broken valve in the D.A.M.

**slowhike** · 02-19-2007, 22:41

i recently have thought it would be a good idea to have a ccf pad as a back up for the exped down air mat (DAM) in cold weather. but this past week end i choose not to take one.
wouldn't you know it... i was inflating it for the night (about 10:30pm) when i noticed that it wasn't inflating.
i discovered the center of the valve had popped out, leaving a hole a little smaller than a pencil to let air out.
there were not many trees to choose from in the site BB was set up in, and the two trees i ended up using were further apart than i needed.
the webbing i had on that hammock was from wal-mart & that turned out to be to big of a stretch for it.
it kept letting me sink down, even after i readjusted it.
after re-tightening it a couple times it seemed to be ok, but when i went to bed, it let me sink to the ground again.
i was afraid that if i kept on re-tightening it, it would break, so i decided to let my back-side rest on the ground. that seemed to take enough weight off the hammock to keep most of me slightly suspended, so most of the insulated hammock was uncompressed.
but then came the valve failure

so i found a stick just the right size w/ a slight taper, carved the end that would be showing smooth, & glued it into the hole w/ the adhesive that came w/ the pad.
i let it sit on the ground w/ a rock resting on it to keep the stick snug for about 20 min, then put it on top of me in the hammock w/ the valve at my underarm for a while to get warmth to continue curing.http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery...5/P2170011.JPG
it held air most of the night, but by morn i was touching bottom in places. but it still was filling in the edges w/ warmth. and i had put my empty pack under the hammock so as i touched the ground i would be resting on it (& a couple other things).http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery...5/P2180051.JPG
any way, i was nice & warm most of the night, but cool on the bottom by morn... but not cold enough to try putting more air in the DAM.
any one else herd of an exped DAM valve prob?

**Just Jeff** · 02-19-2007, 22:53

I had a hard time tightening mine enough for it to snap closed when I was at Winnemucca. It was really tight and couldn't get past that last click. I thought maybe the cold made it shrink or become brittle, but the Exped guy said the valves are made from Lexan and temp shouldn't have that kind of impact on it.

But other than the slow leak problems that have been talked about on the forums, which may or may not come from the valve, I haven't heard of what you're talking about. Might be worth an email to Exped, though.

**slowhike** · 02-19-2007, 23:36

Originally Posted by Just Jeff

I had a hard time tightening mine enough for it to snap closed when I was at Winnemucca. It was really tight and couldn't get past that last click. I thought maybe the cold made it shrink or become brittle, but the Exped guy said the valves are made from Lexan and temp shouldn't have that kind of impact on it.

But other than the slow leak problems that have been talked about on the forums, which may or may not come from the valve, I haven't heard of what you're talking about. Might be worth an email to Exped, though.

i took it back to the local outfitter that i got it from. he is going to ship it back to exped & see what they have to say.
he also said that if they didn't take care of it, he would replace it w/ one he had in the store.
he also said he's beginning to question carrying this pad because it's the second valve that broke for me.
the pad i had this week end was a replacement for the first.
but on the first pad the whole outer shell broke off.
perhaps i was not understanding the first one & used to much force, but i'm quite sure i didn't do any thing out of the ordinary w/ this one.

**headchange4u** · 02-20-2007, 10:33

How much use had the defective pads seen. I had been thinking about getting a DAM, but I may wait now.

**slowhike** · 02-20-2007, 17:49

Originally Posted by headchange4u

How much use had the defective pads seen. I had been thinking about getting a DAM, but I may wait now.

i spent quite a few nights on both, but that's counting at home use so the valve wasn't used to deflate & inflate.
i'm waiting to see what exped has to say when they get it back.
i'm quite sure i did'nt miss handle it so if they don't show concern for sending people out in the cold w/ that valve, i'll be looking at getting a stephenson DAM (probably did'nt spell that wight<g>).

**BillyBob58** · 02-20-2007, 18:47

Originally Posted by slowhike

i spent quite a few nights on both, but that's counting at home use so the valve wasn't used to deflate & inflate.
i'm waiting to see what exped has to say when they get it back.
i'm quite sure i did'nt miss handle it so if they don't show concern for sending people out in the cold w/ that valve, i'll be looking at getting a stephenson DAM (probably did'nt spell that wight<g>).

I believe have also seen some problems discussed regarding leaks with the Big Agnes air pads. I have considered the Stephenson DAM for a while, but now I wonder if any of these valves or pads can be trusted in the widerness far from a trailhead? I never had any trouble with any of my Thermarest self inflators over the years though I have always carried a repair kit. Some of them are over 20 years old!

Is there any word of mouth out there re: reliability of Stephensons pad?

**Just Jeff** · 02-20-2007, 19:59

I've heard several complaints about BA pads, a handful about Exped, and almost none about Stephensen. That could also be market share, though...there are probably a WHOLE lot more Expeds out there than Stephensens, so it's also more likely that someone on the forums has had a bad experience with one.

But I doubt that explains it all.

Everything has tradeoffs...depending on an inflatable pad as your sole insulation is probably not a good idea if you can't survive a night w/o it. On my trips, I could build a duff bed or just hike out if I had to...so I'm willing to take that chance most of the time.

**slowhike** · 02-20-2007, 20:01

Originally Posted by BillyBob58

I believe have also seen some problems discussed regarding leaks with the Big Agnes air pads. I have considered the Stephenson DAM for a while, but now I wonder if any of these valves or pads can be trusted in the wilderness far from a trail head? I never had any trouble with any of my Thermarest self inflators over the years though I have always carried a repair kit. Some of them are over 20 years old!

Is there any word of mouth out there re: reliability of Stephensons pad?

yeah, i'm one of those that had problems w/ BA insulated air core leaking. they replaced the second one w/ a new one & i got a call from one of the head honchos (bill i think was his name) because i had let them know that i was not happy about having to make yet another trip to the post office & pay shipping to send there pad back.
any way he was very apologetic & said it had been a real nightmare for them because they didn't want to sell a product that couldn't be counted on.
anyway, about the air mats, i really like a mat that is thick enough (2.5 to 3") to fill the voids & support in real comfort.
but of course you begin to pay a weight penalty, but the BA, exped, & stephensons are still in a weight range that is acceptable for me with the comfort they provide. i believe there are a few others as well (insulmat?).
thermarest has been one of the more dependable brands but their thicker pads really jump up in weight.
sure would be nice to have a non-biased chart w/ side by side comparisons of thickness, weight, cost, and a few notes about insulation type & feed back from users on warmth & durability.

**headchange4u** · 02-20-2007, 20:59

I own 2 BA air cores and I have never had a problem with them leaking. I have heard of the Stephenson's leaking around the valve before.

I think if I were going to buy a DAM I would probably go with the Stephenson's because they are lighter than the Exped, have better down (700fp vs. 850fp), and the Stephenson's DAM is thicker (stated 3-4" thick on Stephenson's site but up to 5" thick report by some). The Exped and Stephenson's are both REALLY expensive, IMHO, and that's why I haven't made the jump to a DAM. IF the Stephenson's mat was 4-5" thick it would probably almost eliminate the need for an under quilt.