Repair & Maintenance
A punctured sleeping mat
A hole in an inflatable sleeping mat means no warmth and no comfort. Here is how to find the leak and fix it with urethane glue or a patch from the repair kit.
An inflatable sleeping mat that loses air overnight gives neither warmth nor comfort. Fortunately the repair is simple — you just need to find the hole and glue on a patch.
How to find the hole
- Inflate the mat firmly and lay it on a quiet floor
- Listen and feel your way along — move your head along the mat. The skin on your ear and face is sensitive and notices jets of air you do not necessarily hear.
- If you cannot find it: spray it with a washing-up liquid solution from a spray bottle. Bubbles mark the hole.
- Mark the hole with a marker pen or a piece of tape while you prepare the repair.
Materials
- Repair kit that came with the mat — has a patch and adhesive
- OR urethane-based adhesive (Seam Grip, Aquasure) + a piece of waterproof fabric (offcuts of tent fabric, a patch from an old mat)
The urethane adhesive is useful for many other repairs — worth keeping a tube in the repair drawer.
How to fix it
- Empty the mat of air
- Clean around the hole — toilet paper + soap or hand sanitiser removes grease and dirt
- Dry thoroughly before applying adhesive
- Cut a patch slightly larger than the hole, ideally with rounded corners (stronger than sharp ones)
- Apply adhesive both to the mat and to the patch
- Press firmly and weigh it down with heavy books for several hours
- Let it cure for 24 hours before testing
For very small holes (smaller than 2 mm): simply brush urethane glue directly over the hole — this is often enough without a patch.
Test before the next trip
- Inflate the mat firmly
- Leave it for one night
- Check whether it still has the same pressure in the morning
If it has lost air: either you have missed a hole, or the first repair did not hold. Repeat the process.
Prevention
- Do not pack the mat tightly while inflated with sharp objects in the rucksack
- Check the tent floor for loose stones or twigs before you inflate
- Use a footprint under the tent — it protects both the tent floor and the sleeping mat
- Pack it away by folding with the valve open, not by squeezing out the air — this wears less on the inner coating
When a patch does not work
If the hole is in a seam (along an edge or valve), repair is more difficult — contact the manufacturer for service or spare parts. Many (Therm-a-Rest, Exped, Sea to Summit) have good customer service for such cases.
Back to Repair → · Sleeping mat → · Gluing holes and tears in outdoor gear →
Text: Lars Peters and Snuitide (2022), revised 2026.