Alpenblow Classic Micro Inflator

Works better than I expected.

great

A couple years ago, I was gifted both this Alpenblow air pump, and a competing FLEXTAILGEAR Tiny Air Pump, for the purpose of inflating mattresses when backpacking. The FLEXTAILGEAR pump as you may know, contains an internal battery. The Alpenblow does not, and instead runs directly off an external battery pack.

Both products have performed admirably so far on backpacking trips, and they both have strengths.

I have measured inflation times for two different mattresses with both devices. I have also measured the energy required to inflate each mattress, energy required to fully charge the FLEXTAILGEAR pump, and the power required for the Alpenblow pump. This was measured with a ChargerLAB Power-Z KM003C.

Here is the actual, measured data:

FLEXTAILGEAR Air Pump rated battery capacity: 4.81 Wh (calculated from product specifications)

FLEXTAILGEAR Air Pump actual charging requirement: 6.98 Wh (measured with USB tester; higher value is expected due to charging power conversion losses)

FLEXTAILGEAR Air Pump runtime: 18.42 minutes (timed with stopwatch). However, the last 2 minutes were slow/weak from the low battery, so we should really count only 16.42 minutes when doing calculations.

Alpenblow instantaneous power: 2.0 watts (measured with USB tester)

Inflation times for a NeoAir XLite, older model, timed with stopwatch: FLEXTAILGEAR 58 seconds, Alpenblow 160 seconds.

Inflation times for a NeoAir XTherm MAX, older model, timed with stopwatch: FLEXTAILGEAR 95 seconds, Alpenblow 225 seconds.

If you then work the math, you'll come to some interesting conclusions:

- The Alpenblow is 5 times more power efficient than the FLEXTAILGEAR Air Pump. This could be attributed to power conversion losses when charging and discharging the FLEXTAILGEAR pump's battery, which the Alpenblow does not have. It might also be attributed to a more powerful, but perhaps less power efficient, motor in the FLEXTAILGEAR.

- The FLEXTAILGEAR Air Pump is approximately 2.5 times faster than the Alpenblow at inflating a mattress. The difference when comparing both products is obvious: FLEXTAILGEAR is much louder and blows far more air than the Alpenblow.

Conclusions:

- If you value speed, then pick FLEXTAILGEAR. When it's the end of the day and you just want that mattress inflated as fast as possible, the FLEXTAILGEAR pump will get your bed set up in a hurry.

- If you value weight, then pick Alpenblow. Ultralight backpackers shedding every ounce will want to pick Alpenblow instead. Not only does the Alpenblow itself weigh considerably less than FLEXTAILGEAR, but it also requires far less power from your external USB battery banks - meaning that you can bring smaller/lighter external USB battery banks. An exception to this rule might be if you would not otherwise bring a separate USB battery bank on a short trip - in that case, the built-in battery in FLEXTAILGEAR becomes an asset rather than a boat anchor.

Great little product that "does" work, but at least in my case the claimed times are nowhere near what my reality was. Using a 6kmAh Nitecore battery as power, my large-size Xlite NXT MAX took about 12 minutes to inflate, and that was with me essentially calling it at that point, at which I then needed one full inflator bag's worth of air to get it completely full. Definitely don't mean that as a complaint, just a fact for your reference. Would I still pack this and use it? Absolutely. At 0.2 oz, and extremely minimal hit to my battery backup (even at 12 mins runtime), it's a great addition to my loadout, and cuts down my manual bag filling of the mattress to a single instance, which is appreciated. Unrelated to the product, the Alpenglow customer service was also fantastic.

Potentially great but maybe not for everyone. Super quite, excellent attachment to thermarest style pads and when I tested it at home at 5000’ of elevation it worked very well inflating the pad sufficiently in a couple minutes. However the time to inflation was quadrupled or more when I took it backpacking and used it at 9500’ and 1100’. I think that’s the issue though I am not sure the physics makes sense for this to happen or not.

i haven't recieved the product.

Awesome ultralight tool for doing what I most hate to do when backpacking --blow up my sleeping pad.

My first impressions of the Alpenblow are that it is an impressive little pump. I have only filled my Ether Light XR Pro Insulated ASC Sleeping Pad one time at home, but the pump worked as advertised. It took about 5 mins to fill this large 4" thick pad. The pad needed a couple more breaths to bring it up to the full mark. Which is a lot better than using the bag filler or your lungs.

Both the Alpenblow and Alpenflow work well and are exceptionally light. The Alpenblow fills my Thermarest NeoAir XLite in a timed 6 minutes to just how I like it. The Alpenflow is easy to use and transfers fuel easily between canisters.

Best lil teensie weensie gadget ever for a backpacker! We got our double tent pad filled in 8 minutes using 4% of my iPhones battery.

