Preventing airbed punctures.
 

Did a search and can't find any threads here relevant to Exped down mats, so thought I'd pass this tip on. It should apply to any airbed/mat.

Punctures are usually caused by little bits of grit or detritus which are either a little difficult to spot when laying out a mat in the tent, or get brought into the tent on clothing/footwear and find their way under the air mat. Apart from sweeping out a tent regularly and keeping things clean, which is sometimes difficult, the ideal thing is to create an extra layer between the mat base and the tent ground sheet, and especially to try and stop the slippery surface of the mat moving about, which usually causes the punctures.

Over the last few years I've been using a strip ( exped downmat L size) of rubberised anti slip material, the sort that comes on a roll and which can easily be cut to size ( not a solid rubber mat) and is used either for stopping rugs slipping about on shiny floors or for stopping crockery moving about on an uneven/unstable surface. Not only does this stop grit and dust getting under the mat, it stops it from moving about.

The anti slip rolls up small and there are ( of course) no weight issues! Anti slip material is usually available in larger supermarkets and in DIY superstores.

touch wood, but after using my exped, must be well over 100 times now, never had a puncture... I've tried to be really careful about where I camp, and on rocky/thistly ground I use a cheap vinyl groundsheet under the tent.

I've also avoided using the exped downmat outside of the tent.. no lounging around in the sun- it lives in the tent, and no kids using it as a toy, as much as they like to!

Has anyone had issues with downmats puncturing? I've been very impressed at how tough its been...

I've had punctures in both a Downmat and a Synmat, both have been caused by internal components of the mat (the valve housing in the case of the Downmat). It's put me off the Exped range which is a pity because they do give a good night's sleep but at way over £100 every three years it's just too much outlay.

As it is an internal manufacturing defect have you not been able to claim against their warranty ?


I thought the Exped 7's had a 3 year and Exped 9's have a 5 years warranty.

My exped pilow-pump went bust after using DEET mosquito spray on my neck. The pilow had 100´s of small holes afterwards.

Got a punture in my EXPED the first time I used it! A thorn of some sort, unfortunately I didn't have the repair patch and it was the start of a 5 week trip. Used some duct tape as a temporary repair, though had to change it several times before I got home. Doesn't appear to be as robust as my old thermerest.:thumbdown:

Great tip Pongo, my Exped does tend to slide around on the floor of my tent.

I have used my Synmat probably 300+ times in the last 3 years without any incidents.