A reviewer stated... "Therm-a-Rest Trail Scout takes a few hours to inflate the first times you use it." I slammed on the brakes. Is this true ?
48948
Probably accurate, I generally throw it in my hammock right after setting up camp, hours before I intend to use it.
48949
That's not been my experience ..... I let mine self inflate for about 20 min or so then gave it a few lung fulls of air to finish the process (probably not something you'd want to do in freezing weather). While it is true that the longer you wait the more air will naturally migrate into the mattress, but you do reach a point where you get increasingly diminishing returns. Normally 10 to 20 min is plenty followed by some forced air input either by lung power or small pump to finish the inflation to your tastes of firmness.
48950
"Takes a few hours to inflate" is an exaggeration. It maybe takes an hour to inflate if left to itself, but if you want to speed up the process just blow yourself, a few blows and it's inflated in minutes. I wouldn't let it stop you from buying these Therm a rests. They are good quality at a great price.
48951
Not true in my experience. You should inflate it when you first get it and leave it that way until you need to pack it for your trip. This is true with most sleeping pads.
1219822
Yes, taking it to the gas station works best! We used it at my family reunion this summer, and despite my husband's protests, we stopped and inflated it with an air compressor. It took just seconds, however it didn't leave much room in the backseat for the rest of my family after it was inflated:)
2259047
I used a portable car tire inflator. Yes, it was a bear, but only took about 10 minutes. Fortunately it seemed to hold the air well over the summer. Good luck.
1758268
You will see on the instructions the "why" -- it doesn't fully inflate the first time -- you are just inflating it to a firm touch -- and you will wonder "why so small"? On the second time -- next day it will inflate much more -- and then needs one final step. There is a hand pump that comes with these exercise balls that you can use on the final time if you prefer.
1566315
I carefully used an air compressor....although it said this wasn't recommend (assuming because if you are not careful, it could pop). It does say to inflate to about 80% capacity to allow air to flow within the mattress while weight is on it. Pretty comfortable.
1726387
If you have already "pulled the plug" on the air valve, use a compressor with a long attachment to insert into the air valve. It will inflate within seconds.
1641672
No, It doesn't inflate. I put it on before the airbed is fully inflated and it fits very well. It won't hurt the mattress.
1447886
That's why I bought mine. Got 2 of them just incase I was stuck on the side of the road and got hungry. Ended up eating one when it stormed and I was stuck in a park and ate another one about a year after when two of my tires popped and I had to wait almost 2 hours for a tow truck because I was in the middle of no where on Christmas. Since I usually park in the heat and my car becomes a boiler so they were warm while eating but it wasn't bad. Actually ended up buying more for the occasional snack or trip camping.
324733
I have the original Zrest and have used it for about 20 yrs. I backpacked and drop camp with the Boy Scouts for about 15 of those with 3 trips to Philmont Scout Ranch and some form of either backpacking or drop camping virtually every month. I still use it when staying at our son & daughter-in-law's. I am looking to replace it as it is not quite as resilient as it use to be, neither am I.
12161
Inflation takes a minute, it's super fast. I'd say deflating takes longer though & you'll need to squeeze the air out of it to put it away. I fold it in thirds, then have my kids lay on it & roll from the step to the back-about 5 minutes.
898789
I open the plastic and it started to "inflate". After letting it sit for two days, I flufed from the outside to the center and that was it.
2004861
We have used our for a week at a time several times when the grandkids visit. It maintained its air pressure quite well during that week. I see no reason it could not be used longer periods. If the air pressure dropped, you could always re inflate it as needed. We found ours to be quite comfortable and bought a second one for our winter home to use when two sets of friends visit at the same time.
277800
I don't go camping, but it may be difficult to transport (i.e. if you're backpacking) as it's heavy. I believe it takes about 10-15 minutes to deflate, and it does pack up neatly.
1903279
The trigger does control the release of co2 from the cartridge, and you can 'save' some co2 if you don't need to use it all. However, depending on the size of a cartridge you're using, unless you're filling up a skinny road tire (700x20), you'll use up most / all of a cartridge to inflate an empty tube / tire.If you want to use it to just 'top up' a slightly flat tube a few times throughout a ride, yes, it will do that. It's not a one-shot deal. While it seems to provide a good seal, I wouldn't count on leaving a pierced cartridge in there overnight and having it be full in the morning. The trigger does control the release of co2 from the cartridge, and you can 'save' some co2 if you don't need to use it all. However, depending on the size of a cartridge you're using, unless you're filling up a skinny road tire (700x20), you'll use up most / all of a cartridge to inflate an empty tube / tire.If you want to use it to just 'top up' a slightly flat tube a few times throughout a ride, yes, it will do that. It's not a one-shot deal. While it seems to provide a good seal, I wouldn't count on leaving a pierced cartridge in there overnight and having it be full in the... » Read More The trigger does control the release of co2 from the cartridge, and you can 'save' some co2 if you don't need to use it all. However, depending on the size of a cartridge you're using, unless you're filling up a skinny road tire (700x20), you'll use up most / all of a cartridge to inflate an empty tube / tire.If you want to use it to just 'top up' a slightly flat tube a few times throughout a ride, yes, it will do that. It's not a one-shot deal. While it seems to provide a good seal, I wouldn't count on leaving a pierced cartridge in there overnight and having it be full in the morning. « Show Less
2076112
Because I was in a hurry to use it, I just did it by mouth and quickly capped it so I didn't have this problem. Maybe it is more difficult if you inflate it with a needle?! I'm over 70 so it was a little difficult for me to get on initially but once I found out how it works for me I no longer have that problem.
544462
Memory foam needs to be opened and left to air for some time...I forget if its 12 or 24 hours...before you sleep on it. Really important!
730282
The initial inflation is not that loud - less than a hair dryer I would say. It only takes a few minutes to inflate/deflate completely