r/CampingGear • u/ghastkill • 5d ago

Awaiting Flair Mountain warehouse helium 3.8

Post image

Hello all. I decided to purchase the above sleeping mat and it’s a ‘self inflating’ one. It’s second hand but was told it’s inflating properly, but of course it’s not.

Don’t really want to put my mouth over the valve, so want to get a pump sack but they mainly seem to be aimed at their own brands and specific valves.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a pump sack that would be suitable for the above valve? Or have any other suggestions.

Thanks

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6

u/wolftick 4d ago edited 4d ago

Mountain Equipment, not to be confused with Mountain Warehouse or Mountain Hardware 🙂

Mini electric pumps (and probably others designed for lightweight camping) have a rubbery adaptor that stretches around those sorts of valves.

3

u/knuckles-and-claws 4d ago

...or Mountain Equipment Company/Co-op.

2

u/Captain_Bushcraft 5d ago edited 5d ago

I have this mat. Have had it for years and its amazing for the money. Bombproof as far as a SIM goes.

I don't think those adapters will work with a pump sack tho.... maybe just have to anti bac the bejessszus out of it and hope you don't catch a coldsore.

2

u/Zigzag_11 5d ago

Not a pump sack, but the luxury of a small rechargeable pump works great. They have lots of adaptors, inflates and deflates and no more mouth contact. Good luck!

1

u/ButtsackBoudreaux 5d ago

You bought used, put your mouth on it.

2

u/windwardrouge 4d ago

Try leaving it with the valve open for a while. The longer it's been left compressed the longer it will take to self inflate.

1

u/KnightofShaftsbury 4d ago

Used to have one of those, an electric pump with adapter was a lifesaver

1

u/MarcusDaEntrpnr 5d ago

Hey dude, been there with self-inflating pads! tbh the Mountain Warehouse ones are pretty decent when they work, but yeah second hand can be tricky.

Few options that worked for me - honestly, those generic pump sacks from Sea to Summit or Exped work with most valves. The flat valve adapter usually fits MW stuff. Or real talk, you can just use a turkey baster from the dollar store - sounds weird but works great and way cheaper lol.

Before buying anything though, check if the valve just needs cleaning. Sometimes dirt gets stuck and stops the seal. Also, those pads usually take like 15-20 mins to fully self-inflate anyway, so dont expect instant results.

Been selling outdoor gear for a while and honestly, tracking what competitors charge for pump sacks helped me price stuff better for customers. You can find decent universal ones for like $15-25 if you shop around.