Sleeping Pad Accessories

Reviewed by PhilNC

A simple and light dual-purpose dry bag and pump sack for the new Therm-a-Rest Winglock and Twinlock valve sleeping pads. Inflation of the pads is easy and the waterproof construction seems like it will hold up. The BlockerLite Pump Sack is only 20 liters, so it takes quite a few sacks of air to fill larger pads, and may not work on older valves or other brands, but overall it's a great match for new Therm-a-Rest mattresses.

This is the initial review of the Therm-a-Rest BlockerLite Pump Sack after a couple of months of testing. I will update this in the late fall after cold weather comes in and it has a lot more nights out under its belt. The Therm-a-Rest (TAR) BlockerLite Pump Sack was provided to me as part of my testing of the TAR Topo and Topo Luxe sleeping pads. These new NeoAir models come standard with the Blockerlite Pump Sack now for the Winglock and Twinlock valves, but it can also be purchased as an add-on accessory ($45 current price).The BlockerLite Pump Sack is basically a lightweight (2.7 oz/78 g) dry bag with a valve that converts it to use as a pump sack for easy air mattress inflation.  The pump sack is made by SealLine for TAR and is similar...

Read more: Therm-a-Rest BlockerLite Pump Sack review (1)

Reviewed by Twig

A multi-purpose pack liner that works incredibly well as a pump bag for a sleeping pad. While designed to work with Exped pads, a simple modification can adapt it for Therm-a-Rest pads.

Specs: Length: 27" Width: 19" Weight: 2 oz. Volume: 42 liters (2563 cu.in.). Warranty: 5 years Materials: Top: 15 D Ripstop Nylon, Silicone/PU coated, 1500 mm water column. Bottom: 15 D Ripstop Nylon, Silicone/PU coated, 1500 mm water column20 D Polyester, TPU Polyether Film Laminate, Hydrolysis resistant, Honeycomb embossed. Background: I had previously been using the Exped Mini Pump to inflate my Therm-a-Rest Neoair Xlite, after I discovered that a small piece of bicycle tubing (road bike size 700c) fit over both the Exped fitting and the classic Therm-a-rest valve.

Read more: Exped Schnozzel Pumpbag UL review (1)

Featured review by Denis Evans

This is currently Flextail’s lightest and smallest mattress inflator/light. Exactly what you want for backpacking,

On the web I found out about backpacking mattress pumps. I decided to investigate and ended up buying this model—I checked out many others, but they were too big and heavy for my backpacking use. It arrived and I charged it up. When charged I inflated my Sea-to-Summit hiking single-person air mattress. It comes with 5 nozzles of different sizes. One fit perfectly. Next I tried the pillow. None of the ridged nozzles is small enough for my Sea-to-Summit pillow. So I used the flexible rubber attachment to go over the inflation hole rather than into it.

Read more: Flextail Tiny Pump 2X reviews (3)

Reviewed by Chris Walkup

This is a great multipurpose backpacking accessory for use with Exped sleeping Pads. Worth every penny of the cost.

I bought one of these to go with my DownMat 7 mat. I had to buy a small adaptor so the connectors of this bag would fit onto the built-in pump of the Downmat 7. You may ask, if it already has a built-in pump why would you buy this accessory and add weight and bulk to your setup? Two reasons, ease and speed of inflation and dry bag stuff sack for my down mummy bag. First the pump function. This bag connects, via adapter in my scenario, to the Exped mats very easily. Then all you do is open the bag up so it is "inflated" like a balloon, close the top, and roll the air into the mat.

Read more: Exped Schnozzel Pumpbag review (1)

Reviewed by Brian Nordberg

One of the dumbest purchases that I really like.

I had an amazon gift card that I had to use and couldn't find anything, so I did this. I'm embarrassed that I have it. It is seriously one of the laziest things I've ever owned.  Youtube with Exped Synmat Duo - mainly to give you an idea of how loud it is. This inflation took 1min 50 as the battery was getting low. No, I didn't film the entire boring inflation, trust me it worked. It inflates our Klymit double pad in 1 minute and 40 seconds. A single 3-inch pad takes about a minute. We have done 4 inflations of a double pad and 4 inflations of single pads on a single charge.

