Air Pumps Revisited
Until recently, I wasn't a fan of those small, noisy air pumps for inflating backpacking air mattresses. I thought, “What’s the point?” They are loud; they eat up precious battery space; they add weight and take up room in my pack. After all, it’s just air. And since we breathe all the time, why do we need a machine to do what we do all day: exhale?
Then I stopped complaining and bought one so I could form a first-hand opinion.
Well, the short of it is that I’ve changed my mind. It’s no surprise to those who know me well. I often change my plans and opinions as I gain experience and gather empirical data, forming an opinion based on more than what I feel. This is one of those times.
I bought the Outzac Pico air pump.
- It weighs 1oz, so it’s very light. Any concern about the weight is petty.
- It’s quiet at 65db. Does it make noise? Sure, but it’s not nearly as loud and annoying as I thought it might be.
- It’s powerful, with 5 kPa pressure and 350 L/min airflow. This means my wide sleeping pad fully inflates in less than a minute. With such a short demand on my battery, the concern about it consuming my battery bank is moot. And if my battery is so low that I want to conserve it, I can always blow up my mattress the old-fashioned way until I can recharge my battery bank.
- It’s small at 1.7 × 1.4 in, so it hardly takes up any space.
- It connects directly to my battery bank, so it doesn’t have its own battery and doesn’t need charging. I like not having to charge another thing at my resupply stops.
- It comes with an assortment of adaptors that will surely meet the needs of any backpacker.
Like many electronics, it’s not waterproof. So I store it with my battery bank in a small, water-resistant bag.
The price? It’s reasonable for this kind of thing. When I wrote this article, it cost around $40. That’s about 35% cheaper than some other lighter, smaller, but less powerful models.
I’ve used it for all the tent backpacking I’ve done this year. I have no complaints, and I’ve actually enjoyed the luxury. And make no mistake, this is a luxury item.