Airic Sleeping Mats Reviews

Hi just thought that I should give some feedback about my recent dealings with Alpkit.

I purchased a wee airic some time in 2007. For various reasons I never had the opportunity to use it until a few weeks ago. I was away on a one night survival course when i used the mat for the first time, It was flat when I woke up in the morning.

I tested the mat when i got home and it would lose pressure overnight. I had to submerge it in the bath to locate the leak, which was found to be where the mat is heat sealed (or whatever the process is that was used).
I contacted alpkit who confirmed that the mat was purchased way back in 2007 and they asked me to send it in for testing, the mat was posted to them last Friday. Yesterday (Tuesday) I received an email saying that they had tested the mat and found that it was a fault in the manufacturing process and what colour mat would I like in replacement. I returned the email asking for a green one and it arrived this morning (Wednesday)

I had owned that mat for 5 years and although I never used it, I had no proof of that and it was never questioned.

fantastic customer service. very impressed

Tim

DO NOT BUY DOZER CHIMERA EDITION!!! Initial use of the mat was successful and very comfortable, however, after only using the mat 3 times on an indoor floor the mat was scuffed and a small hole appeared at the air intake vent. The mat DID not receive any abuse,I contacted Alpkit and returned the mat. They stated it was my fault but they would fix the mat. I was informed that the mat would be returned in 2 days but waited 2 weeks!Despite numerous calls telling me it was posted they had placed it with the wrong paperwork! As for the repair my 2 year old daughter could have fixed it better,  glue everywhere and doubt that it will last another use Buy a black canyon at 30 pound half the price and exactly the same only more robust… DO NOT BUY VERY DISSAPOINTED AND WILL NEVER BUY AGAIN FROM THIS SITE

Hi sent for Airo180 chilli chilli for son, loves it also amazed at delivery, ordered 1-50pm Friday delivered 9am next day free postage amazing

Took 4 Dozers on a 5500mile trip around the top of scandinavia during the arctic winter. Well worth getting the bigger mats. A confortable sleep each night (as comfortable as you can be at less than -40) easy to put away and didn’t require much manual filling. All seems still in tact and they still fill up themselves now. One was punctured when the high lift jack and gas cylinder were sitting on them all day but the repair kit included fixed them up easily and the glue held even in the extreme conditions

Love the Wideboy.  I tend to roll around or turn on my side, which means falling off Thermarests or Expeds, but not the Wideboy.  The smart wedge design means there’s sufficient support where required, and it provides ample insulation from cold rough ground.  This is a great mat, and at this price it’s a steal.

The only way I could improve upon it - and in fact, any other sleeping mat I’ve ever used - is to put an anti-slip surface on the bottom to prevent it sliding around in the tent during the night on those occasions when the wild camp site you chose isn’t quite as flat as a billiard table.

Have just spend a weekend seeping on my Dozer Chimera Edition mat for the first time. Absolutely fantastically comfortable.
Like sleeping on a bed. Your whole body stays on the mat and you do do not wake up every time you turn over or slide off during the night and it holds.
I have longed for a mat like this. In over 32 years of camping and sleeping outdoors I have tried many different sleepmats, some of them far more expensive than Alpkit products, and nothing compares especially in comfort, makes me think I have another 32 years in my bivvy ahead.
If they made a full king size version I might be tempted to get rid of the bed.

just got back froma winter tour of afghanistan where your base mat kept me very comfortable over some very cold nights, far better than the issue mat and much cheaper than the competition

As an owner of a Gourdon 30 sack (see my review) I appreciate Alpkit and the companies value for money and well designed gear.  I haven’t used any of their sleeping mats so I cannot comment on them, as such.

I do, however, work in an outdoor shop selling other mats.  ThermaRest, whilst being (very?) expensive offer a lifetime guarantee on their products.  Yes, I know, my thoughts as well.  However, recently we have had two customers asking about their mats that had stopped inflating / leaked.  We sent them back to the distributors and they were both replaced free of charge.

Ok, no big deal? Actually, yes!  One mat was 13 years old, the other 9.  Now they might be more expensive to buy than Alpkit’s version but will Alpkit replace them, free of charge, when and if they go wrong?  Your choice…...

I now own an original Airic, a Wideboy (Wedge) and an Airo 120.

The Airic is 3 years old and has survived various methods of abuse and remains comfortable, but it’s twin developed a bubble in the nape of the neck. When I spoke to Alpkit about the bubble, they did me a good deal on the Wideboy as a replacement.

The Wideboy is really comfortable. Always my choice when sleeping on somebody’s floor.

I use the Airo 120 for microadventures with a handful of my mates - travel, overnight wild camp, travel home, in 24 hours - and have slept on it a number of times through the winter. It isn’t the most comfortable mat, but enables me to get a reasonable night’s sleep, without worrying about how I’m going to fit it into my bag. It really is tiny when rolled up.

A couple of my friends have the Airo 180 and love it.

Ordered two Wideboys (Wedges) one day, arrived next day, impressed with the service received. Tried one out on the floor and it needed a bit of puff to inflate it fully but it felt quite comfy. Now waiting to try it in the field so to speak, if it feels like it did on the floor I think I’m in for a good nights sleep.