Anyone tried one of these? What's it like?
I've just acquired a Downmat, and while it is undoubtedly a thing of loveliness compared to the highly competent Alpkit Airic, we've discovered that the pump mechanism renders it fundamentally incompatible with barakta. She lacks the wrist motion required to produce a seal with the pump, so the most effective way to inflate it seems to be to use her forearm at a funny angle, which means significant shoulder fatigue.
Given that her main priority in a mat is that it not cause undue stress on her shoulders, this renders it no better than a typical self-inflating mat. I probably don't need to say it, but relying on someone else to pump it up when a technical solution is possible is undesirable on principle, even if it would be a practical option 90% of the time.
So the obvious alternative is something similarly thick, but inflated using Mk 1 lungs (of which, unlike myself, she has a fully functional set). Insulation is much less of a priority compared to being lightweight and packing small - realistically it's going to be mostly used for a handful of camping trips in the summer and for sleeping on random people's floors. Her tolerance for roughing it is far lower than mine.
ETA: Also, in the unlikely event of having to camp in cold conditions, there's no reason why a Numo couldn't be augmented with either the Airic or a closed-cell mat, both of which we already have.
So, with that in mind, something like the Numo or Synmat Basic Ultralight seems like a good approach. I've generally been impressed with Alpkit kit, and the Numo's price is very attractive...
I assume one appropriately sized 7cm air-filled mat is pretty much the same as another in non-thermal comfort terms, or is there something I'm missing?
