If you own one of Sea to Summit’s new sleeping mats, you’ll know how comfortable they are. You’ll no doubt have discovered how easy they are to inflate and deflate. And you won’t have kept other campers awake with the noise of crinkly insulation; so you’ll know how quiet they are, too. In short, you’ll know why our design team received a plethora of awards for this innovative product range including a Backpacker Magazine Editors Choice Award for the Comfort Plus Series.
Around now, you may be asking yourself how to keep your mat working perfectly, year after year.
Well – here are some suggestions:
Do I need to use a pump? Or can I inflate my mat with my mouth?
You can mouth-inflate a Sea to Summit mat. Unlike other mats, which often suffer from internal mold along the welds caused by condensation from the user’s breath, Sea to Summit mats have an anti-microbial component in the laminate which will prevent mold from occurring.
However, our Jetstream and Airstream pumps are super effective and will ensure that your mat is inflated in an incredibly short time. Once you‘ve used one, you’ll wonder why you lived without it. While you’re hiking, the Jetstream pump works as a stuff sack for any of the non-insulated mats (you can find a list of the models/sizes of mats which will fit into the Jetstream here). The Airstream pump works as a dry sack to store your clothing or sleeping bag inside your backpack.
Which way up should I use an insulated mat?
The conventional orientation would be to use the mat with the Sea to Summit logo facing upwards. However, in terms of insulation value, it makes no difference which way up the mat faces.
Storing the mat
All air mats should be stored with the valve open. This will increase the chance that any moisture inside the mat can escape. (There is an anti-microbial finish built into the laminate which will prevent mold from growing inside the mat, but it is still better to allow for some ventilation).
Do not store the mat inside its stuff sack, and ensure the mat is completely dry before storage. To allow the greatest chance for ventilation the mat should be stored flat, folded as few times as possible. If there is any moisture inside the mat (see the section on pumps above), storing the mat tightly rolled for a prolonged period can result in damage to the urethane laminate. If the face fabric (the external shell) of the mat is damp when it is put away, it may well grow mold. Additionally, storing an insulated mat tightly rolled for a prolonged period can unduly compress the Thermolite insulation and reduce its effectiveness.
Avoiding contact with things which can damage the mat
The most common solvent in use in the outdoors is the DEET in mosquito repellent. It will not harm the nylon of the sleeping mat, but it will destroy the proprietary coating on the outside which is designed to make the mat more waterproof/less slippery/easier to repair. If you are using DEET, do not spray it anywhere close to your mat.
Another element to be aware of as an air-filled mat user is embers from a camp fire. It may be romantic to sit or even lay close to a fire on your sleeping mat, but the embers which float off into the air are hot enough to melt holes in the nylon/urethane laminate. Best to avoid this risk.
Repairing the mat
Your mat was supplied with four patches which utilize a 3M adhesive. If these are not available to you and you should need to repair a puncture in your sleeping mat, the best product to use comes from a company called McNett, and is called Seam Grip. Follow the instructions for dry bags listed on our blog under ‘Repairing Holes’
The repair kit also contains a silicone insert for the valve for the unlikely event this should go missing.
Washing the mat
Wiping the mat down with a sponge using soap and warm water should be all the washing your mat needs. If the mat has been exposed to some kind of organic material and you need to neutralize an odor, the best product to use is McNett MiraZyme.
If the mat should be exposed to a solvent such as DEET or Gasoline, it is important to wash it as soon as possible before damage ensues.
If you have questions which are not covered here, just shoot us an email: info@seatosummit.com
Hey Team, I’ve been sleeping on my comfort plus mat for the past 4 months and it is amazing. The only issue is that the toe area has gone a tad mouldly due to the continuously wet weather (as have a small patch of my sleeping bag and all of my rain coat). Any thoughts on getting the mould stain out or do I just live with it?
G’Day!
Thanks for checking in with us regarding mould on your Comfort Plus Mat (and thanks for the link to your blog – we’ve just spent more time than we probably should have vicariously following your cycling adventures…)
There is a post on our FAQ explaining how to remove mould and mildew from dry bags: https://askbaz.wordpress.com/faqs/how-do-i-remove-mildew-from-a-dry-sack/ Most of this will apply to your mat (although washing the mat, especially if you’re on the road, may be a little more challenging).
Good luck with removing the mould, and fair winds to you on your adventures!
B
PS – We of course particularly enjoyed reading how well the Comfort Plus mat has worked for you. Did you know that Sea to Summit also makes a dry bag/pump sack called the Airstream Pump?
Thanks! I will have to try the mirazyme when I get home as wiping it with a mild soapy sponge has been the best I have been able to manage on the road and it didn’t do much.
Glad you enjoyed the blog! There is a fair bit of S2S gear through my panniers so I am sure it will keep popping up!
How best to fold my Comfort Plus Mat to get it in my stuff sack?
G’Day Bob
Thanks for your question regarding the Comfort Plus Sleeping Mat.
All uninsulated Sea to Summit mats should be folded into fourths before the mat is rolled; all insulated mats should be rolled into thirds before rolling.
In the case of the Comfort Plus, this means the grey version would be folded into fourths, while the red version would be folded into thirds.
Roll the mat reasonably tightly, and check that the folded-over sections are not ‘splaying out’ as you roll – you’ll find that the mat will fit perfectly into its supplied stuff sack.
Cheers,
B