Air pads and mildew question.

[Joey]

Working on my air pads today, and one of them appears to have mildew inside. Dark spots inside.

This may be a stupid question, but should I be blowing air into this thing? air is blowing back out, into my lungs.
Anyone know?

 

[Nick]

I think that's a pretty common thing. The NeoAir Xlite used to be a little translucent making the mold really visible, but I think it probably happens in all of them if you use your mouth to blow them up and don't store it 'properly' (if it's even possible to do that). I think that's why they switched back to a non-see through material on the Xlite.

I have no idea how harmful it might be, but I definitely try to avoid breathing it back in... My Xlite has pretty bad mold inside.

 

[Joey]

Thanks Nick

 

[Nick]

As an alternative to blowing them up with your mouth, the Thermarest mini pump kicks ass. Hardly ultralight, but at 2.3 oz, it's not the worst luxury you could have. I love mine.

 

[ogg]

Based on my experience with mildew ruining an air pad, I would caution you to immediately assume the mildew is actually inside. I had a very similar experience with a Pacific Outdoor Equipment Max Thermo insulated air mattress. POE is out of business now but he mattress was basically a clone of the Big Agnes Insulated Air Core mattress that may be familiar to many people. The mattress wouldn't hold air and I immediately spied many alarming dark spots on the calendered fabric surface. Submerging the mattress in a full bathtub revealed a multitude of pin-hole air leaks, originating from the little dark spots. I then inspected the surface of the mat with a 10x loop. It really did appear to me then that the dark spots were on the inside surface of the fabric. After writing off the pad as a loss and buying a Thermarest NeoAir to replace it, I decided to cut the thing open and scrutinize the matter closer. It was immediately apparent that the inside fabric face had a substantial, thick glossy coating and that the mold was not growing on that surface, it was in fact growing on the outside surface but was so infused into the textured facing of the fabric that it appeared to be growing inside. I could be mistaken, but I believe mildew needs some oxygen along with moisture in order to propagate. Since that experience, I've been hanging my air mattresses loosely in a closet with custom sized hangers and try to maintain some Damp-Rid desiccant going in the closet.

 

[steve]

I use one of these

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004NBF9Z8/&tag=backcountrypo-20&linkId=SLAN5736BDBCRXAR

 

[Nick]

My All Season came with that on the stuff sack. I find it awkward and slow to use, but I'm also pretty impatient sometimes.

 

[Joey]

My primary concern was death by mold spores. I'll get over every thing else.

 

[steve]

My All Season came with that on the stuff sack. I find it awkward and slow to use, but I'm also pretty impatient sometimes.

I agree, they totally suck on a stuff sack. I got a big glad bag and put the nozzle on that. It inflates my entire pad in about 20 seconds now. Plus i have a plastic bag to wrap around my gear in my pack to keep it dry.

 

[slc_dan]

I agree, they totally suck on a stuff sack. I got a big glad bag and put the nozzle on that. It inflates my entire pad in about 20 seconds now. Plus i have a plastic bag to wrap around my gear in my pack to keep it dry.

After recently purchasing a neo air, and an xtherm, I'd like to protect my investment. Would you mind doing a 10-20 second video of this?

 

[steve]

Would you mind doing a 10-20 second video of this?

congrats on the great bags. I'll throw a quick video up tonight.

 

[steve]

here you go Dan. Skip halfway through to save time.

 

[Bob]

Just be a big blow hard and don't suck ..............

 

[Bob]

Not bad idea. But, problem is anytime I line my pack with plastic bag, it gets a lot of holes in it over the trip......
I usually get to camp and open the valve while its unrolled in the tent....inflates itself about 50%..
I don't roll mine up as small usually just in half, fits in my pack better.

 

[steve]

dan, that video i linked to kinda sucks, but you get the idea. Buy the nozzle in that amazon link and sticki it on the corner of a nice plastic bag. I'll usually top off with my mouth, but this way I don't have to worry about mildew or batteries failing.

 

[Bob]

Steve, you have too much time on your hands ............. but your videos are neat

 

[River]

dan, that video i linked to kinda sucks.

I thought the purpose was to blow?

 

[Aldaron]

As an alternative to blowing them up with your mouth, the Thermarest mini pump kicks ass. Hardly ultralight, but at 2.3 oz, it's not the worst luxury you could have. I love mine.

Where's that old post where you made fun of me for recommending this?

 

[Nick]

Where's that old post where you made fun of me for recommending this?

Now I make fun of myself for it. I still think it's a bit ridiculous, but I love it. Especially boat camping when I don't even think about the weight.

 

[Bob]

Getting soft is all it is