Kingfisher wrote on Oct 22^nd, 2010 at 5:31am:

Wait a minute, how can you put too much pressure on an inflated mat when you are letting the air out of it. It's only your body weight that you are using to help force the air out, the same body weight that is fully on the mat while you sleep with no relief valve open.

The one thing that became apparent right away to me was how much less able the Big Agnes pad is able to allow air to escape via the valve versus my therm-a-rest. Roll a therm up and you hear a big "whoosh" every time another revolution in the roll process is achieved. Not so, IMO, with B.A.

My breakdown process is similar to ST and I suspect most other campers except that I make coffee first ;). I release the valve, give it 5 minutes or so, and then lay on it and try and get as much air out initially as practical before I start the rolling process. I believe, and it is only my opinion, that the potential for creating the micro leaks occurs when the pad is 3/4 of the way rolled. The circumference of what is already rolled is able to exert considerable pressure on the trapped air which is not able to escape as quickly as the pressure being applied IF it is done too quickly.  Something has to give. That trapped air in the latter 1/4 of a mat being rolled quickly is under more pressure than when it is used in its usual purpose.

At least that is my observation. Again I could be wrong and the whole problem could be rooted in the "welding" process.

In any event it makes sense to me to allow the trapped air to escape before forcing another revolution. I only worry about it the last 1/4 of the process and it may only add another minute or two.