Sleeping mats for camping.

[Pinky]

My current self inflating sleeping mat is an full length Airtiac which has
come to the end of its life. I have looked at all sorts of options on net and
just cannot make up my mind about a replacement.
I would even consider a inflatable mattress if it was light enough -- and
robust enough to stand up to the rough and tumble of cycle camping.
I do confess that these days my aging bones do tend to look for reasonable
comfort at night. I always found that by about 3 or 4 in the morning on my
Airtiac I was rolling around to relieve pressure and discomfort! My longest
time on it was a 51 day trip in 2005 with only 2 days in a youth hostel (when
I couldn't get to sleep!)

Any ideas or advice would be welcome!

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

 

[_]

On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 22:15:28 GMT, Pinky wrote:

> My current self inflating sleeping mat is an full length Airtiac which has
> come to the end of its life. I have looked at all sorts of options on net and
> just cannot make up my mind about a replacement.
> I would even consider a inflatable mattress if it was light enough -- and
> robust enough to stand up to the rough and tumble of cycle camping.
> I do confess that these days my aging bones do tend to look for reasonable
> comfort at night. I always found that by about 3 or 4 in the morning on my
> Airtiac I was rolling around to relieve pressure and discomfort! My longest
> time on it was a 51 day trip in 2005 with only 2 days in a youth hostel (when
> I couldn't get to sleep!)
>
> Any ideas or advice would be welcome!

I found a hammock - a good one, not the kind with knots - pretty good, and
certainly light enough.

Was a bit o' trouble packing the pair of trees, though...

 

[=?windows-1252?Q?Se=F1or_Chris?=]

Pinky wrote:
> My current self inflating sleeping mat is an full length Airtiac which
> has come to the end of its life. I have looked at all sorts of options
> on net and just cannot make up my mind about a replacement.
> I would even consider a inflatable mattress if it was light enough --
> and robust enough to stand up to the rough and tumble of cycle camping.
> I do confess that these days my aging bones do tend to look for
> reasonable comfort at night. I always found that by about 3 or 4 in the
> morning on my Airtiac I was rolling around to relieve pressure and
> discomfort! My longest time on it was a 51 day trip in 2005 with only 2
> days in a youth hostel (when I couldn't get to sleep!)
>
> Any ideas or advice would be welcome!
>

I have a Thermarest ProLite 4 Regular:

<http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/Cat/110045?Ref=116842>

Very comfortable, light and with a lifetime guarantee. Even if you only
camp in the summer, the 4 season is worth considering as it is thicker
and therefore more comfortable.

 

[Andy Key]

In message <[email protected]>, Señor Chris
<[email protected]> writes
>Pinky wrote:
>> My current self inflating sleeping mat is an full length Airtiac
>>which has come to the end of its life. I have looked at all sorts of
>>options on net and just cannot make up my mind about a replacement.
>> I would even consider a inflatable mattress if it was light enough --
>>and robust enough to stand up to the rough and tumble of cycle
>>camping.
>> I do confess that these days my aging bones do tend to look for
>>reasonable comfort at night. I always found that by about 3 or 4 in
>>the morning on my Airtiac I was rolling around to relieve pressure
>>and discomfort! My longest time on it was a 51 day trip in 2005 with
>>only 2 days in a youth hostel (when I couldn't get to sleep!)
>> Any ideas or advice would be welcome!
>>
>
>I have a Thermarest ProLite 4 Regular:
>

After a rat ate my Thermarest, I replaced it (the mat, not the rat) with
a Field & Trek own-brand equivalent. Much cheaper and seems just as
good.

 

[Don Whybrow]

Pinky wrote:
> My current self inflating sleeping mat is an full length Airtiac which
> has come to the end of its life. I have looked at all sorts of options
> on net and just cannot make up my mind about a replacement.
> I would even consider a inflatable mattress if it was light enough --
> and robust enough to stand up to the rough and tumble of cycle camping.
> I do confess that these days my aging bones do tend to look for
> reasonable comfort at night. I always found that by about 3 or 4 in the
> morning on my Airtiac I was rolling around to relieve pressure and
> discomfort! My longest time on it was a 51 day trip in 2005 with only 2
> days in a youth hostel (when I couldn't get to sleep!)
>
> Any ideas or advice would be welcome!

