The Pad Pal weighs only 9 grams, costs a mere US$48 (July 2024) and will pump your pad up in a little over 30 seconds. This tiny device will revolutionise how you inflate your sleeping pad.
Eat your heart out Flextail – which otherwise I was going to buy some day, but at nearly 100 grams I figured I would just stick to inflating by mouth which I had worked out was just fine. (I did buy their big brother though for inflating my pack raft – and it works a treat, I must say).
With this tiny device though I think I will just carry the 9 grams. I already have a power bank and ultralight cables, so though it is fiddlier than just finding my own mouth, it will help prevent breathlessness and dizziness at the end of a long day’s hiking.
My wife, Della particularly hates blowing up her pad, so a birthday present is perhaps in order for her? She can probably blow up both pads while I gather firewood.
I just find it hard to believe that Tyler (that’s the inventor’s name) has managed to design, build and miniaturise this device to the extent that he has. Watch out for other amazing devices from this astonishing young man. Here is an interesting link to his development process.
And a Youtube he made about it
“Pad-Pal uses 30 mAh to inflate a Thermarest NeoAir Uberlite (size regular) sleeping pad on mode 4 (loudest and most inefficient), or 150 mWh. That’s about 250 inflations from a 10,000 mAh battery bank.
The V5.2 uses a brushless motor. In testing I’ve found them to last 1,800 inflation cycles — that’s approximately 4 years of daily use! This can be extended by periodically adding a drop of sewing machine oil to the motor bushing on the bottom of the inflator. ”
Buy one yourself from Tyler’s Web Page: Pad-Pal V5.2
SeeAlso:
Should I Inflate My Pad by Mouth?
Saw this a while ago. Very clever piece of kit.
Indeed.