Following are the specific areas we look at with each sleeping pad, and how the REI Flash fared. It’s made of materials that sound a bit similar to crumpling paper. Source: bought it new BOTTOM LINE: REI Co-op’s Flash 3-Season Pad competes with industry leading pad designs at a more affordable price. Is REI able to … In fact, I went and bought another as a spare for a "padless backpacking buddy. REI customer support comments confirm that pads manufactured before August 2019 may have leak issues. (i.e. Hopefully my back ending up on the cold hard ground will be of use to someone else. Material on GearLab is copyrighted. Recommendation. It’s comfortable at 2" (5 cm), insulated (3.7 R-Value), and easy to inflate—all at 15 oz. The Flash (foreground) has thicker, more comfortable baffles than the Outdoorsman Lab Ultralight (background). The pad failed and deflated. The synthetic fibers cut down convection heat loss and the reflective coating slows conductive heat loss. Ending Oct 25 at 3:47PM PDT 2d 21h. Sleeping Capacity1-person. Light and packable for airports, the back of the truck, your buddy's backyard, the base of Half Dome, ski touring, bike touring or summer backpacking trips — the Flash All-Season is the pad to get if you're only going to have one pad and don't want to shell out the big bucks for an ultralight pad. The pads appear to be pretty similar in size, shape, and weight. +1,347 I repaired it and took it on one overnighter CLOSE by my house. ... REI Co-op Flash 45. These new insulated air mattress typically have synthetic fibers like Primaloft Silver bonded to the underside of the top skin and usually the inside of the bottom skin is coated with reflective material. Inflated the pad is 72" x 20"  (183 x 51 cm). This is from my experience and opinions of this product. I noticed that the welds that failed were both slightly misaligned (less than a millimeter) whereas the other welds are perfectly aligned. It was only 28 F. that one night I camped in the mountains, so not a real test, plus I was in a -20 down bag! You'll need to shell out ten more dollars for the heat boost, but it's worth it, especially if you're after one pad for all your adventures. This pad inflates in just 15-17 easy breaths through a one-way valve and you can even add a little air while you're laying on top of the pad. This finally did the trick. The Flash All-Season has a claimed R-Value of 5.2. This led me to believe that the leaks were not a result of misuse, rather they were a manufacturing flaw. Sleeping Pad TypeAir Pad. I went online and read many reviews  about the pad and found that there were dozens of reviewers that experienced the same phenomenon at the welds. I brought it in the shower, rubbed some shampoo on it and found the leak after dousing it with water. I lent it to one of my students while there. The drawbacks are that it’s loud, the welds may fail, and it has a tendency to slide around at night. ->Several reported weld failures by owners; newest version said to have fixed this (fingers crossed). This may be overstating things a bit. The valves have snap on lids with a small rubber/silicone washer to keep them airtight. The REI Co-op Flash Insulated Air Sleeping Pad is an excellent lightweight backpacking sleeping pad. I keep patching and more leaks keep springing up at different welds. The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite and the Big Agnes Insulated AXL Air are 12oz and 12.9oz respectively and are a better choice for those willing to sacrifice comfort for weight savings. REI. The Flash All-Season is $70 cheaper than the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xtherm. At first glance, I was convinced that the pad would slowly deflate because of this. They encourage anyone who has had issues with this pad to contact customer service. Our Editors independently research, test, and rate the best products. REI Flash sleeping pad (long) is one of the lightest and compact pads I've owned. Trailspace's community of gear reviewers has field-tested and rated the top air-filled sleeping pads. The Mylar reflective layer is silent, just not as efficient of an insulator, and it gives the Flash an extra point above the NeoAir Xtherm in the comfort metric. or review a different product, Go Time! It's red and quilted as you see in the photos of Jesse Maloney's mattress. Watch. Our long sized Flash All-Season weighs 21.6 oz according to our scales, so it's not quite the sleek, sub pound pad like its little brother, the 15oz REI Co-op Flash Insulated. I was told by an REI customer service rep that REI would replace it if the problem was WELDS. The only insulation I had beneath me was a 1/2" closed cell pad. I believe they would have kept coming. All one needs to do to remedy this is to use some seam sealer to add a few small dots to the bottom of the pad. If you enjoy the feel of Sea to Summit’s Air Sprung Cells, then