Repairing slow sleeping pad leaks

[RobinB]

After a few weeks of hard use on the JMT, my new-ish Thermarest NeoAir XTherm has sprung a very slow leak, requiring just a couple breaths of new air every few hours to keep it full. Now that the summer backpacking season is winding down, I'm looking for the best permanent fix. The pad came with a patch kit, but is a user patch going to hold up in the long run? I think Cascade Designs, who make the pad, offer patching services for pretty reasonable prices (I hear around $20, though that quote might be a little old). Maybe that's a better option?

Any experience here? Anything that's worked (or not)?

Thanks so much, as always!

[sprengers4jc]

I submerged my pad in the bathtub and found my Exped mat was leaking right at the valve. I patched it and it held up for a good year or so (maybe eight different trips?) but I replaced it with a warmer and more reliable pad eventually. I had bought it used so returning it wasn't an option but that's what I would have done if given the chance, as I always worried the patch would fail and it would leak again on me and leave me shivering on the cold ground :/.

[drm]

Hah, I just had this problems with my Big Agnes. I spent a lot of time holding it under water and could find no bubbles. So I returned it to REI for a replacement. It was just under one year old.

[RobinB]

Thanks!

Hah, I just had this problems with my Big Agnes. I spent a lot of time holding it under water and could find no bubbles. So I returned it to REI for a replacement. It was just under one year old.

Oh interesting, did REI take the return without question? Mine is quite a bit under a year old, and I would love to just exchange it for a new one, but sort of assumed that a leak might count as normal wear and tear.

[retired jerry]

I did that with my Thermarest Pro-Lite.

Submerge in water or a spray bottle with soapy water. Spray where the leak may be, press on the mattress to get the pressure up so air leaks out more, and look for bubbles in the soapy water. Sometimes it won't leak unless you press on the mattress to get the air pressure up.

I think Thermarest will fix it forever, but you have to wait for the repair (probably a replacement)

If you can easily fix it, then the planet will have one less piece of used junk to dispose of.

Either the patch kit or McNett Seam Grip should make permanent fix. I did it a couple years ago. If it doesn't work then you can ask for replacement.

It's easy to find and fix a leak in the main body. More difficult in seam around the side or at the valve - may be unrepairable.

[RobinB]

If you can easily fix it, then the planet will have one less piece of used junk to dispose of.

Really good point. I think I'm going to send it in to Cascade Designs and see what they make of it - I just don't trust my (feeble!) mechanical skills with this sort of thing.

[miah66]

If you bought it at REI, I'd just return it. Maybe they'll put it in the used gear sale.

[RobinB]

So I ended up getting the thing fixed by Cascade Designs. It was super quick, the patch looks perfect, and it cost me $20, including return shipping. Not bad!

[AAdamsPDX]

Thanks for posting this, it gave me the idea to look up the Big Agnes policy on repairs and it sounds like they have a similar deal. I don't know the fee yet but will find out!

For summer backpacking we have lighter-weight pads, but for cold weather we still like our Big Agnes insulated air core pads, and they've started losing air. Fingers crossed we can keep them going for at least a few more seasons!

[Thomas M]

I use Shoe Goo thinned with xylene from Home Depot.

Bubble check for the leak, clean with a little alcohol; apply a light coat of the xylene/ShoeGoo mix. Let it dry overnight. Paint thinner doesn't really mix well with Shoe Goo.

It might be good to do a test mix of the xylene/ShoeGoo mix and paint it on a scrap surface, just to get a feel of how to work with it.

Once the Shoe Goo is opened, it seems to slowly dry out, even if sealed tightly. I've been experimenting by keeping it in a vacuum sealed canning jar.......not sure if that helps. I'm going to mix some and put it in an open container inside of an evacuated canning jar and see if the low oxygen/vacuum prevents it from hardening and wasting a good tube of the glorious Goo.

Uses of Shoe Goo abound around backpacking gear.