Insulating mats
Insulating mats
Insulating pads come in handy when you want to keep as much heat as possible with you; whether it's when you're camping or bivouacing somewhere. As a result, this will affect greater comfort and, of course, rest for further efforts on the tour. Today we would like to introduce you to pads from the manufacturer Mountain Equipment, namely the Aerostat Down 7.0 Reg , Aerostat Synthetic 7.0 Reg and Aerostat Wide models.
Heat
The main task of insulating mats is to provide the body with enough heat to prevent hypothermia or poor sleep while bivouacing. The R-value tells us in which thermal range a particular mat operates or how effectively it retains heat (insulation). The higher it is, the greater the resistance or the lower the loss of body heat to the surroundings. Some time ago, in the outdoor industry, there was no standard that measured this, so there was little knowledge on the market about which mats were really good and which were not. Today, however, laboratory tests refer to the ASTM F3340 standard .
| Aerostat Down 7.0 Reg | Aerostat Synthetic 7.0 Reg | Aerostat Wide | |
| R-value | 8.8 | 4.0 | 5.1 |
| Temperature | -40°C | -25°C | - 25°C |
Comfort
The comfort is influenced by the deep chambers in the pad. This allows for a good night's sleep even when the surface is not perfectly flat. Since the bottom of the pad is made of ripstop material, the texture ensures that the pad will not slip on slippery surfaces.
How does the lining perform in wet conditions? We found that even when a down or synthetic filled lining is exposed to wet conditions, it doesn't make much of a difference. It still looks good and performs as intended. Thanks to the very durable 30D laminated nylon, there is no fear of the lining breaking through.
Shape, weight, length, thickness and width
The pads usually have a shape and do not sag. On the one hand, they do lose a little in weight (Synthetic - 665g; Down - 735g; Wide - 735g), but on the other hand, they gain in comfort. The usual length is 185cm, and an extended version XL - 200cm is also available. The width of the pad is 54cm, but you can also choose a wider version - 62cm. The thickness in all three versions is 7 cm.
Air filling
The mat comes with a special "bag" that you attach to the empty mat and then fill with minimal effort. From a distance of 20cm, you blow lightly into the bag to get as little moisture as possible, then simply roll the bag up to release air into the mat.
Summary
Aerostat mats, both with down and synthetic fillings, are robust, durable, comfortable, quickly inflated and, above all, warm. They are especially warm when filled with down, as they will meet your expectations even in the coldest parts of the world.
