So... Drove 10 hours and did a small section of the AT in the GSM. Dumbass me didn't take a footprint for my sleeping pad. Poked a hole in it the first night at a shelter. Slept flat on the ground/slabs the whole week. Not miserable, but wasn't the best. Got some of that tenacious tape at an outfitter the last day we were there.... How do you properly fix on? I will be buying a thermarest patch kit this week.
The tenacious tape held up the first night but I suspect a second leak. With these, can you really just put soapy water on them or dunk them under water over pressure and see the air bubbles? Over the years I have done that with inflatable air mattresses. With this i am worried about getting the inside wet and getting mildew. Too damp and cold now to proper air dry outside. Thanks!
>>618286
I honestly can't tell what's going on with the hole because the photo is so shitty. wader repair stuff will seal small holes well.
>>619797
Just a pic of the pad, small hole with some tenacious tape on it. I called cascade and asked. I have some real repair kits coming in. Will have to dunk it, find the other holes, mark them. Let it dry, and then apply a cloth patch.
>>618289
Bumping as I have the same problem with a self inflating mattress. It is leaking but I don't know where this hole is. I have the same worries about mildew as OP.
For self inflating pads, I suck all the air out of em and put a glob of shoe goo, silicon sealant, or super glue on top of the hole. As the pad tries to suck air back into itself, the sealant will be pulled into the hole.
>>619844
You want a water proof sealant that is thinner than shoe goo, but thicker than super glue. It needs some flex but also needs to be thin enough that it can be pulled into the hole.
GSM?
>>619864
Great Smokey Mountain National Park
My main worry about all of it is mildew on the interior, as it can possibly eat away at the foam from what some sites say. I guess I will attempt to repair when the patches come in. One of the reps said that the dots in the kit will work for in the field repair but I stressed that I was back home and wanted the best repair possible. The cloth patches should work.
Does anyone have suggestions for sleeping pad footprints? I've custom made footprints for our tents when the manufacturers failed, but only out of regular tarp material.
>>620032
Go buy some tyvek at home depot or from a contracted/build site that has some left over. It's what they use to put on the sides of houses before putting siding up. It's super light and will keep the majority of things you might be sleeping on from poking through. It's expensive if purchased at a home depot. I would really consider contacting a contractor.
>>620525
Okay, I read that about ultralight backpacking tents. Instead of purchasing the footprint people opt to make their own using Tyvek. Parents are slapping an addition onto their lake house, will grab son from the framers! Thanks for the response!
It's really no big deal to patch, but i would recommend watching what and where you put your pad. Camped all over the smokies and the only time I've ever holed one was in my living room floor.
I use the same shit that is used to patch flat bicycle tires, works pretty well, but I think it depends on the material your mat is made of