We don't do much camping, but my girls are always either hosting or
going to sleepovers and the bed of choice is the ReadyBed
http://www.readybed.com/ I wouldn't expect you to want the Barbie or
Princess ones that my girls have, but one of the adult camping ones
might suit.

--
Don Whybrow

Sequi Bonum Non Time

Discordianism: Where reality is a figment of your imagination

 

[Clive George]

"Pinky" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> My current self inflating sleeping mat is an full length Airtiac which has
> come to the end of its life. I have looked at all sorts of options on net
> and just cannot make up my mind about a replacement.
> I would even consider a inflatable mattress if it was light enough -- and
> robust enough to stand up to the rough and tumble of cycle camping.
> I do confess that these days my aging bones do tend to look for reasonable
> comfort at night. I always found that by about 3 or 4 in the morning on my
> Airtiac I was rolling around to relieve pressure and discomfort! My
> longest time on it was a 51 day trip in 2005 with only 2 days in a youth
> hostel (when I couldn't get to sleep!)
>
> Any ideas or advice would be welcome!

Thermarest. They come in various thicknesses, lengths and weights. Before I
got one I thought they were expensive - but not now.

cheers,
clive

 

[Mark Thompson]

> I always found that by about 3 or 4
> in the morning on my Airtiac I was rolling around to relieve pressure
> and discomfort! My longest time on it was a 51 day trip in 2005 with
> only 2 days in a youth hostel (when I couldn't get to sleep!)
>
> Any ideas or advice would be welcome!

I'd suggest:

*Comfort over weight - you seem to need the padding (alternative solution,
eat more PIES).

*3/4 length to save weight - if your lower legs don't need the padding.

*Ignore the price - it looks like you'll get a lot of use from it and that
you value a good nights sleep.


The Thermarest ProLite 4 Short is 3.8cm thick and weighs 482g. £70 from
Cotswold Outdoor, but it shouldn't be too hard to find cheaper.

 

[=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Se=F1or_Chris?=]

Andy Key wrote:
> In message <[email protected]>, Señor Chris
> <[email protected]> writes
>>
>> I have a Thermarest ProLite 4 Regular:
>>
>
> After a rat ate my Thermarest, I replaced it (the mat, not the rat) with
> a Field & Trek own-brand equivalent. Much cheaper and seems just as good.
>
>

I went the other way, starting out with Decathlon's own-brand before
getting the Thermarest. It was 5 times more expensive but is also
lighter, thicker and takes up half the space when packed. If it ever
starts leaking like the El Cheapo one did after 2 years use, it should
also be replaced free of charge.

 

[vernon]

"Mark Thompson"
<pleasegivegenerously@warmmail*_turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
>> I always found that by about 3 or 4
>> in the morning on my Airtiac I was rolling around to relieve pressure
>> and discomfort! My longest time on it was a 51 day trip in 2005 with
>> only 2 days in a youth hostel (when I couldn't get to sleep!)
>>
>> Any ideas or advice would be welcome!
>
> I'd suggest:
>
> *Comfort over weight - you seem to need the padding (alternative solution,
> eat more PIES).
>
> *3/4 length to save weight - if your lower legs don't need the padding.
>
> *Ignore the price - it looks like you'll get a lot of use from it and that
> you value a good nights sleep.
>
>
> The Thermarest ProLite 4 Short is 3.8cm thick and weighs 482g. £70 from
> Cotswold Outdoor, but it shouldn't be too hard to find cheaper.

I have a full length Thermarest and have used it for 3000 miles worth of
cycle camping so far. I wouldn't be without it.

Vernon

 

[Helen Deborah Vecht]

I have no experience of Airtiac but love my Thermarest to bits. Once a
Thermarest, never a Karrimat...

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email protected]
Edgware.

 

[mark]

Pinky wrote:
> My current self inflating sleeping mat is an full length Airtiac which
> has come to the end of its life. I have looked at all sorts of options
> on net and just cannot make up my mind about a replacement.
> I would even consider a inflatable mattress if it was light enough --
> and robust enough to stand up to the rough and tumble of cycle camping.
> I do confess that these days my aging bones do tend to look for
> reasonable comfort at night. I always found that by about 3 or 4 in
> the morning on my Airtiac I was rolling around to relieve pressure and
> discomfort! My longest time on it was a 51 day trip in 2005 with only
> 2 days in a youth hostel (when I couldn't get to sleep!)
>
> Any ideas or advice would be welcome!
>
I slept very happily on a Therma-Rest ProLite 3 in Italy last May,
although it sounds like you would be happier on the ProLite 4. I usually
inflated the pad by mouth after it self-inflated, just to get a little
more firmness.

