcha doin' to those mattresses, eh???
;-P”

“Sounds like you slept on a sticker patch.”

“i am now up to 15 leaks. i am using soapy water now. some are really, really small.

seafoam baby is next but i am betting there are a lot fewer holes in her.”

“for those that are following this saga i have a mini gear report on this sleeping pad.

the patch kit outperforms the pad itself at this point.”

“Now I ain’t gonna sit here and tell ya it’s operator error but I have used many pads for years and have yet to get a single hole in any of them. And I’m hard on them. I’ll throw them down on the ground around the fire, sit on rocks or whatever. Your's is the first Insul Mat I've ever even heard of failing for any reason.

Ten holes from one weekend? Something is wrong, wrong, wrong.”

“I have an old thermorest with no leaks. I've slept in lean'to's with wood floors in winter. Very often I use a heavy duty space blanket (very puncture resistent) under neath & good for some warmth. I've used a closed cell foam pad under it too on a number of trips but have trouble keeping them lined up. I've put my pad inside my sleeping bag & have often used a hammock. I like the hammock better in hot weather but find it too cold to use in winter. I'm partial to snow caves or igloo's in winter.

I usually carried it outside my composite external frame pack that had a bazillion tether points. I keep it in a home made nylon sack that I have torn on numerous occasions bushwhacking & climbing.”

“i have cut a piece of tyvek in the shape of the insulmat torsolite. then i made corner straps to hold the pad in place out of tyvek and duct taped them in place. hard to describe. if i get the holes all plugged then i'll use this as added protection in the future. it will be handy as i can use the tyvek as a clean cooking area (not when it's on the pad!) or a place to sit/etc as well. live and learn i guess.

i am still going to talk to the company that made it but i am not going to push a warranty return unless they think it's valid. i am inclined to think it's operator error but for the life of me i can't imagine what i slept on that did this much damage. all i can think of is a pine cone that i missed and then it scooted about under me as i rolled around at night.”

“Personally I’d push for the replacement of the mat. Unless you’re sleeping on glass I can’t see how a healthy mat without defect could get that many holes in it on one weekend. Something’s messed up with it.

I'm sure they will want to make it right. They don't want someone on the net talking about their mats being crap and then on top of that spread it around the service sucked as bad as the pad.”

“lmao!

i can accept that. doesn't mean i like it but i accept it.

...and that's 15 holes and counting. i have to let the cement cure and test again before i can find more.”

“DUDE....um...did you take your fork/Spork OUT of your pocket before you went to sleep?
Are you finding these holes AFTER you patch other holes? I am thinking you are getting a failure in the product. You know, as you fix one hole the mat fails in another location.

heck send it back with a letter telling them you are one of the most respected GEAR TESTERS for the most popular Backpacking Threads on the Internet (LOL...if you work some free gear in for Matt I bet he will back you on this)....mention you are writing a review...
last edited: 10/24/06 8:38:19 AM”

“Dude, if you can patch 15 leaks, you are better at it than I am.

I had to jettison two mats with leaks near the seams that I just couldn't get sealed.”

“Silnylon has about zero puncture resistance and poor abrasion resistance. Some pine cones have sharp areas on them and they probably easily went through the silnylon and punctured your sleeping mat or it could have been the pine needles.”

“This is what the web site says:

The TorsoLite weighs about 10 oz, is rugged enough to withstand the rigors of sleeping on rock, gravel, ice, and snow, and disappears into an 8" x 4" cylinder at the bottom of your pack. For these reasons, the TorsoLite is rapidly becoming an alpine guide's favorite from the Sierras and Tetons to the Cascades and Alaska.

I _might_ have slept on a pine cone... might have... yet alone "sleeping on rock, gravel, ice, and snow". I am feeling cheated.”

“That didn't mention Brier Bushes or stickers.”

““found 6 more... a total of 10 holes in the TorsoLite ubercrap.


10 holes is outrageous - this is some kind of manufacturer defect, really, there's nothing else to discuss... send it back & thank them for replacing it, no-one would deny that you, unfortunately, recieved a defective product.”

“
Price:$9.99
Pack-Lite Closed Cell Foam Pad
Item Number: 41312

You should be able to do better at Wal-mart, Target, etc.

I've used the same pad for over 28 years. It has never leaked.”

“LOL

Yes, i did make the switch after this. My pack is loaded with a closed cell pad now. I think I pad less than $9 but I only got torso length. i put my lets on my pack.”