Read more: Flextail Tiny Pump X review (1)

Featured review by Adrian Redgwell

OMG. What a crazy thing this is. While your friends are huffing and puffing to get their air pads blown up, you have been sitting on your air pad since their fifth breath because of the Schnozzel. Fill this tough bag up with air and squeeze it into the air pad. Two times and you are done. And you can use it as a stuff sack following the hike rule of multiple-use items.

While your friends are almost dead from blowing up their air pads, you have used the Schnozzel two times and filled up your air pad, thus saving a lot of time and possible cardio problems. I also used this as my main stuff sack. It is a very light but durable material. Please be careful when sitting on it to squeeze the air out as the Schnozzel can get in the way and you will get amusing comments from your friends, lol. All my gear reviews have now been hiker tested during my recent 35-day hike on Quebec's very wild Appalachian Trail.

Read more: Exped Schnozzel Tube reviews (2)

Reviewed by Wolfed

Amazing small and light camp pad pump.

  Until about 3 years ago I have always blown my camp pad up with my lungs. I do have one Exped pad that has a pump built into it, but admittedly it takes a long time to pump up that way anyway. About 3 years ago I saw a small Flextail pump online and before taking the time to research it like I normally do for most gear, I ordered it unknowing if it was good quality and perhaps just a gimmick.  It turned out to be one of the best pieces of gear I’ve taken with me. No more warm moist air from my lungs getting into my pads to potentially create mold and no more time taken to blow the pad up that can now be used for other tasks.

Read more: Flextail ZERO 1.2 review (1)

Reviewed by DLK37086

The Nemo Cosmo Pillowtop is an amazingly plush, luxuriously comfortable addition to your Nemo Cosmo series mattress pad. I recommend this product to anyone with a Cosmo series pad that wants to add serious comfort to their pad, or wants to adapt their pad to other uses besides backpacking.

*Reviewer notes: I have already reviewed the Nemo Cosmo Air and Pillowtop 1P sleep system combo. This review is of the Nemo Cosmo Pillowtop 1P SE by itself, and is, basically, identical to my other review, but without the parts about the pad. Also, Nemo has made several different versions of this pillowtop over the last several years, with various changes to the fabric, construction, price and design. Although the same product, it has carried slight differences in name throughout its life. It is, and/or has been, known as; Nemo Pillowtop 1P Padded Mattress Cover Nemo Pillowtop Padded Mattress Cover Nemo Pillowtop Mattress Cover Nemo Cosmo Pillowtop 1P SE Nemo Cosmo Pillowtop 1P Nemo Cosmo Pillowtop Nemo Pillowtop 1P 25L and some other various...

Read more: NEMO Cosmo Pillowtop review (1)

Featured review by Horn Rimmed Hiker

If you've ever owned a pad that ISN'T self-inflating, you've probably asked yourself why you ever bought it in the first place, despite any and all benefits it may have. Buy this, and you'll never ask yourself again. Consisting of a one-piece plastic fan connected to a rubber nozzle, this compact fan (about the size of two golf balls, side-by-side) does the work for you. Runs on two included AAA batteries.

I mentioned this pump in my review for Therm-a-Rest's NeoAir Trekker sleeping pads. If you own one — or one similar to it — you'll know it doesn't come easy to inflate the damn thing after a long day on the trail. I'm a young guy, with two working lungs, and I'll admit — it's admitting defeat a little to go and buy something like this. Sucked up my pride, decided to give one of these a try, and bought it directly from their website for the full retail price (something I almost never do — I'm a king of sales, clearance racks, and eBay auctions).

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Featured review by LoneStranger

Simple, easy to use, human powered tool for filling sleep pads or other inflatable gear. Packs light and small, no batteries required. Would probably work to inflate a pack raft, but definitely a great way to save some breath when making camp at the end of the day.

My first reaction when someone here on Trailspace posted a link to The Instaflator was to laugh. Then I got to thinking about the advantages of not having to blow up my sleep pad manually and the idea didn't seem so silly. I ordered two online since I didn't expect it to last very long and I wanted to save on shipping. On opening the package I found a compactly folded, lightweight, plastic bag with a somewhat confusing plastic attachment. The product is designed and sold for inflating pool and beach toys, so I'm guessing they included adapters for various sized valves.

Read more: The Instaflator reviews (2)