new thermarest self inflating mat not inflating?

When they have been stored rolled up they can take a while to re inflate.
The time you have allowed plus the warmth in the sun should have done the job though.
Maybe they are old stock that has been stored for a long period tightly rolled?
They should always be stored inflated with the valve open, never leave them in the sun with the valve closed!
I keep ours on an old door hung horizontally from the garage ceiling.

JlAU,

is a one inch mat and the top part is at near 20mm, so not far off at all & happy with that but the rest is flat & wrinkly! no inflation what so ever...

thanks ozhumvee for you help.....

andrew

online mega camping store, gosford nsw.

two 'duds' in a row is what im concerned about rob!

:(

im giving it another day in the sun to see if it improves before sending it back AGAIN......

Thanks Oldbaz. NSW.

I concur with Greg. I have an X-large Thermarest that is now 14 years old and when not in use has been stored (wrongly) in rolled condition. The mat inflates to a certain point but I then add a bit of extra air by mouth until satisfied it's at the right height (about 5cm). The internal foam soon resumes its normal properties and the mattress still provides a comfy nights sleep.

Cheers Mick

Agree with Greg and Mick.... we use Thermarest in our swags and let them inflate for about 1/2 an hour before closing the vents plus we give 3 to 4 extra puffs.

My thermarest has always been stored properly and I still need to puff it up to get my hip off the ground BUT you shouldn't have to with a new one. It is not recommended as the moisture from your breath can cause mildew and I suspect puffing it up might void the warranty. If I ever take up bushwalking again I am going for insulated inflatable.... much more comfortable (expensive though).

If it is not inflating in one area then it is faulty. Two in a row is really bad luck as they are a good product.

I think what Andrew is compaining about is not that the mat does not fully inflate but that part of the mat inflates and the other two-thirds remain flat with no air in it.

Rob!

You have hit the nail on the head....

The top 1/3 of the mat near the valve has inflated to normal ,
BUT, the other (lower) 2/3 of the mat has not inflated at all.

It's flat and drawn out with wrinkles!!!

Andrew.

Hi

Yes, I think we all figured that bit out (mattress having uneven self inflation) but maybe if a small amount of additional air is blown in then the problem may go away....but as mentioned without actually seeing it I am not sure.

It is a just a suggestion and easy to try. Have you tried that - does the mattress inflate evenly when blown into? If it doesnt provide a fix then sounds like something is indeed wrong.

Also not sure the breath = moist air is a major probelm. If you use the matress in an area of high humidity not blowing into it wont eliminate issue - moist air will be sucked in anyway. Hence suggestion to leave unrolled and valve open when in storage.

Cheers
Greg

From the therm-a-rest FAQ page.....

My mattress doesn’t seem to self-inflate. Is it defective?

Likely not. Although all of our foam-core mattresses self-inflate, (the NeoAir™ mattress does not have a foam core, therefore mouth-inflation is required) the extent to which they do is directly related to the properties of their foam. For example, our Camp & Comfort™ mattresses inflate incredibly fast because they use a much denser foam with a greater ‘memory’ of its uncompressed state. The ultralight, die-cut foams in our Fast & Light® mattresses on the other hand are chosen for their extremely light weight, trading off some self-inflation efficiency for ultralight performance and may require a few breaths to inflate fully.

If your mattress is new, or has been stored rolled or compressed for a significant amount of time, it could take up to 24 hours for the foam inside your mattress to fully regain its loft and maximum self-inflating efficiency. To help with this, we recommend inflating your mattress fully by mouth to help stretch the foam core back to its original loft.


Cheers
Greg

greg, mick & others,

as a last resort the supplier told me to blow air out of my mouth into it....

i have done this each afternoon for the past four days when bringing it inside from the sun....

the mat fully inflates no problem after about 4 big breathes but then goes down almost immediately when you take your mouth off the valve.

the foam doesnt appear in the bottom 2/3 of the mat to be inflated.

thanks for all you help guys, we'll see if something goes good today in the sun for a result.....

thanks again,
andrew.

Hi again,

If you want the air to stay in you have to close the valve while still blowing, otherwise, yes, the air will rush out. Its a bit tricky but just have the valve open a little bit and twist quickly shut with your mouth still on it.

Cheers
Greg.

There might be some air escaping but not so much that the mat becomes flat. It sounds stuffed. Get them to send you another.

Hi

You have to close the valve very quickly or a significant amount of air will escape and the air pressure required to stretch the foam core back to its original loft (in fastest possible time) may be insufficient. If you get it wrong the mat just wont be up to needed pressure. Mat maybe stuffed but based on information available possibility exists that it can be fixed - so try the suggested fix (properly) and see what happens.

Cheers
Greg

I had the same problem with a Spinafex 4WD mat and asked at a camping shop about it not fully inflating. Like many I stored mine rolled up. I was advised that the best way to re-inflate was to leave it out all day on hot concrete as that assists in flling out all the air passages. Seems to have worked.

"besides if you have to blow it up or sleep on compressed foam you may as well buy an airbed!"

Hi
Foam provides some insulation from cold compared to straight air, plus the thinner self inflating type mats (used by hikers/motorcycle riders for light weight/small space) generally do need a bit of a helping hand with some puffs anyway (because they are so thin), but thats a personal choice, some like it hard. Not sure if they make a non-foam mat for hikers? Yes, if Andrews mat is stuffed he should take/send it back.

Cheers
Greg

thanks pebble, ian and explorer ......

but after another day in the hot sun, rolling, unrolling, blowing up, closing the valve, opening the valve, blowing up and then lying on it,

guess what,

nothing has changed, still only the top 1/3 of the mat has inflated properly!

It will be going back in the post tomorrow unfortunately...

again, thanks all for all your help, lets hope a new the third mat might work??

cheers,
andrew

Bummer

One downfall of shopping online I suppose..you cant see what you're getting till you got it.

Good luck.

Cheers
Greg