SummitPost.org

Hello, I am wondering if anyone else has had any problems with their Exped DownMat 7 (or 9) forming pin holes. The last few times I used the mat it seemed fine but on my last winter backpack a couple of weeks ago it completly deflated in 30 minutes and I found myself with no mat between me and the snow! When I put the inflated mat in the tub to find the hole I discovered at least 12 pin holes all along the top of the pad. I am thinking the ends of the down feathers caused these tiny holes. Has anyone experienced this?? Any auggestions for patching... or is it a lost cause? Anyone received a replacement from OR? I am afraid that even if I patch the holes it will be completely unreliable on future trips.

Thanks!

My Downmat 9 had three seperate leaks, the last of which I could not find and thus not repair. I contacted OR, was given information to send it in for repair or replacement, and am waiting to hear back. OR has a lifetime warranty and is very responsive- just get in touch with them.

There seems to be something wrong with the Down Mats. After some use, my first mat had multiple pin hole leaks along the ribs. I deemed it impossible to have caused the leaks by myself, brought the mat back to the shop where I bought it. They took care of everything and after a couple of weeks I received a brand new mat. During my last expedition this second mat also started to leak, this time the cause was a pin hole just at a strategic point where one of the valves joins a mat fabric. I managed to repair the leak with Seamgrip (though it's a mess at high altitude - Seamgrip just does not dry properly). But that's not all...now the mat is leaking again! And I yet have to find out where...

I can only guess the reason for all these leaks. This might be a fabric issue, though if you look at the repair patches coming with a mat, the fabric seems to be quite decent at the first sight.

It's such a shame that the Down Mat is so unreliable (unexplained leaks!), as far as performance (warmth, comfort, weight) is concerned, one can hardly find a better mat.

Just interested, is there anybody whose Down Mat has lasted for several seasons of use without these strange leaks?

Thank you both for your information! I will definitely contact OR today and see what they say. At this point I can't lose anything by sending it back since I am not sure I want to take on the task of repairing that many pins holes! It is such a great mat and it would be a shame if they only last a season or two...considering their expense.

Just to chime in , my ex-ped down mat pretty much leaked from day one...just got worse and worse...someday I will send it back, have any of the rest of you had luck. When it didn't leak , it was great, I think it's the valve or something or else I'd patch it

Are you sure you are screwing both valves tightly shut? The first time I used mine, I woke up with a deflated mattress too. The valves are incredibly hard to turn all of the way closed. It could be as simple as that...

CBakwin wrote:Just to chime in , my ex-ped down mat pretty much leaked from day one...just got worse and worse...someday I will send it back, have any of the rest of you had luck. When it didn't leak , it was great, I think it's the valve or something or else I'd patch it

I had exactly the same experience - leaked from day one and I was in northern Pakistan!! Not many repair places up there. It seems like a material or manufacturing defect since it was protected until first used. I still have it and will be interested if OR will respond to the others who are sending theirs in. I bought it through Mountain Gear.

Me too, starting the very first night I used it.

I'll never trust it alone in the winter, which sort of defeats the purpose of owning it.

OR distributes the downmats in the US; they aren't the manufacturer. I contacted them about a separate downmat-related issue (pillow pump wasn't sealing onto the valve) and they were useless. They promised to contact the manufacturer twice, and each time I never heard anything back.

I'd be real happy if they want to replace my downmat with a new one, but I'd rather sell it on ebay and cut my losses than rely on it in the field.

We have 2 downmats. One is 7 years old. The other has been returned to REI twice. I never tried putting it in the bathtub but I'll bet that was the problem. REI replaced it both times - the 2nd time they made a fuss due to a change in design but they did it without any additional charge.

Looks like I don't need to chime in here, but for what it's worth, the same thing happened to me. The people at the OR Showroom in Seattle looked like they were familiar with the issue, because they quickly gave me a new one before I even finished explaining the problem. The replacement has a different material that isn't supposed to leak.

elliottwill wrote: The replacement has a different material that isn't supposed to leak.

Interesting. Which replacement is it? The new model with integrated pump system?

BTW, by now I have worn out 2 downmats (old version with external pump sack) - the original and the replaced one, both due to those micro leaks.