you’ll probably like the feel of Flash Pad too (though it’s not quite as comfortable in our opinion). The drawbacks are that it’s loud, the welds may fail, and it has a tendency to slide around at night. NEMO Cosmo 3D Insulated. Good warmth to weight ratio is key in all the equipment we bring into the backcountry. Cradled on hexagonal baffles, our tester's hips don't touch the ground, even though this pad is light and packable. The lightest backcountry pad we've ever made, the REI Flash Insulated Air Sleeping Pad helps you sleep well outdoors and takes up very little space in your pack. It seems my "horizontal perspective" is a little skewed; I always seem to find a tent site on just a little slant. Used REI Flash sleeping pad in decent condition. It held the air perfectly. Curbside Pickup Available NOW! REI released a similar version of this pad called the Flash Thermal. The R-Value is advertised at 3.7. Review of the REI Flash Sleeping PadTwitter: https://twitter.com/Bobaganoush87Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bobaganoush87/ REI TREKKER 1.0 Self-Inflating Sleeping Pad 1” thick Light Weight Kids Regular . Welcome to Trailspace. Type: Air Pad. REI Flash Insulated Air Sleeping Pad The REI Flash Insulated Air Sleeping Pad has an R-value of 3.7 and weighs just 15 oz. The Flash is made of ripstop polyester with 8 tubes that … And the Flash All-Season still a doesn't top the Therm-a-Rest Neoair Xtherm, which is a lighter and warmer pad. How can we improve GearLab? Compare the two pads below; the new Flash Thermal is shown in green, followed by the orange mode… The REI Flash 55 is a ventilated backpack with a suspended mesh panel to help keep you cooler and your shirt drier in warm weather. What was interesting is that after my first repair (patching the first three holes), the pad held up for several campouts and then out of the blue, it just had a complete failure in multiple spots. Let us know! The adhesion is superb and it will reduce or eliminate any slipping. Sleeping Bag. The valves have snap on lids with a small rubber/silicone washer to keep them airtight. Additionally, the hexagonal baffle design eliminates edge collapse, allowing you to take advantage of the full spread of the pad making the Flash all season even more comfortable than our Editor's Choice award winner, the Therm-a-Rest Neoair Xtherm. After 18 months of use over four seasons, I've had NO problems and tons of great sleep. I have tried patching it a couple of times but I think it is trash. The adhesion was great. REI TREKKER 1.75 SLEEPING PAD CAMPiNG MATTRESS R-4.2 66x20" Self-Inflating NEW. Source: bought it used   Just to be safe, I will again, seal all welds with Gear Aid. Another thing that likely reduces the true R-value of the Flash is that the welds on the body of pad create areas of no insulation between the inflation pockets. The tag said that it leaked. Okay, so I am finally making the jump to an inflatable pad from my 3/4 RidgeRest, also I am going to try and replace the Thermarest Compressible pillow with the REI Flash Pillow. Noise is another aspect where the Flash comes out on top. If I get even ONE weld leak it's going right back to REI. I've started ordering bulk quantities of seam seal online now!Notice every depression in the pad is coated with seam seal (1 full 1oz tube @$7 was used). Sleeping Pad. I would recommend buying a one ounce tube of seam seal to have in your pack if you choose to take the Flash on any sort of trip. Up for sale is a mummy style REI FLASH insulated inflatable sleeping pad, 3-season, R-value 3.2. The deflation valve relies solely on the small washer to block any leakage. If there is foam inside, simply open the valve and let the pad sit for a while. Between the two pads, I've used them with mixed success for nearly the past year. REI Flash Insulated Air Sleeping Pad Sz 20.5 X 78. This may be overstating things a bit. REI Co-op Flash Sit pad lets you stay light without sacrificing plush comfort. Good condition, great for backpacking, does reflect some previous trail use. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. July 31, 2014. Thanks for looking! Besides the Primaloft, there is also a thin mylar reflector built into the pad. Will be of use to someone else warm enough in temps down into low... While deflation takes just seconds through a separate deflation valve > Fast to inflate it, it slides is... Competes with industry leading pad designs at a different seam weld ) North Carolina and this pad comfort... One overnighter CLOSE by my house lids with a closed cell foam pad i lent it to one my... Self-Inflating sleeping pad is quite loud my third outing with the slightly side. Scare me with that leak story but i 'll post here with results from 202 winter camping small, and... Less than seven leaks on the welds may fail, and how REI. 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