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How to roll up a Self Inflating Mat (SIM)

Posted by Gav Grayston.
First Published Jul 2013; updated May 2023.

Part of what makes a self-inflating mat great is that they self-inflate, but this works against you when you need to roll up your mat and get it back into the bag. Here we show you how it is done.


Part of what makes a self-inflating mat great is that they self-inflates, but this works against you when you need to roll up your mat and get it back into the bag. Here we show you how to roll up a self-inflating mat.

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Self Inflating Mats are great. They are small and compact, inflate themselves (well, most of the way at least), and for a thin piece of material, insulate and protect you from the ground really well.

Unfortunately, most people don't know how to roll up a self-inflating mat correctly, and many people end up with the mats in carrier bags, with the mat desperately trying to burst out and re-inflate itself. What was a small and compact mat is now another large item to take to the campsite!

If this is you, fear not. Here's how to roll up your self-inflating mat.

Technique

  1. Undo the valve to let some air out.  Not much air will come out with any decent self-inflating mat, but make sure the valve is open so you can force the air out.
  2. For some Self Inflating Mats, or SIMs, the bag is about half the width of the mat, so we first put a fold down the centre line. Where you fold your mat will depend on the bag size it needs to fit in, but many are half-width like this one.
  3. Move to the end opposite the valve. f you had to fold your SIM to make it the width of the bag, getting someone to help keep the fold together as you roll the SIM up will make it easier.
  4. Start rolling the mat. You must roll it very tight and lean down with your body weight to help force the air out.
  5. Work your way along the mat, stopping now and then to force more air out and ensure the sleeping mat hasn't unfolded.
  6. Finally, when you have rolled up the mat, close the air valve so that the mat doesn't re-inflate.
  7. If you have any compression straps or elastic that go around the rolled mat, then put them on and slide the mat into the bag.

This technique has worked every time and hasn't damaged the SIMs.

It may take you a bit of practice.  If you don't get it to the right size the first time, unroll the mat, undo the air valve, and re-roll. A mat will take a few minutes to self-inflate, so you have time to re-roll it a bit tighter. This time it will be easier as most of the air is out, and the mat will cooperate a little better.

There you go. You now know how to roll up a self-inflating mat! :-)

Rolling Up Other SIMs

And here are a few more SIMs where I demonstrate how to get the air out of them and roll them up.

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