Problem / Big Agnes Q-Core SLX

[jgillam]

Has anyone heard of problems with these pads? If I recall correctly, they had problems in years past but, the newer products were to resolve those issues.

Anyway, I just got back from 7 days at a Boy Scout camp with my son. About day 4 I started noticing that my pad was losing air during the night. I took the pad to the lake and managed to find a hole which I later patched. The next night the same thing happened so I packed up the tent and deployed the hammock system for the last few nights. BTW, I really don't like sleeping in a hammock.

Anyway, today while cleaning and unpacking, I used the ole' soapy water trick on the pad and found a total of 16 pin holes, all in nearly the exact same spots of the dimples. None of these were punctures, they were only on the sleeping side and all appear to be a possible manufacturing issue.

The pad is less than a year old and I thought about exchanging it at REI but, think I'll send it to Big Agnes so they can look at it. I've got some time since I'll hiding inside until fall

My son said his had lost air as well, I checked it out and couldn't find any holes, in fact I'm laying on it now...testing it. I guess after 5 days it had lost some air which he hadn't considered. 11 year olds🤷🏼*♂️

Thoughts?

[MalloryMalarkey]

Woah! That does sound like a manufacturing issue, I hope they take it back and get your sorted out with some sort of new one or credit or refund or something!

I haven't used Big Agnes brand, but had a similar style sleeping pad years ago with the same issue, I just gave up and begrudgingly switched to a heavier Thermarest Prolite. That one has actually lasted me through hiking from GA to NY on the AT and many years of weekend warrior trips since then.

Good luck! Let us know what BA says if you contact them.

[REB]

Has anyone heard of problems with these pads? If I recall correctly, they had problems in years past but, the newer products were to resolve those issues.

Anyway, I just got back from 7 days at a Boy Scout camp with my son. About day 4 I started noticing that my pad was losing air during the night. I took the pad to the lake and managed to find a hole which I later patched. The next night the same thing happened so I packed up the tent and deployed the hammock system for the last few nights. BTW, I really don't like sleeping in a hammock.

Anyway, today while cleaning and unpacking, I used the ole' soapy water trick on the pad and found a total of 16 pin holes, all in nearly the exact same spots of the dimples. None of these were punctures, they were only on the sleeping side and all appear to be a possible manufacturing issue.

The pad is less than a year old and I thought about exchanging it at REI but, think I'll send it to Big Agnes so they can look at it. I've got some time since I'll hiding inside until fall

My son said his had lost air as well, I checked it out and couldn't find any holes, in fact I'm laying on it now...testing it. I guess after 5 days it had lost some air which he hadn't considered. 11 year olds🤷🏼*♂️

Thoughts?
That's interesting. I have close to the same mat from big Angus insulated core SL and I have noticed that I lose air. I placed it in the tub and was not successful finding any bubbles. Even though I have had mine for about three years now, I've only slept on it probably less than 20 times. Any ideas on what I should do. That was a really expensive mat.

That's interesting. I have close to the same mat from big Angus insulated core SL and I have noticed that I lose air. I placed it in the tub and was not successful finding any bubbles. Even though I have had mine for about three years now, I've only slept on it probably less than 20 times. Any ideas on what I should do. That was a really expensive mat.

[jgillam]

REB, the holes were small and they took me a while to find them. They are likely located in the dimples. I had the best luck in the garage with a little bit of soapy water and full air pressure. I doubt they will replace it after three years but, you could patch them pretty easily. Good luck.

[TNhiker]

i have always had problems with my big agnes pads.....

every one of them i have gotten has leaked.............and i wake up with a flat pad...

so i return them right to big agnes out in steamboat springs and they send me a new one...

just this past week i got a new one from them...

but, have to send it back as they sent me a non insulated one when the one i returned was an insulated one....

[David Miller]

Had the same problem with my BA Pad. Leaks were along the weld on the side of the pad. Little pinholes. Called Big Agnus they took my credit card number but never charged it. They mailed a new pad to me along the trail and I sent the old one back to them. So far so good on the new one. Sleeping on the cold hard ground or a shelter floor is no fun when your pad goes flat! They sure are comfortable when they hold air.

