Exped Synmat or Downmat?
 

I want to upgade the thermarest to the Exped mats and can't really decide between the down and synmat. The price difference is quite a bit and I don't really camp cold climates much. Nothing I can't do with the thermarest ultralight. But all the hype is on the downmat.

What do you reckon??

Obviously you're on the right track with the Exped - I really can't shout enough at how amazing they are.

On our trip to Russia I had a down mat and Patrick had the syn mat - the most obvious difference is the size - the syn mat was a little smaller and certainly looked easier to roll-up of a morning.

The other thing which I thought was good about the syn mat was the morning Patrick woke up in 2 inches of water in his tent - his mat dried very easily and didn't seem to be affected by it. My downmat also got 'damp' rather than wet - but it did dry out very well and very quickly.

I don't think there's a great deal between them and if I was faced with the choice now I still think I'd go with the down - but for no other reason that I quite like the idea of real down in my mat!

Here's a short review I did of the 7dlx a while ago

After reading the rave reviews on the internet, I was tempted towards the Synmat for a cold camping trip.

Now that I own it, I'm not so sure - for me it's just a furry lilo with a built-in pump. I can sleep OK on it, and sure it will smooth out any bumps in the ground, but it wasn't the sleeping revelation I was expecting. I'm still not sure it deserves a space in my panniers.

Hope that helps.

Two Mats
 

Has anybody tried two air mats strapped one on top of the other? I know air circulation might limit insulation but two Fat Airics from alpkit.com are more versatile than one expensive exped mat. Linzi.

I was going to get the Exped 9 (down) as well, but after trying it in the shop decided against it. I got the Thermarest instead. The reason was that it was a bit too high/thick, and my arms felt very uncomfortable on it (definitely not uncomfortale for the rest of my body). I'm fairly big, and lying on my back, my arms would slip off the sides the whole time. I know the thermarest is a similar width, but I never really noticed.

I also got the Thermarest at an excellent price of GBP38....:thumbup1:, where the Exped was on sale at GBP89.

Will have to wait and see if its the right choice.

Closed up
 

Alpkit.com just answered my question about two mats--too thick! But they used a closed cell mat and thick air mat on frozen ground and it worked well. Linzi.

I've used a cheap closed cell mat with a 'Wee Airic' on top and it was toasty.:thumbup1:

Wasn't frozen though, so maybe that doesn't count.

Brilliant review, Matt.

I'm also looking for an alternative to my 2.5mm Thermarest. I want something thicker, warmer and wider, so the Exped 9Dlx sounds absolutely ideal.

There's now two versions of this, one with a build-in pump for another £20 or so, see the bottom of Exped Downmat 9 Pump

Tim

The 9 mat is rather thick it has to be said - in fact when I started looking at mats my first thought was the 9 - but after speaking to Les at Traveldri Plus he suggested I didn't really need the 9, but the 7 would be more than sufficient.

He did point out that the 7 DLX was better to go for because it's both wider and longer than the standard - but still only 7cm deep - so still packs up much smaller than the 9.

And I can testify after taking it to Morocco and sleeping on it for a few weeks there and back, and then to Russia and doing the same - I've never had an uncomfortable sleep on the 7 DLX - and I'm rather large and have poky out hips. The DLX part of the equation is a must though - that extra width makes a hell of a difference.

and without going over the top on the recomendation front - Les at Travel Dri Plus - Traveldri-Plus - really is the place to get this kit from - give him a call and ignore the prices on the website - he'll do you a great deal and give you fantastic advice - I've never met anyone more knowlageable about this stuff and so consistenly spot on with his advice - even if that means you spending less money with him.

eXped 9DLX
 

Got this last year. Is the best and most comfortable air matt I've ever had. Adjustable air from stiff to soft. Takes maybe 10-15 pumps with the supplied filler. Folds small - I just roll it and lay it into the duffle. Well worth the extra money! Younger people or those who tolerate a bit rougher night maybe won't value it as much as us older folks.

LIke Matt, I can't say enough good things about it.

Stephen

Word to the wise
 

New Downmats arriving in UK with latest fabric. Expect better air retention.

5 year Guarantee

Latest Downmat
 

New Downmat 7 short just arrived. :welcome: Looks like a good upgrade with built in pump. Inflation so much easier and needs less space than previously. New fabrics and repair kit (did I mention 5 year guarantee, hope it's not needed). Nice and comfy so far but will post after some trials.

SynMat vs DownMat
 

tmotten,
this reply is coming rather late so might not be any help at this point. Anyway, you received a lot of good guidance already.

I would just add that Exped is insistent that their DownMats must NEVER receive inflation by mouth. Moist air from your lungs must not enter the mat's down insulation. You shouldn't even top off the mat by mouth. That's why Exped has transitioned to Pump mats. If you are inclined to top off your mat's inflation by mouth from time to time, the DownMat is not for you.

Exped isn't in favor of their SynMats being inflated by mouth, either, but it isn't as big a deal as with the DownMats. You should be able to top off a SynMat by mouth rather than by flipping the mat over and using the built-in pump.

The DownMats have a significantly more impressive r-factor, but I'd side with the SynMat because of the convenience of by-mouth inflation.

I'd also go with the 7 instead of the 9. There is virtually no comfort difference, as far as I've been able to tell. The DLX is also the way to go - long and wide but still a reasonable packed size.

I've had a lot of experience with Exped mats as my company, Full Throttle Camping, carries them. Full Throttle Camping

The original range of synmats had a binding inside them that quietly broke down if you topped up by blowing in them - bacteria in your breath according to Exped. The new model (this years) doesn't have that binding and Exped say it's perfectly safe to inflate with your breath, but still advise against it as you're introducing moisture to your sleeping mat.

Obviously you don't want to top up your downmat with your breath, down and moisture are not a happy pair.

If I was buying again I'd go for the synmat over the downmat and the model I got is perfect, even for a large gent like myself - the 7DLX

Thanks for the heads-up on your store FTCamping - always love to find another camping retailer for me to spend my hard earned cash with!

Another good place to grab this gear is TravelDri-Plus - Les carries the whole range and is always on the end of the phone to offer advice on which model will suit you best.

m

FTcamping: good luck with your venture. I'm sure no-one would mind if you added a link to your website as your signature.

I'll have an exped 7 dlx one day, though it is of course possible to get too obsessed with kit. Not that there's anything wrong with a bit of obsessing over kit.

For a laugh, I bought a balloonbed 2h from ebay for £10. Haven't tested it properly yet. Blowing it up is tricky. I can only just do it using my lungs rather than the little pump. I intend to see if I can add some sort of valve to each balloon. And if I'm feeling really bonkers, I may try putting some down from an old duvet into the balloons. Ahem.