![]() The sound is coming from the interior baffle design. Some people complain about the crinkling sound this pad makes when you move on it, and I noticed the sound, but it didn't bother me. The 3-star rating is because the speed valve is a pain in the ass except for deflating the pad. That's a shortcoming for inflatables, and not a reason I only gave this pad 3 stars. You cannot use this inflatable like a CCF pad in that respect. When I'm backpacking, I use my sleeping pad as a sit pad for breaks, lunch, and around camp. I only had to inflate it once for the week, and it is more comfortable than a CCF pad. But, if you're car camping, why not go with something even more luxurious? I recently found myself having to crash on a friend's floor, and I was happy to have this pad in the trunk of my car. This pad is perfect if you want to have something for car camping. I did cowboy camp on it one night, and it held up on packed dirt with whatever little rocks, pebbles, and sticks, I couldn't sweep away with my feet. The pad doesn't seem very durable either. But, the extra 5 ounces just isn't worth it to me. This is the longer and wider pad, and I like that size better than a regular CCF pad. If the wind is blowing, it makes this chore even more difficult because the bad doesn't want to stay folded. You have to have the gray side down, fold one long side 1/3 into the middle of the pad, then fold the other long side into the middle of the pad, then roll from the bottom, continuing to squeeze air from the pad. Rolling it back up and getting it into the stuff sack is a little chore as you can't just stuff it in the sack. Just undo the speed valve, and start rolling from the bottom. It's more comfortable than my CCF pad.ĭeflating the pad is probably the best feature. Once inflated, this pad is very comfortable. A search of the internet revealed I'm not the only one having issues with the speed valve. I kept thinking I had a leak from a puncture or micro-hole, but I finally figured out it was just the speed valve. Then, you roll it so that the gray side is out. The key is to make sure that the black plastic piece of the speed valve is tucked securely 100% inside the pad before you start the roll-top seal. And, you have to be perfect with sealing the speed valve or it is going to have a slow leak resulting in the need to re-inflate in the middle of the night. If you stand up and try it, it just doesn't work as well. It takes at least 20 blows to get it to the point where you use the traditional valve to "top it off." You also have to lay the pad out flat, and get down level with the speed valve. The speed valve is not as easy to use as the videos would have you believe. I'll skip that here and try to focus just on how this pad performed. There's plenty of pros and cons in the debate between inflatable pads and CCF pads. That said, I've used it on an overnight shakedown on the AT as well as a few nights in my backyard, and for a week crashing on a friend's floor. Otherwise, I'm still a closed cell foam ("CCF") sleeping pad loyalist for backpacking trips. It was sold as new, but I suspect the seller tried it out at home, didn't like the speed valve, and put it on eBay as new. I found this new on eBay at a price I couldn't resist. ![]()
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