I have a fondness for my Exped Schnozzel, a large 42L dry-bag style stuff sack (2.1 oz) that can serve double duty as a pack liner and an inflation bag for an inflatable sleeping pad. (I’ve actually been using it since 2015!) While the Schnozzel is compatible with Exped sleeping pads, it also works with my favorite sleeping pad, the 4″ thick Sea-to-Summit Etherlight XT Insulated pad which I’ve been using since before Covid. I’m pretty sure it also works with NEMO inflatable sleeping pads as well because they all have flat valves. I seem to remember trying this with the NEMO Tensor…maybe a reader can confirm.
I recently came across a Schnozzel/WingLock adapter on Etsy ($12.19 w/ free shipping) that also makes that Schnozzel compatible with any inflatable Therm-a-Rest sleeping pad that has a Winglock valve, which is the stick valve replacement Therm-a-Rest introduced a few years ago in 2021. This includes all of the new NXT Therm-a-Rest sleeping pad models like the XLite NXT and the XTherm NXT, as well as pre-NXT versions of the pads which also have the Winglock valve.
This adapter, made by a Swedish Etsy seller named Verkstan is dead simple to use. It’s just a plastic cuff that fits tightly over the end of the Schnozzel and fits over a Winglock Valve. Once on the Schnozzel, it also stays put, so you can’t lose it although it’s also easy to remove.
Verkstan also makes a Schnozzel adapter for Therm-a-rest’s old stick valves (select the old valve instead of the Winglock when ordering) if you still have one of those inflatable mats, although I haven’t tried it. I’ve completely switched over to the Thermarest NXT mats with Winglock valves because they have higher R-values than the older pads.
This isn’t a terribly profound backpacking gear product, but it’s a nice solution if you prefer using a high-volume pump bag like the Exped Schnozzel that can also be used as a pack liner for ultralight backpacking.
There are quite a few other ultralight backpacking products made by “real” cottage manufacturers on Etsy (see our listing) and it’s fun to see the innovations coming from smaller companies and individuals that larger gear companies don’t offer. Some are really quite clever!
Disclosure: The author owns this product.
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