I don't know if they're available in the UK, but Cascade Designs
(makers of Therma-Rest) makes a sleeve that will turn any Therma-Rest
pad into a camp chair for lounging around in the evening:
http://www.rei.com/product/719820.

mark

 

[Roos Eisma]

mark <[email protected]> writes:

> I don't know if they're available in the UK, but Cascade Designs
>(makers of Therma-Rest) makes a sleeve that will turn any Therma-Rest
>pad into a camp chair for lounging around in the evening:
>http://www.rei.com/product/719820.

Yes, you can get them various places. Make sure you get one for the right
width mattrass - out local Tiso was selling ones that didn't fit the
standard width.

For example:
http://www.needlesports.com/acatalog/Mail_Order_Camping_Mats_54.html
(halfway down the page)

It isn't as cool as sitting in the perfect yogasit on your flat mattress
but it works better with my joints

Roos

 

[Dave Larrington]

In news:[email protected],
Pinky <[email protected]> tweaked the Babbage-Engine to tell
us:

> Any ideas or advice would be welcome!

Another vote for Thermarest over here. When I was a Penniless Student Oaf,
I was quite happy with a Karrimat - I'm not sure Thermarests had even been
invented back then - but some time in the mid-90s someone pitched up on one
of our trips with a Thermarest. I was:

o fascinated, and (shortly thereafter)
o converted

--
Dave Larrington
<http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk>
My other motto is in Latin.

 

[Peter Clinch]

Clive George wrote:

> Thermarest. They come in various thicknesses, lengths and weights.
> Before I got one I thought they were expensive - but not now.

They're much cheaper than they used to be in real terms. In the late
80s they were around £50. Now they're around... £50.

Couldn't afford one until I was on a research junket in the US in '91,
where I got a "second" at $40. Second or not, it's still going fine.
Had to patch it last year after a fire cinder landed on it, but the
repair kit is very little space and weight. Not a purchase I have
/ever/ regretted.

A friend over from the US "paid" me for a stack of favours with an
Ultralite (superseded by the Prolites, I think) a few years ago. Not as
comfy, but still very good and quite a bit lighter and less bulky to pack.

IME the "standard" ones are an excellent compromise between pack
size/weight and great comfort. Go lighter for less comfort but more
space and lighter load, or go for the de-luxe ones if you've got the
space and want/need more luxury.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[POHB]

On 29 Mar, 23:15, "Pinky" <[email protected]> wrote:
> My current self inflating sleeping mat is an full length Airtiac which has
> come to the end of its life. I have looked at all sorts of options on net and
> just cannot make up my mind about a replacement.
> I would even consider a inflatable mattress if it was light enough

We bought self inflating mats for the kids while we were sleeping on
an inflatable. After a couple of trips we ditched the inflatable and
bought a couple more self inflators for the grownups because they were
actually more comfy than the airbed.
We've got the slightly cheaper Outwell versions, which are fine but I
suspect the Thermarests are a bit lighter and stronger. As usual you
can pick 2 out of strong, cheap and light.

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Señor Chris
('[email protected]') wrote:

> Pinky wrote:
>> My current self inflating sleeping mat is an full length Airtiac which
>> has come to the end of its life. I have looked at all sorts of options
>> on net and just cannot make up my mind about a replacement.
>> I would even consider a inflatable mattress if it was light enough --
>> and robust enough to stand up to the rough and tumble of cycle camping.
>> I do confess that these days my aging bones do tend to look for
>> reasonable comfort at night. I always found that by about 3 or 4 in the
>> morning on my Airtiac I was rolling around to relieve pressure and
>> discomfort! My longest time on it was a 51 day trip in 2005 with only 2
>> days in a youth hostel (when I couldn't get to sleep!)
>>
>> Any ideas or advice would be welcome!
>>
>
> I have a Thermarest ProLite 4 Regular:
>
> <http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/Cat/110045?Ref=116842>
>
> Very comfortable, light and with a lifetime guarantee. Even if you only
> camp in the summer, the 4 season is worth considering as it is thicker
> and therefore more comfortable.

