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Photo by Andy Miller, UK,
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  #1  
Old 6 Mar 2007
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exped down mattress
Have seen these mats on the web - they look a much warmer alternative to a Thermarest. Does anyone have any knowledge or experience of the Exped down mattress - opinions on a postcard, please !!
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  #2  
Old 7 Mar 2007
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A great night's sleep!
Quote:
Originally Posted by stevie View Post
Have seen these mats on the web - they look a much warmer alternative to a Thermarest. Does anyone have any knowledge or experience of the Exped down mattress - opinions on a postcard, please !!
I have recently bought an Exped 9, and it is just SO comfortable! Well worth the cost. And it folds/rolls up so small, too.

In one word:- BRILLIANT

Margaret
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  #3  
Old 7 Mar 2007
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I have an EXPED SIM 2.5 sleeping mat. Full price is similar to Thermarest but i got mine in a sale. This is a light weight self inflating sleep mat. but i have been very disapointed in it. It lasted a couple of months of travel with only light usage, then it appears that the laminate of the material used has seperated or perforated. Now there are thousands of very tiny holes all over teh mat. Have submerged it in a bath when trying to repair it!

I have met 2 other people with similar experiences. I have seen the down mat and teh fabric and constuction looks very similar. It is also expensive, so if i were you i wouldn´t risk wasting the money. Exped have never replied to any of my emails either!

Mine stays inflated now for a couple of hours just to let you get to sleep. then you wake up in the middle of the night as you find the floor a little cold ;o)

That´s my experience with exped so hope that helps your desicion!

cheers
mike
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  #4  
Old 7 Mar 2007
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Ditto what Margaret says - brilliant bit of kit. I have been using mine for just over a year - packs up small and is very comfortable. One of the best bits of camping equipment I own.
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  #5  
Old 8 Mar 2007
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We bought a pair of the 9DLX downmats and they are worth the money. Warm, comfortable and pack small. The stuff sack that doubles as an air pump is brilliant. Only takes about 10 pumps to fill up the mattress. Much better product than any Thermarest I ever had in the past.
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  #6  
Old 8 Mar 2007
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I've had one for a year now. I used it regularly last year and must say it's one comfortable mat. And warm too. I don't think I could go back to Thermarests again.
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  #7  
Old 8 Mar 2007
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Thumbs up Exped
I bought an Exped tent in 05 to replace my wild mountain tent , last year i bought the Exped down mat to replace my 5 year old Thermarest .
The Exped products realy are top quality, the tent erects all as one in minutes and once peged out is bomb proof, the mattres is full of goose down and is inflated with its own packing sack . The warmth and comfort of this matt is unrivalled .
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  #8  
Old 9 Mar 2007
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I have been using my exped down mat for about three years now and find it really adds an extra bit of warmth. Its also very comfy. ( I Dont fully inflate it and I find its more comfy this way) - The only bad points I have with the mat are that the material is very smooth and I find I slide off the mat easy (worst if fully inflated) also the mat is very noisy when I turn over at night it really squeekes a lot. the inflater/bag is handy if your stuck without an electric inflater but takes a bit of practice to use but it rolls up small,the bag is waterproof and reasonably robust. Never had any of the quality problems listed above and the matress still looks like new after a lot of use. Certainly worth the money.
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  #9  
Old 9 Mar 2007
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Thumbs down
A friend of mine has one of these and finds it very comfy. However, after little use it developed a slow leak that she couldn't find in the tub, so she sent it in under warranty. After a few weeks they replied that a tiny hole was found in the side of it and since this is not where holes normally appear it must be something she had done to it and they refused warranty. In the end they gave her a new one at a reduced rate, but it was a disappointing experience all the same, from a Swiss Co. whose products are not exactly cheap.

I have a Thermarest that gets abused (rolled, then folded and stuffed into the pannier). No probs, I'm happy.
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  #10  
Old 6 Apr 2007
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I got given a used 3/4 Exped after my great little Thermarest packed up after 6 years. Havn't tried it out on a prolonged hardcore trip yet but so far I like the really small pack size and to, lie on, its no worse than a T'rest lite if perhaps a lot thicker so more rolly. It may well be better in very cold conditions.
I must say I find the stuffsack/inflation business a pain when you just want to lie down so now, for my sins, I just blow it up (they say you can dry out the down with a hair drier which I always carry anyway). This level of care/maintenance is something you avoid with a T'rest.
So, not convinced as I still have good memories of my Trest U'lite, but looking forward to giving it a good work out later and being converted.

Ch
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  #11  
Old 1 Dec 2009
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Thumbs down
Quote:
Originally Posted by mother77 View Post
I have an EXPED SIM 2.5 sleeping mat. Full price is similar to Thermarest but i got mine in a sale. This is a light weight self inflating sleep mat. but i have been very disapointed in it. It lasted a couple of months of travel with only light usage, then it appears that the laminate of the material used has seperated or perforated. Now there are thousands of very tiny holes all over teh mat. Have submerged it in a bath when trying to repair it!

I have met 2 other people with similar experiences. I have seen the down mat and teh fabric and constuction looks very similar. It is also expensive, so if i were you i wouldn´t risk wasting the money. Exped have never replied to any of my emails either!

Mine stays inflated now for a couple of hours just to let you get to sleep. then you wake up in the middle of the night as you find the floor a little cold ;o)

That´s my experience with exped so hope that helps your desicion!

cheers
mike
Replying to an ancient thread, but just got the exact same problem with an Exped Downmat 7 Pump DLX and thought I'd share. Apparently thousands of tiny holes after less than 2 months of light (and very careful, clean, dry, always in tent etc) usage.

Les of traveldriplus.co.uk has been supportive over email and is still trying to figure out a solution, but in the meantime I have had to buy another mat in Iran since my Exped deflates after a couple of hours.

When it worked, this mat was fantastic - warm, comfy, packs small, only pain was to inflate it. Now am quite unhappy considering the cost of purchase and stuck with an un-fixable mat in the Middle East...

Alexandros
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  #12  
Old 1 Dec 2009
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We had similar problems, when these work they are great and definitely kept us warm, but one developed a slow leak so always waking up in the night cold and uncomfortable. In the middle of West Africa at the time so didn't bother with warranty. And the problem with Exped is submerging it in water to find the leak would mean the down is wet and take a while to dry, when on the road this wasn't really a possibility for us.

We also had problems with the pump / pillow, continuously splitting the side seams and having to try to glue it back together. With the cost of them don't think we'd recommend based on our experience, unless going to really cold climate.

Cheers,
Mark and Allison
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