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for their superb lifetime-warranty.
Maybe its my personal ignorance, or the special desert evironment where I'm using my Thermarests, or plain bad luck:
I sent in a Prolite with a blowout, and a Prolite Plus which got pinholes like a showerhead (my fault) in February.
The whole process got delayed by Corona, but today I got two brand new Thermarests totally free of charge.
Not any surplus or test stuff with odd colors or minor glitches, but brand new pads from the shelf.
Thank you Thermarest!
Yes I sent one back with a hole I could not find and they sent a new one back.
A great warranty is nice---Exped also has a superb replacement policy---but the greatest warranty in the world means nothing when you have a blowout in the middle of nowhere and have to live with the failure.
And that's why I carry a patch kit with my Thermarest.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tipi Walter
But I'm also careful with "sensitive" equipment for the exact point Tipi is making.
So far, I've never had a leak in any Thermarest pad I've owned over the last 25 years.
Only issue I've had has been delamination of the reflective layer, and Thermarest has provided replacements in those cases.
A patch kit is useless when this happens on a trip---
Attachment 46547
Blow Thermy on Slickrock Creek by Wildcat Falls.
Attachment 46548
Blow baffle on Exped downmat in Snowbird wilderness.
Attachment 46549
A second blown Thermarest just before a next trip.
My solution is simple---carry an extra ccf pad and also carry an emergency NeoAir---the smallest they make. When Thermy goes south I use the NeoAir for comfort atop the ccf pad for warmth.
Attachment 46550
Same deal, only one slow leak in one of those original Neoairs's, couldn't find the leak no matter how hard I tried, bathtub, etc. Sent it in, got brand new newer model in a week or so. Excellent.Quote:
Originally Posted by Leo L.
Never in all my inflatable mattress years have I had one of those bubbles form, been lucky I suppose. I carry a very light 1/4" CCF pad (5.2 oz) for a backup, but it also works well for mid-day trail naps, plus it adds a bit of R value for shoulder season use. Those mid-day trail naps seem to be more frequent for some reason....
I was impressed when Thermarest when they told me to sent in a 1979 original mattress that was finally delaminating and they sent me a new one!
Man I have one from '85' maybe, it stays in the car now, but it is in perfect shape..............just a little heavy now!Quote:
Originally Posted by nsherry61
On our desert hikes I can survive with a defect pad just using clothes as cushion, its not that cold.
Plus, I'm carrying several means for field repairs (Leukotape, Seamgrip). Biggest problem is to find a suitable pool of water to detect the puncture.
For winter camping I'm carrying two Thermarests, the Pro and the Normal. Tried a CCF but that makes for quite a clumsy pack when tying skies or snowshoes to it.
The same company owns the Platypus brand, and they have the same excellent customer service and warranty
Never happened to me with a Thermarest mattress, but did have it happen to an Exped UL pillow.Quote:
Originally Posted by colorado_rob
But I've since moved on to the Sea-to-Summit Areos Premium pillow. The soft material feel of the Areos is so much better than the "plastic" of the ExPed (the Areos Ultralight looks to be "plastic" like the Exped).
Thermarest delamination is common and has happened to me on at least 12 pads in the last 40 years of hard use. Happens to other people too---Quote:
Originally Posted by HooKooDooKu
https://backpackinglight.com/forums/...e-delaminated/
https://backpackinglight.com/forums/...ion-longevity/
https://besthike.com/2009/09/17/neoa...-a-rest-bulge/
https://www.reddit.com/r/CampingandH...mor_last_fall/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jbdodane/13696392375/
https://markusruzicka.com/choosing-your-sleeping-mat/
Attachment 46551
Here's a recent delam on my Trail Pro pad---once a fave.
At the showerhead-pinholed pad I've mentioned, I found and fixed 80-something holes, but still it had small leaks I couldn't detect.Quote:
Originally Posted by colorado_rob
After so many tries in the bathtub I found out that the material closes (the leak) when getting wet.
I wish MSR would treat their products the same way.
Wayne
Too bad, one of the new Thermarest replacements I'v got in June, developed a delamination again.
Just guessig that Thermarest did give me a piece from a series having this specific problem.
Will send it in again...
They are the best! Ive had a similar experaince 10yrs ago with a delaminated mat I got used... they sent me a brand new one no questions asked! LOVE EM!:banana