I'm happy and impressed by the design and engineering of the Alpenblow and Alpenglow. Both products combine practical functionality with ultralightness. Well done, Gadget! My only gripe is with the 4 included nozzles. Now, have 3 nozzles types I'll never use and one I need (TAR WingLock). That doesn't seem like a good use of resources to me. At time of purchase, I would prefer to have the choice of one included nozzle type, then the option to purchase additional nozzle types.

awesome product and customer care. triple a

Lightweight and works great with my neoair nxt.

It won't blowdry your hair, but it does a great job of low pressure inflation of modern dumpvalve air mattresses. Super lightweight. Use a battery source with a usb c plug.

This little thing is incredible! Saves the lungs a bit, and weighs less than 20% of what my pump sack does. Can't recommend enough.

Fills the Nemo Tensor Elite Short Mummy in 180 seconds. A Big Agnes Rapide SL Regular Wide 72x25 takes 300 seconds, and needs a few extra blows by mouth if you want to fill it tight, but I always deflate my Big Agnes a bit anyways, so at the 5 minute mark I consider it done. Was able to use a USB-C cable and inflate them using my iPhone. The device itself weighs 8 grams, each adapter weighs 1.5 grams, and the plastic protective bag weighs 1 gram, so a total of 10.5 grams. By comparison, the Nemo Inflator bag weighs 62 grams and the Big Agnes Inflator bag weighs 55 grams. The Nemo stuff sack alone weighs 11 grams, and the Big Agnes stuff sack weighs 14 grams. You could pack all four adapters and still be carrying less than a quarter of the weight vs using one of the inflator bags. Omit your stuff sack and inflator bag and just carry the Alpenblow. Great little innovation!

This is a great company. Innovative designs that work so well. Easy to deal with and very responsive. Highly Recommended!

Great experience, very helpful. Sent measurements for the valve on my pad, they made/ modified an adapter, works great. They are receptive and quick to respond. Thanks.

Fast delivery and great customer service. Thanks, David R

Bought, took on a trip one week later, worked perfectly! Now permanently stored with my Thermarest.

Love this alpenflow! It doesn't fill my Tensor all the way to max, but gets it about 80%, which just requires one "blow" from the inflator bag to fill the rest of the way. It's super light weight, and absolutely recommended above the usual suspects that require you to charge them. Haven't used the fuel transfer yet, but I assume it will be great as well.

Tested the Inflator during 170km on Kungsleden in Schweden for my old NeoAir from 2014. Worked perfectly! Really happy to have it and it is now in my new "must have" packing items.

nice Product and super Support

This thing is remarkably small and lightweight. I like that it runs off a phone or power bank, both of which I already carry with me. Due to the small size it easily stays put on the nozzle so you can do other stuff while it inflates. I wish it had a little more power, but that's the tradeoff for the size.

Although it took about a week to get the Alpenblow, it is an amazing little piece of gear to add to my backpacking gear. I think it will be great after a long day of hiking to not have to use the inflating bag to inflate my sleeping pad. Thank you for an awesome idea!!

The shipping was fast and easy! I can't wait to give this to my thru hiking friends for their wedding gift!

My order shipped out with a couple of hours and arrived on time. I'm a long distance backpacker covering hundreds to thousands of miles and every ounce counts! This thing is extremely lightweight, saves room, and hardly makes an impact on my battery capacity. I like that I can also use my iPhone to power it! All in all, best gear purchase I've made in 2025!! 10/10 would buy this product again

I used the Micro Inflator on a recent trip and it was AWESOME. It's an engineering miracle. Uses <1% of my phone battery to silently and efficiently fill my Thermarest X-Lite. Having this camp chore done for me at the end of a long day is a gift. Well worth the money.

Awesome! Seller was great and product works just fine. Replaced a 3 ounce pump sack with this 10 g gem!

I recently purchased a NEMO Tensor All-Season Ultralight pad in "regular/wide" size to my lineup which has mostly replaced my Uberlight. The NEMO came with an "inflation sack" that worked well, but at almost the size and weight of the Uberlight, was not ideal. What WAS ideal was the "cold air" inflation, which eliminated the midnight deflation issues that were annoying. I had always been opposed to adding the frivolous weight of a battery-powered pad inflator, but at this point (I rationalized) I would be SAVING both weight and space in my pack by getting one. And then the Alpenblow went on sale, and I'm glad it did. To begin with, the nozzle for inflating the pad is a TIGHT fit on the fan, so you will NOT be casually swapping these back and forth depending on your pad of choice, so be advised. That being accomplished however, it worked great. The Alpenblow is SILENT--you cannot even hear it outside the tent, and works quickly. I have never timed it, but I just plug it in, go around doing other camp chores, and come back to check on it occasionally. When it slightly changes the "tone" of the fan sound (which, again, you need to stick your head in the tent to hear) it is done. Top off the pad with two breaths and you are ready to sleep. I honestly thought I would think this was "fine", but I actually have really liked it, and would definitely recommend if you are at all considering this type of product.