Modify Sleeping Mats

[Nuts]

I see a number of people keep mentioning dramas with exped mats, all options exhausted, thought this may help (or with any other inflatable mat)..

Inflatable mats are made with an adhesive backed fabric, baffles are adhesive coated both sides. The adhesive is heat sensitive (ie.. to a hot iron).
Here are some pics from modifying a regular synmat (that became a synmat short lol) but with some lateral thinking there may be some other applications.. you can also buy the material itself (for a repair)

This one had a minor tear in the foot end, rather than a fix i decided to make a shorty (though the area could be repaired (or cut out perhaps) just as easily):

Trimmed to length (I'd use a knife or scissors for the initial cut then trim later with the hot knife (if you have one)):

I use a straight edge for the cut and to run the iron along (and a coffee tin as a template to round the cut to the side of the mat ; ) )

For an insulated mat you'll want to remove any insulation from the area to be resealed:

Shazam... mini mat:

[Stibb]

Here's some instructions and a video about modding (shortening) a NeoAir that I find very tempting. Very similar as above. It could be very expensive if you mess up. Anyone tried this?

http://thenewnomads.com/?p=738



I'm contemplating this on my future XTherm/All season. I would like a wide (L) but a bit shorter

[Nuts]

Yes, very similar method.. I like using a hot knife, probably not as necessary for the yellow neo air materials.
Be easier to do on those horizontal baffled mats. The all season neo will likely be coming up at some bargain prices in the near future...

[Orion]

Very interesting. After putting up with a mattress that had a slow leak for several years I finally broke down and bought a brand new one. I had tried everything I had heard about or could think of on my own to isolate the leak but without success. It was very frustrating. I happen to have a longer version of the same mattress that I almost never use and a friend jokingly suggested I cut it down to size, ha ha ha ha. I really didn't consider the idea seriously.

So this is quite interesting to see. After spending so much effort trying in vain to find an invisible leak I'd be nervous about cutting up a perfectly good mattress.