How can I locate the leak in a inflatable pad

taco_truck_tom

I went camping last trip and my nice inflated pad... deflated. I always carry a patch kit but I discovered another issue: I couldn't find the leak. The leak was small. It took quite a while of me lying on it for the pad to deflate. I as not able to locate the leak in order to patch it. How do you locate a small leak in an inflatable sleeping pad?

Originally asked by Russell Steen on Stack Exchange (outdoors) (CC BY-SA 3.0).

uphilltech

Great question — answering as the UphillTech team:

Sometimes you don't have a place to submerge your pad to find leaks, or it's just too cumbersome to do so. Here is a method for leak-finding that can be done at home or in the field: (Note the location: in a crease that is repeatedly stressed, being by the valve. Also note the difference between bubbles from suds and the bubble from the leak.) Fill a squirt bottle, spray bottle, hydration bladder (something with a nozzle to control the flow) with water near to the top. Add several drops of liquid soap (dish detergent works best). Wet your fully inflated sleeping pad with the mixture. Look for bubbles forming to isolate the leak(s). Carefully mark the location of the leak with a needle/pin...

Full answer by montane: https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/3513 (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Need it done for your business? UphillTech.