Inflatable sleeping mats

[-Ali-]

what should i be looking at getting? It's for one person and want it to be as cheap as possible

[Mr. Ron]

I use a Thermarest. Packs small, light and really tough. Theyçre expensive at over 100 dollars, but you get what you pay for. Highly recomended.

[Lone Rider]

I'm a wuss and much prefer an inflateable over the the camping pads. The only downside I've experienced is that they aren't good in cold weather.
My suggestion is to buy a cheapie at Wally World (or similar) with a patch kit and learn whether it suits you.
Also, there are now insulated fancy inflating camping pads available.

[Walkabout]

Hi,
I think there are 3 main types but there could be more. I 've used all of those 3 over the years:

1. "foam" mats which are light, cheap but relatively hard when on the ground and they don't fold/roll up very small at all. IMO you will not get a full night's sleep with one of these.

2. Airbeds that blow up - these are avail for single size and they provide better comfort, fold up smaller and are usually more expensive; also light for packing on the bike.

3. "Therm a rest" type of sleeping mat which is a bit like the two above combined but a bit cleverer - when opened out these self inflate but you can add more air by blowing it up as well. Most expensive usually.


However, none of these are expensive when you bear in mind that you will spend, say, 7-8 hours stretched out on the ground each and every day. I would say don't skimp on your comfort in this area or you will be tired!

Take a look on ebay or any good camping shop.

[MotoEdde]

Therma Rest...its where you'll be spending your resting hours. A good nights sleep makes the next day's ride a lot more enjoyable...you won't regret it...
Get a toasty sleeping bag as well...
If you're heading to the US, buy there..its a heckuva lot cheaper...
Try places like Campmor.com or backcountry.com You'll get last years model at half the price.
HTH

[Flyingdoctor]

I have 2 of the self inflating mats. 1 is a 3/4 length therma-rest which I use with the seat kit. This means you can comfortably sit up in your tent which is wonderful. It folds up to nothing. It's comfortable to sleep on too but it's only 52 cm wide. My main sleeping mat is 63 cm wide and 190 cm long, that makes a lot of difference if you like to spread out when you sleep. It's made by Metzler but there are lots on the market. Aldi / Lidl also sell them for £10 when they have their camping gear in which should be anytime now.

[fontanaman]

I have an Airmat 7.5 and find it more comfortable than a Thermarest. As a bonus it is more compact as well. I am concerned it may not last as long, e.g. it may leak, but so far it works very well.

[jasper110]

Originally Posted by fontanaman

I have an Airmat 7.5 and find it more comfortable than a Thermarest. As a bonus it is more compact as well. I am concerned it may not last as long, e.g. it may leak, but so far it works very well.

i too have the exped airmat. i've slept on everything over the past 20 years and this is the most comfortable. no kidding, you could roll this up and put it into your pocket. however it offers no thermal insulation, so i place a karrimat on top of it. warm and comfortable.

i found that even on a thermarest i was turning quite a lot in the night as my hips got sore due to lying on my side. not anymore!

you do have to inflate thses by mouth, i find about 15 deep breaths does the job. it deflates in seconds (no foam inside to try and compress) i roll my air mat, karriamt and sleeping bag up all together like an aussie swag and place them in an exped side compresion dry bag. all up it measures about 50cm (karrimat width) by about 20 cms (down filled sleeping bay, a synthetic bag would produce a fatter roll).

[greencat]

I'm with JoeSheffer and the AlpKit self-inflating mattress.
I hated camping for years because it was so uncomfortable but now with my AlpKit Fat Airic, a Campus Adventure 300 XL sleeping bag and a little memory foam pillow I'm bloomin' sorted!

The AlpKit equipment is reasonably priced. i went for the Fat Airic because of its width and length but in practice I could have got away with shorter...you don't really need it under your legs. However, if you can make room then go full sized. Just make sure it will fit in your tent.

[Caminando]

Originally Posted by -Ali-

what should i be looking at getting? It's for one person and want it to be as cheap as possible

Some interesting stuff mentioned above.

After trying several self-inflating doo-daas, which all leaked air, I now use a backpackers air mattress with 6 quills (or air chambers). You are in Kent UK so you can get them at Argos; costs about £8 I think. They roll up small, theyre not heavy, but you can get dizzy blowing them up....(or is that a different type of blow up item???)


I like this type of mattress because they inflate fat enough to let you sleep well on stony ground.....

[Caminando]

[QUOTE=-Ali-;133176]what should i be looking at

Theyre all wrong, Ali.

Get an inflatable backpackers mattress...the one I have has 6 or & quills or tubes which you blow up by mouth - no extra machines needed. Its compact, light and cheap. It's great for sleeping on stony ground, for you float above the stones. In the UK this costs about £7 or 10 euros for the cheapest. (Argos) Dont over inflate, thats all.

These other things that people recommend are heavy, big, expensive and they soon leak air. I had 2 of them and they were no good at all. They are maybe OK for kids to use camping in the garden.

No doubt someone will say how his lasted for years.....I still say dont get one!

[men8ifr]

Caimando -

Have you used this mat a lot? any problems?

I like the idea it looks fairly thick and will pack up very small and has 6 chambers so if 1 goes flat..

The self inflating mats seem to have a much thicker construction so I guess are less likely to leak?

I have used a number of double size inflating airbeds from argos (the bix box type ones) but they last about 3-5 uses then puncture which leaves you sleeping on the floor (or rethar not sleeping...)

Does the construction of the backpacker feel like it will last and/or take a bit of abuse?

Does anyone know of a similar thing but a bit heavier duty since the combination of thickness light weight and small size are very good but it would be a miserable night(s) if it punctured though I guess it has at least 6 air chambers.

[Frank Warner]

Around Australia we have throns that puncture air matreses ... so I have one of those cheap foam matreses .. then a thermarest self inflating matress .. The foam matress takes the thorns (make certain you only use it one way up, and after a while pick out the thorns) and the thremarest provide the comfort.

[Caminando]

Originally Posted by men8ifr

Caimando -

Have you used this mat a lot? any problems?

I like the idea it looks fairly thick and will pack up very small and has 6 chambers so if 1 goes flat..

The self inflating mats seem to have a much thicker construction so I guess are less likely to leak?

I have used a number of double size inflating airbeds from argos (the bix box type ones) but they last about 3-5 uses then puncture which leaves you sleeping on the floor (or rethar not sleeping...)

Does the construction of the backpacker feel like it will last and/or take a bit of abuse?
.................................................. .................................................. ..


Yes I use it all the time after I got rid of the expensive self inflating type, two of which leaked right away.. The backpacker one I got from Argos is great. I think Millets sells them too. But I'm not certain. Dont inflate them too hard. Thats a common mistake. As they are only £8 why dont you try it? Ive used this for 2 years, camping all the time on long trips up to Tallin, Estonia, down to Portugal , and many many trips to France.

.........................................

[oldbmw]

Originally Posted by -Ali-

what should i be looking at getting? It's for one person and want it to be as cheap as possible

why not a folding camp bed as seenher :=

outdoor uk Furniture,camping uk Chairs,stools uk,camping tables, folding tables,

the 10.95 one with four legs is teh most comfy. no need to worry about punctures.
when camping i take a bag and a double bed sized thin fleece. that way i can in hot weather lie onit all, or have one or two layers of fleexce or the bag plus one or twolayers of fleece. ( warmest is to lieon one layer of fleece with the oyther half overthe bag and my head. most of teh heat you lose is through your head and by warming the air you breathe, having a mini tent over your head reduces heat loss considerably... also gives you a second line of defence if any insects get in your tent.