repairing sleep mat

[happyhunter]

This is not a build your own gear but rather a repair it rather than discard it topic. Pretty close to build it yourself. Plus I figure this group would know how to do this.

I have an older (about 13 year old) Slumberjack sleep mat. It has a cloth outer covering. The edges are "sealed" together. The "sealed" edge is splitting apart. It came with a patch and the following instructions:
"Nylon or polyester material has been provided to repair tears or puncture in your mat.... Apply cement and the repair material enough to cover the an area at least one inch in dameter from the tear or puncture."

There is no cement in the kit, maybe I lost it over the years. What would be a good cement to try to fix the split seam? There is ample material to glue together. I don't think I would even need the patch, just a cement to close the seam like the factory had.

Thanks,
Happy Hunter

[Wise Old Owl]

Well I am going to be un popular with this post, you got it to last 13 years, you did very well, todays materials are lighter and better quality, ask for a new one for Christmas or Chanukah! Makes a great gift!

[happyhunter]

Well, you're either unpopular or I'm cheap. Or maybe both. But I am definitly cheap. My wife corrected me. We only owned these mats about 8 or 9 years. I use these for car camping so I don't need a lighter one. Quality is certainly better (hey, this one is leaking).

Seriously though I do want to fix not replace them. Funds do not exist. Besides, the kids could use them. Now that they are getting bigger, they are finding some padding is nice.

[Rocket Jones]

I'm not sure I understand how it's put together. If the cloth covering is coming apart, then sew it up? If it needs to hold air afterwards, maybe try some seam sealer.

If it's nylon, I'd think any patch kit you picked up would have a tube of cement to use. A kit would be much cheaper than a new pad.

[Jonnycat]

What type of material is underneath the cloth? I know thermarests use a type of hot glue in their patch kits; perhaps if yours is a more "rubbery" material you would use something like bike tire cement.

If I were you, I might consider contacting SJ to see what their specific recommendations are, and in all likelihood, they might just send you some if you explain your situation to them.

[George]

my go to that sticks to almost any thing is polyurthane caulk , fill the crack, clamp lightly (so as to not squeeze out all the caulk) let it set for 2 weeks, use the rest of the tube for outdoor caulking, expect to pay 5-8 $

[brooklynkayak]

I have repaired Thermarests with "Shoe Goo" without one failure. I also use it to repair shoes and many other things. There are other products that are similar.

Keep it in the freezer after opening the tube or it will harden within a month or so. In the freezer it will last for many years. Warm it up a little before your next use.

[berninbush]

I bought a few Ozark Trails blow-up camping mats at Wally world for $7 each. They work just fine and they're comfy for car camping.