Ultralight Hike
Insulated air mattresses have one decisive disadvantage compared to foam mats – inflating them takes relatively long.
One of my most loved features of my previously used Exped DownMat UL7 was the Schnozzel Pumpbag. Because with it, the air mattress was inflated within a few seconds.
But since I started using Therm-A-Rest sleeping pads and was not satisfied with the inflation options they offer, I kept looking for a good way to find something similarly well-functioning for the Therm-A-Rest valves.
A few weeks ago I came across a simple and ingenious Modifikation of the Schnozzel.
Since the Exped sleeping pads only need the outer part of the connector, it is easy to mill out the inner diameter with a Dremel enough for the connector to fit over the Therm-A-Rest valves.
Thus, from this point on, the modified pump bag works for both Exped mats and Therm-A-Rest mats, and of course continues to work as a waterproof stuff sack!
In the future, I will probably modify the stuff sack once more. I personally would prefer it if the stuff sack were a bit narrower and considerably longer. That way it could be used even better as a liner for the entire backpack.