These things sound enormous - 51 x 183 x 3.8cm is 35 litres. How on earth
do you pack that on a bike? What size/volume do they pack down to? I
confess my bones are getting a little old for a karrimat...

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Semper in faecibus sumus, sole profundum variat.

 

[James Thomson]

"Simon Brooke" <[email protected]> a écrit:

> These things sound enormous - 51 x 183 x 3.8cm is 35 litres. How
> on earth do you pack that on a bike? What size/volume do they pack
> down to?

They're an open-cell foam core inside a valved airtight enclosure. To pack,
you generally fold the mat in half widthways, open the valve, then roll from
the end, driving the air out.

My 3/4 length Ultralight packs to a cylinder about 25cm long by 15cm in
diameter.

James Thomson

 

[Andy Leighton]

On Fri, 30 Mar 2007 09:00:31 +0100, Simon Brooke <[email protected]> wrote:
> in message <[email protected]>, Señor Chris
> ('[email protected]') wrote:
>
>> Pinky wrote:
>>> My current self inflating sleeping mat is an full length Airtiac which
>>> has come to the end of its life. I have looked at all sorts of options
>>> on net and just cannot make up my mind about a replacement.
>>> I would even consider a inflatable mattress if it was light enough --
>>> and robust enough to stand up to the rough and tumble of cycle camping.
>>> I do confess that these days my aging bones do tend to look for
>>> reasonable comfort at night. I always found that by about 3 or 4 in the
>>> morning on my Airtiac I was rolling around to relieve pressure and
>>> discomfort! My longest time on it was a 51 day trip in 2005 with only 2
>>> days in a youth hostel (when I couldn't get to sleep!)
>>>
>>> Any ideas or advice would be welcome!
>>>
>>
>> I have a Thermarest ProLite 4 Regular:
>>
>> <http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/Cat/110045?Ref=116842>
>>
>> Very comfortable, light and with a lifetime guarantee. Even if you only
>> camp in the summer, the 4 season is worth considering as it is thicker
>> and therefore more comfortable.
>
> These things sound enormous - 51 x 183 x 3.8cm is 35 litres. How on earth
> do you pack that on a bike? What size/volume do they pack down to? I
> confess my bones are getting a little old for a karrimat...

I have an Ultralite and the 3/4 length version at that (but then I'm a short-
****) but it packs down smaller than a sleeping bag. Probably about 30cm x
8cm x 8cm I would guess. The full length versions will be a little bit
bigger but not too much I guess. It will easily fit in a pannier with
room to spare.

--
Andy Leighton => [email protected]
"The Lord is my shepherd, but we still lost the sheep dog trials"
- Robert Rankin, _They Came And Ate Us_

 

[Tim Izod]

On 2007-03-30, POHB <[email protected]> wrote:
> On 29 Mar, 23:15, "Pinky" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> My current self inflating sleeping mat is an full length Airtiac which has
>> come to the end of its life. I have looked at all sorts of options on net and
>> just cannot make up my mind about a replacement.
>> I would even consider a inflatable mattress if it was light enough
>
> We bought self inflating mats for the kids while we were sleeping on
> an inflatable. After a couple of trips we ditched the inflatable and
> bought a couple more self inflators for the grownups because they were
> actually more comfy than the airbed.
> We've got the slightly cheaper Outwell versions, which are fine but I
> suspect the Thermarests are a bit lighter and stronger. As usual you
> can pick 2 out of strong, cheap and light.
>

For £12 with a discount card from Go Outdoors the Outwell ones
are pretty good. The Thermarest in the house does pack smaller, weigh
less and does seem to have a more robust construction. When the Outwell
packs up its replacement will probably be a Thermarest though
--
Tim.

[email protected]

 

[Peter Clinch]

Simon Brooke wrote:

> These things sound enormous - 51 x 183 x 3.8cm is 35 litres. How on earth
> do you pack that on a bike? What size/volume do they pack down to? I
> confess my bones are getting a little old for a karrimat...

My "Standard Long" T-Rest packs to about the same size as a (proper)
Karrimat. My Ultralite Long packs down considerably smaller, at the
expense of some comfort (but still much better than the K-mat).

The only pains involved are the up-front capital and the repeated
kicking yourself for not having bought one years ago...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/