Synmat Basic 7.5

I don't do many gear type reviews (even though I do like shiny new things) mainly cause I don't feel like I know anything or get out and use things enough.  One exception is the Exped Synmat Basic 7.5 which I have owned for nearly 2 years now.

In desert action!

I must of used it over 50 times now in varied conditions, hot summer, desert, gravel, tent, cold, etc.  I take care with what I put it on and try to use a tarp or groundsheet underneath it but due to use in festivals I might not have always been as careful as I should of been!  (drunken Andy is not as dainty or lightfooted...). 

This is what I said last year -

The Exped Synmat Basic 7.5 was used over 24 nights in the USA and at a couple of festivals in the summer, and proved to be a great purchase. Easy to inflate and deflate, warm, relatively lightweight and tough. The mat lacks an internal pump but to be honest I never had too much trouble blowing it up manually. Most nights I slept directly on the mat and used my sleeping bag as a quilt, this might be a sign it was too warm. 

Since then I have used it in below zero temps and it did the job required.  Any cold was from the drafty nature of the quilts not the mat below me. 

Moab, Utah.... The wine in a box is classy!

I'm a big guy (fat) so the mat has coped with pressures well over it's normal intended design specs.  This stands out as a tough piece of kit, and when people question the resilience of airmats I can only point at my experience.  Is it as tough as a rollmat? No.  Can it be used directly on sharp things? No Do you get a good warm nights sleep? Yup.  Sleep and comfort rate highly for me.

 

Big thumbs up from me.