In accordance with Pacific Out of doors Gear (a small outside firm positioned in Bozeman, Montana that focuses on revolutionary gear constructed from welded materials for human powered sports activities), the right sleeping mat is chosen after contemplating “the fitting insulation for the seasons, the fitting size for you, the fitting gender, and naturally the correct amount of weight financial savings or cush.” With out contemplating these attributes, you’re placing your self on the mercy of the weaker hyperlink. Due to this fact, sleeping pad choice is of utmost significance in case you want to get a very good evening’s sleep whereas out in your travels.
On this article I got down to assessment the Peak Oyl Elite sleeping pad from Pacific Out of doors Gear and to present you my evaluation of this particular pad after having slept on it for a stable 40+ nights.
MODELS: At the start, it’s best to know that I used to be despatched the 2009 version of this sleeping pad to assessment, which on the time was referred to as the Peak Oyl Aero Mtn. In 2010, the identify of the pad was modified to the Peak Oyl Elite. It’s the similar pad, however with a barely completely different shade and a barely completely different identify. All the things else, nonetheless, stays nearly precisely the identical.
SIZES: The Peak Oyl Elite is a 4-season sleeping pad that is available in 5 completely different sizes: 3 for males (lengthy, common and a pair of/3) and a pair of for ladies (common and petite). The pad reviewed on this article is a males’s common. Unfolded, the pad measures 20 inches broad (51cm), 72 inches lengthy (13cm) and 1.5 inches tall (2.5cm) with berms which might be 2 inches thick and are positioned on the left and proper fringe of the pad to forestall you from rolling off when you sleep.
SHAPE: The pad is designed with a conventional dummy form constructed to match that of sleeping luggage of the identical measurement and form. This helps to scale back pack weight and is right to be used with mummy formed bivy sacks.
HOW IT’S MADE: Curiously sufficient, the Peak Oyl Elite is constructed utilizing a 40% BIO-based palm foam. Not understanding a lot about how sleeping pads are made, the corporate was fast to tell me that “On the entire Peak Oyl sleeping pads, we use a recycled P.E.T. cloth, and the much like a polyester and made out of recycled plastic bottles. It’s a inexperienced step in the fitting route, not solely as a result of it reduces waste, however as a result of the material itself performs higher than comparable 50 denier nylons and polyesters. The diamond ripstop, has all the time been integrated into our pads and has confirmed to have the perfect tear and abrasion resistance than every other cloth on a excessive efficiency pad. Past the ripstop, the recycled PET even have comparable traits to spiders silk, and has a tremendously excessive tensile power. It has improved UV resistance over nylons which might be often used on pads due to their increased tear power than polyesters.”
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: On first inspection, the Peak Oyl Elite sleeping pad is small, compact and comparatively light-weight (All of that are good issues to see in a top quality sleeping pad). Inside its stuff sack, the Peak Oyl Elite measures roughly 11 inches lengthy (28cm), 6.25 inches broad (16cm) and 6.25 inches tall. Significantly heavier than its sister mat, the Peal Oyl Lite, this compact air mattresses weights in at 785 grams (27oz). Nonetheless, it needs to be famous that the Elite is heavier than its sister pad (the Peak Oyl Lite) as a result of it has added materials utilized in its development in order to rework the design from a 3-season pad to a 4-season pad.
QUALITY: After eradicating the pad from its stuff sack, I can immediately inform that it’s a high quality pad. The fabric is light-weight, however thick. “I don’t assume I can simply tear or puncture this,” I recall pondering to myself. After 40 nights of use, the pad seems to be as if it have been model new. The valve on the prime of the pad works because it ought to and no air has leaked out whereas I’ve been sleeping.
EASY INFLATION: The pad is self-inflating and works simply because it ought to. A pair further puffs within the valve will get the pad to your required inflation degree.
BIG & TALL? Although I measure over 6 toes tall, I match on the pad completely. The bermed facet rails assist to maintain me contained in the mat whereas I transfer about and the sticky S-curve grip path that runs down the middle of the pad helps to maintain my sleeping bag from sliding off the pad in the course of the evening.
WARMTH: In accordance with the corporate, the Peak Oyl Elite pad can also be constructed with “strategically positioned strips of Aerogel materials within the torso,” which supposedly provides a further 10-15% extra insulation than comparable, foam solely, sleeping pads. After utilizing the pad for myself, I’ve been unable to detect any notable advantages of this added Aerogel, however in additional excessive climate circumstances, this added characteristic would possibly actually come in useful. (I examined this mat in temperatures as little as -4 levels Fahrenheit and was in a position to keep heat regardless of the cool circumstances.)
EXTRAS: Every pad comes with a stuff sack, strap and restore package.
OVERALL IMPRESSION: Total, the Pacific Out of doors Gear Peak Oyl Elite sleeping pad is one implausible product. The truth is, it’s fairly probably the perfect sleeping mat I’ve ever used… and I’d extremely suggest it.
DRAWBACKS: My solely criticism for this particular pad is that I’ve a tough time getting it again into its stuff sack within the morning. Whereas that is clearly not almost as vital as the heat and cushion the pad is supposed to supply, being unable to simply get the pad again into its stuff sack is one characteristic that I discover to be extremely vital. It could be the pad’s self-inflating nature or the form of the pad itself that makes folding it again up so troublesome. Regardless of the case, I’ve discovered that even with heat fingers and a rested physique, it may be troublesome to get the pad again inside its stuff sack. Underneath completely different circumstances (i.e. tenting within the chilly, snow or rain) I might see folding the pad again as much as fairly a nuisance.
SUMMARY: Ultimately, the Peak Oyl Elite is a critical sleeping pad for critical outside adventurers. If you’d like a mat that does what it’s designed to do (hold you heat and comfy it doesn’t matter what time of yr you hit the street) and also you need a sleeping pad that may final you a really very long time, then that is one sleeping pad I’m proud to suggest.
My Ranking: 9 out of 10
For extra info on this and different Pacific Out of doors Gear merchandise, please go to www.pacoutdoor.com
Assessment Standing: This product was despatched to Bicycle Touring Professional for assessment functions and was obtained for free of charge.
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