[carouselambra]

I had a slow leak in my Big Agnes and it was in the "dimples" as you mentioned and is, IMHO, a manufacturing flaw. They replaced mine, but I have a hard time trusting it on a long hike. I had trouble finding the leak until I found some good directions using the "Z" technique on the Big Agnes website:
https://support.bigagnes.com/hc/en-u...IY-Pad-Repairs
How To Locate A Leak The first thing you want to do is locate the leak. Inflate the pad and submerge it in a tub of water (a bathtub or swimming pool works well). Fold your fully inflated pad in half (so a 72” pad becomes 36”). Now fold the top half back on itself creating a “z” shape on one half. Submerge the unfolded half of the pad under water. Lean on the folded half with your elbow and check for any streams of bubbles. Press down hard on the pad to force air through any leaks. You will need to unfold and refold to check the head and foot of the pad as well as the top side and bottom side.

[jgillam]

I call BA customer service yesterday and actually spoke to a real person...yay!

They said that they hadn't had many problems with this pad and definitely wanted to see it since it sounded like a manufacturing issue.

They also said that it carried a lifetime warranty and told me how to go about getting a replacement.

[iAmKrzys]

Having similar issues in the past my advice is to return the pad to REI.

Full story: I got BA AirCore for myself about 2 years ago that was fine, so later I got the same model for my son. Oops! My son's mattress leaked just like yours. I reasoned that it is BA and not REI issue, so I decided to send it back. It turned out that this was not so cheap (at least when sending the mattress from NJ to CO.) I got a brand new replacement that I did not test right away, but when I did, much to my dismay it was leaking right away w/o any use. I contacted BA and they promised to send a replacement which was the updated AirCore model but it took me several e-mails & phone calls (including e-mailing pictures of the mattress with some info I had to write on it) in order to actually get a replacement. In the end I felt it was a lot of hassle, and I wish I had returned the first bad mattress to REI instead.

[Tipi Walter]

i have always had problems with my big agnes pads.....

every one of them i have gotten has leaked.............and i wake up with a flat pad...

so i return them right to big agnes out in steamboat springs and they send me a new one...

just this past week i got a new one from them...

but, have to send it back as they sent me a non insulated one when the one i returned was an insulated one....

Sounds like a crappy solution---to always have problems with BA pads---then they send you a new one---and you have to send it back. A crazy vicious cycle of futility.

I've been using Thermarest pads since 1980 and while not perfect they remain my pad of choice. The OP's example is clearly an engineering fault where the dimples are welded together . . . improperly. No pad should leak unless it's due to pilot error and a real pinhole.

Btw, one time I bushwacked thru tremendous briar fields and even though I had my inflatable pad inside two stuff sacks on the outside of my pack---I pinholed it on the edge with a 8 hour slow leak---tiny hole. I blew it up to bursting and took it down to a creek and found the faint air bubbles after about 20 minutes and luckily brought McNetts seamgrip and patched it up good as new.

[TNhiker]

Sounds like a crappy solution---to always have problems with BA pads---then they send you a new one---and you have to send it back. A crazy vicious cycle of futility.

oh---I agree.....

but it's a cycle that my cheap/broke arse will continue to do...

it should also send a signal to big Agnes that their product has issues....

and as a result of me and others sending the pads back---they have changed the valve on them....

[Falls Down Goes Boom]

Had a similar problem with my BA pad (sized for a mummy bag, red and grey) during this year's section hike. I got the pad in 2013 and have probably slept on it 25 times. First night on the trail this year I had to blow it up a couple of times during the night. I got off the trail, blew it up, and stuck it in a bathtub. The entire foot area seemed to be one big sieve, with small air bubbles oozing from everywhere. I am guessing that the moisture in my breath over the past 4 years had condensed in the pad and broke down the material. I have not yet sent it back.

[Dogwood]

Several on this thread making assumptions these are .manufacturing problems. They may be user caused problems. Every time an inflatable pad is used whether new or not before and after every trip it should be fully inflated and tested for holding air. Sleep on it for a night or at least take a nap on it at home pre use. This helps honestly assess and track down causes of failures while gaining valuable personal insite in what to expect from this type of gear. Personally, even after 1000 + Neoair uses I still learn a thing or two about usage in new environments or set ups.

[jgillam]

Just to follow up, BA determined that this was the result of a manufacturing problem and therefore a warranty issue and replaced the pad at no charge. They even allowed me to switch to a narrower size. The whole process took about 3 weeks but, their CS was super easy to work with.

[Rex Clifton]

After years of hit and miss with other brands, I only use Thermarest pads (I have three of them). Yeah, they are pricey but I have never had one leak.


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