Open Baffle Surgery: Yes, Inflatable Sleeping Mat Baffles Can Be Fixed

Time: Spring 2024 (and again in 2025)

By Christian

Last New Years we blew a baffle in our Exped Synmat Hyperlite Duo. I don't really hold it against the mat - that thing is probably close to 10 years old with something like 500 nights on it. We thought this meant it was time for a new mat but, man, things have gotten expensive recently. At least attempting a repair started to seem like a good idea. Exped said it couldn't be fixed, and some searching online seemed to agree with that idea... but, it's just a bag filled with air, so it seems fundamentally possible. Without anything to loose I decided to cut it open and give it a go.

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I'd assumed that the bond between the baffle divider and surface of the mat had probably delaminated, but when I had it open I found that the material (which is just a thin plastic sheet for weight savings) had actually ripped in half. Interesting. Rather than futzing around with limited space I decided to just cut it open the full length of the repair area, plus a bit extra, so I could use a sewing machine. I made a new baffle out of a strip of lightweight uncoated nylon from my off-cuts bin and stitched it in well past the end of the failure area with a sewing machine. Then I drew the "incision" back together stitching by hand and painted everything (both sewing machine lines and the incision) with a good coating of Seam Grip fabric glue/sealant. The first pressure test revealed that I'd missed a small spot (well, the Seam Grip flowed in such a way that it didn't seal while curing) so I did a second round of seam grip. Second time's a charm, I guess, since now it holds air. A year and a half and many, many nights later I think the scars are just as reliable as any of the many pinholes I've Seam Grip-ped over. It was easier than I'd expected. If you've blown a baffle and can sew I'd totally suggest giving it a try. More recently we blew another, different, baffle and I stitched that one up too. Easier the second time.

First repair, with a red baffle sewn in:

Second repair, this time with a purple baffle. Variety is the spice of life.