Isle Royale Forums

I've replaced a bit of gear this last year and thought I'd share some thoughts now that I've used it all a little, and on the island...

- Exped UL 7 Synmat http://www.exped.com/exped/web/exped_ho ... endocument
Love it. Got a Nemo Astro first, but did not like the horizontal baffles at all. Didn't care for the NeoAir in the store either. Guess it's a personal thing. 16 oz. and comfy as can be. Haven't tested it in the cold, but reviews are good. Don't plan to do much sub-freezing camping.

- Exped Schnozzel Pumpbag http://www.exped.com/exped/web/exped_ho ... endocument
Sweet. 2 oz, inflates the pad with <2 bags of air, doubles as a large waterproof bag which I used for clothes. Got it mostly to keep moisture and hot air out of the pad, but loving how quick and easy it is to inflate with.

- Exped Pillow http://www.exped.com/exped/web/exped_ho ... endocument
Nice. (no I am not getting a kickback from Exped ) I think the baffles help it keep it's form and makes it more comfortable to me than other air pillows. I do need a little clothing under and/or over it to thicken it up just a tad. My daughter likes her Cocoon better, though.

- Mt Hardwear Lamina 35 http://www.exped.com/exped/web/exped_ho ... endocument
Perfect. Can't believe how light it is and how small it packs up for a synthetic (6x12" compression sack, so smaller than that). I've slept into the low 40s and was perfectly warm without being mummied in, so I think the rating is pretty good. With a silk liner, plenty good for what I need. 2 1/2 lbs w/ sack for the long. Some have complained about the zipper, but I haven't had any problems.

- Sea to Summit Silk Liner http://www.seatosummit.com/products/display/22
Wonderful. Been sleeping in it a lot in warm weather, and just pull the bag over like a blanket if it cools off during night. Haven't actually tried it inside the sleeping bag yet, as it was already too warm by the time I got it.

- MSR Microrocket http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/stoves/ra ... et/product
Boils fast, good low heat (pancakes came out great), and pretty efficient. Obviously very small and light. But, I hate the noise. Not as bad as some, but I'm used to a Coleman white gas stove you can't hear at all. Daughter's Snowpeak Gigapower is very quiet by comparison. May take it to a gear swap (or maybe not).

- MSR Folding Spoon http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/cookware/ ... ls/product
Sometimes the little things excite me the most! Fits inside my pot and extra long for those freeze dried bag meals. What more could you ask for?

- Platypus Gravity Filter http://cascadedesigns.com/platypus/filt ... er/product
I have no idea why anyone would use anything else, except maybe a different gravity system. Even when solo for 1 night, it's still as light as my old pump filter. Plus you just hang the clean bag in camp and it's like having a faucet.

...did not like the horizontal baffles at all

O>-<
= = =
Vertical

O>-<
||||||||
Horizontal

Do you not like horizontal baffles in general? I know the Exped has vertical baffles, same with Big Agnes inflatable pads. I cannot stand the vertical baffles because my body feels as though it wants to wedge itself between a particular pair of baffles. I don't know if that makes any sense at all, but I'm all about the horizontal baffles

Yeah, I just don't like the horizontal tubes. The Exped creates a rather flat surface without much dip between them. I think that's one reason it's so comfortable. But like I said, it's a personal preference.

Fixed the link, thanks!

I think it is awesome that we have differences in opinion. I never imagined anyone would take a vertical baffling system over a horizontal one. However, obviously they sell both so there must be people that prefer ones found in each of their respective categories. Its nice to come in contact with someone who enjoys the opposite category that I do. To each his or her own

I really like that pumpbag. I wonder if anyone makes one for the Thermarest Neo Air?

Ya I like the pumpbag too. The thing I like most about it is that it's light weight. Exped used to have an older device that did the same trick, but it was heavy and space consuming. This new bag-style pump is only 2oz. If they end up making something like this for my NeoAir I will definitely consider it, although I have one of the smallest Neo Airs on the market with it being 42 X 25 so it doesn't take me that long to blow up compared to those 72 X 20 and 80 X 25 ones. Yikes. Those stink to blow up especially if you and your girlfriend have one and you want to blow it up for her so she doesn't have to deal with the process. The good news is you'll have some nice strong lungs after your trip if your find yourself being in this position

I really like that pumpbag. I wonder if anyone makes one for the Thermarest Neo Air?

My NeoAir (purchased earlier in 2012 from REI) came with a pumpbag/ stuff sack. The size of the pump bag does matter -- the one that came with my NeoAir is not much more efficient than using my lungs...

The "Instaflator" will work with Therma-rests http://www.lesliespool.com/Home/Floats- ... 76052.html Got one for my Nemo. Not quite as convenient at the Exped pumpbag, because it's so long, but it's light and does work. And a whole lot cheaper .

Bummer that you can only buy it from there store and not online

For the record, if anyone is interested in trying out the product, contact martymiller@themillair.com As of right now, Leslie Pools is out of stock on them, and you will need to contact Marty directly if you are interested in buying one of them

They are cheap enough so I figured why not give it a shot. I'm curious to see how durable they are and if it will ever rupture like a paper bag in the middle of blowing up my pad.

I think this is what Redbad was referring to Don.

http://www.rei.com/product/829892/therm ... -pump-sack

It looks like it does the trick, but for $30 and twice the weight of the Instaflator, I think I will be skipping out on Thermarest's version.

Just bought an instaflator from another site that Marty sells his product through. You can find it at the Flyweight Designs website if you are interesting in giving it a try. There are also plenty of videos of the product on youtube if you would like to see a demonstration too.

I have the Exped Synmat 7 with the internal pump. It rolls up small and I don't worry about pumps. One less thing to carry or fail.

Recently bought the Instaflator. It did not turn out to be as simple as the videos made it out to me and I will be sticking with the old fashion method of blowing up my bag with my lungs. If anyone cares to have mine, I'll be glad to sell it to you at the cost of shipping. If I get no PMs on it by the time I get back from my vacation at the end of September, I'm just going to toss it

I will be sending the instaflator to srparr. Sorry to anyone who is seeing this after the fact.