I’ve a passion for my Exped Schnozzel, a big 42L dry-bag fashion stuff sack (2.1 oz) that may serve double obligation as a pack liner and an inflation bag for an inflatable sleeping pad. (I’ve really been utilizing it since 2015!) Whereas the Schnozzel is appropriate with Exped sleeping pads, it additionally works with my favourite sleeping pad, the 4″ thick Sea-to-Summit Etherlight XT Insulated pad which I’ve been utilizing since earlier than Covid. I’m fairly positive it additionally works with NEMO inflatable sleeping pads as effectively as a result of all of them have flat valves. I appear to recollect making an attempt this with the NEMO Tensor…possibly a reader can affirm.
I lately got here throughout a Schnozzel/WingLock adapter on Etsy ($12.19 w/ free delivery) that additionally makes that Schnozzel appropriate with any inflatable Therm-a-Relaxation sleeping pad that has a Winglock valve, which is the stick valve substitute Therm-a-Relaxation launched just a few years in the past in 2021. This contains all the new NXT Therm-a-Relaxation sleeping pad fashions just like the XLite NXT and the XTherm NXT, in addition to pre-NXT variations of the pads which even have the Winglock valve.
This adapter, made by a Swedish Etsy vendor named Verkstan is useless easy to make use of. It’s only a plastic cuff that matches tightly over the top of the Schnozzel and suits over a Winglock Valve. As soon as on the Schnozzel, it additionally stays put, so you possibly can’t lose it though it’s additionally straightforward to take away.
Verkstan additionally makes a Schnozzel adapter for Therm-a-rest’s outdated stick valves (choose the outdated valve as an alternative of the Winglock when ordering) when you nonetheless have a kind of inflatable mats, though I haven’t tried it. I’ve utterly converted to the Thermarest NXT mats with Winglock valves as a result of they’ve larger R-values than the older pads.
This isn’t a really profound backpacking gear product, but it surely’s a pleasant resolution when you desire utilizing a high-volume pump bag just like the Exped Schnozzel that will also be used as a pack liner for ultralight backpacking.
There are fairly just a few different ultralight backpacking merchandise made by “actual” cottage producers on Etsy (see our itemizing) and it’s enjoyable to see the improvements coming from smaller corporations and people that bigger gear corporations don’t supply. Some are actually fairly intelligent!
Disclosure: The writer owns this product.
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