Firstly, the guide I'm giving you isn't to tell you what brand of mat you should buy, or how much you should buy it for, but rather to give you an idea of why there's such a big difference in the price of mats, as well as the construction of the mats, the materials, and so on, so that when you go to buy it at an outdoor shop, you'll have a good idea of what you're looking for in your mind.
First of all, why the self-inflatable cushion price difference is so big, from the cheapest tens of dollars to thousands of dollars have, are not self-inflatable cushion Well, why the difference is so big ah? First of all, there are brand factors, such as self-inflatable cushion pioneer THERMAREST is not moving hundreds of thousands of dollars, the quality must be nothing to say, but the brand factor also accounts for a large part. In addition, like foreign imports of products involved in tariffs, the price will certainly be higher.
Here's a look at why the same domestic mats can also vary from tens to hundreds of dollars.
Taking the self-inflating mat apart, its price difference involves foam, fabrics, air nozzles, gluing materials, gluing technology, waterproof treatment, accessories and after-sales service:
Foam, is the core of a self-inflating mat, whether a mat inflates quickly and is comfortable to sleep on depends on it. Usually, in the mat factory, the foam is differentiated by its weight, that is to say, how much each cubic metre of foam weighs. Generally self-inflating mats use 16, 18, 21, 23, which are several grams, the lighter the weight, the less inflatable and comfortable it will be. But on the other hand, if the gram weight is too big, it will have an effect on its own weight. In addition, even if the same grams of foam will have different effects, for example, I know of domestic have more than 100 yuan of cushions and Elway more than 200 yuan of cushions are also Japanese machine foam, but a kind of hand-control, the other is a pure machine micro-control, the stability of the foam produced to be much worse. Finally, the foam will also involve an opening rate, we just know that 80% or so of the opening rate is a very high value on the line, there is no 100% opening rate, oh, this thing is a little too professional, the vast majority of outdoor shopkeepers will not understand these.
Nowadays, the outdoor self-inflatable cushion is basically made of polyester and nylon. The gluing technology is PVC and TPU two kinds, PVC is divided into shabu glue and hit the point of two ways. the disadvantage of PVC air cushion is the weight of large, large volume, feel hard, not environmentally friendly, self-inflating performance is poor, short service life, the advantage of low price. And the disadvantage of TPU is the high price, but all other aspects are better than PVC cushion. In addition, there is a PU fabric using fixed points to make the process, the fabric and foam are not bonded together, the use of worse, but the price is cheaper.
For air nozzles, most cheap air mattresses use PVC plastic nozzles, which have the obvious disadvantage of being susceptible to changes in ambient temperature. A good nozzle should be made of copper, which is minimised by temperature, and although it weighs more, it is worth the gain or loss. In order not to get too cold when refilling the air cushion in winter, it's a good idea to have a plastic ferrule on the copper nozzle. Another technical aspect is the interchangeability of the nozzles. It is not worth it to have to replace an entire air mattress just because the nozzle breaks down, and a good self-inflating mattress with replaceable nozzles avoids this problem.
Waterproof treatment, the surface is treated with splash function is so that the air cushion will not get wet quickly and keep a good dry environment.
Accessories, usually including a repair glue and repair fabric, in addition, such as Elway and so on a few brands can replace the air nozzle can also be matched to the air nozzle.
After-sales service this point I think I do not need to say it, a good brand after-sales service must be done very well. Like the United States THERMAREST claimed to be lifelong use, it is expensive, but after-sales service is a cost, this point of the country is now always still not aware of, in fact, good after-sales service although the unit price is higher, but the total cost-effective than the cheap goods and no after-sales service to be a lot better.
At present, the domestic self-inflatable cushion is a penny for a penny. Usually dozens to about 100 yuan of mats to PU, PVC air cushion-based, the quality of luck, meet the better with a 2, 3 years, meet the bad with a 1, 2 times on the shock. 150 yuan above the cushion quality began to be more guaranteed, but it depends on the use of technology and materials, usually service life can be guaranteed in the 1-3 years. 300 to 600 yuan above the cushion I think the most cost-effective, the service life can usually be more than 3-5 years, some can be used for 10 years. I think the best price/performance ratio, the service life is usually more than 3-5 years, some can be used up to 10 years. THERMAREST products have the highest service life, but the price is a bit too high for the working class to afford. Often see some new friends just bought a cheap mat is very happy, but after two months will start to complain, I think instead of buying such a mat, it is better to spend more money to buy a stable quality, longer life of the air cushion cost-effective. Finally, the self-inflatable mat maintenance, after each use back to the surface of the air mattress with a damp cloth to wipe clean, and the air mattress valve open in the inflatable state. Remember not to store the self-inflating mat compressed and tightened for a long time, because the foam will gradually lose its inflation effect if it is left in this state for a long time. Don't blame me for not reminding you when you go back in a few months to use a cushion that you compressed tightly and couldn't fill up with air.
