Sleeping mats for camping.

[John B]

Peter Clinch wrote:

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

You're all spineless soft wusses ;-)

I'm coming up to nearly half-a-century of cycle-camping and have yet to ever
use a sleeping mat.

John B

 

[Peter Clinch]

John B wrote:

> You're all spineless soft wusses ;-)

On the contrary, it is my very possession of a spine that makes a mat
such a good proposition!

> I'm coming up to nearly half-a-century of cycle-camping and have yet to ever
> use a sleeping mat.

Not only does it make life more comfortable from a hard-ground point of
view, but a /cold/ ground POV too. Insulation, especially down
insulation, is much less effective when compressed: mats are typically
more thermally efficient under a sleeper's weight than compressed
sleeping bag, because lying on them doesn't knock out all the air that
does the insulating bit, so you can carry a lighter sleeping bag if
you've got a good mat.

Since you clearly don't like comfort, you'd better get rid of that
Trice! ;-)

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/

 

[elyob]

"John B" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> Peter Clinch wrote:
>
>> The only pains involved are the up-front capital and the repeated
>> kicking yourself for not having bought one years ago...
>
> You're all spineless soft wusses ;-)
>
> I'm coming up to nearly half-a-century of cycle-camping and have yet to
> ever
> use a sleeping mat.

It's far smaller than the the foam thing that I once carried around, it is
probably smaller and far more comfortable than the ex-army "square"
insulation pad had I carried. All in all a good investment, but only has had
two weeks usage.

I'd prefer to wake up without a stiff back and enjoy my next day cycling.
Saying that, last time, when I stayed in a Formule 1 hotel 3/4 through my
trip - a real bed was absolute luxury.

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, James Thomson
('[email protected]') wrote:

> "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.

Sounds amazing! [fx: adds to wish list]

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

;; Diplomacy, American: see Intelligence, Military

 

[dabac]

My current self inflating sleeping mat ..has
come to the end of its life. I ...just cannot make up my mind about a replacement.
..I do confess that these days my aging bones do tend to look for reasonable
comfort at night.

They're kind of pricey, but the Exped Downmat is getting rave reviews from just about every direction.

 

[archierob]

http://www.alpkit.com/airic/

It says you wouldn't want to carry the fat airic around but if it
meant a good nights sleep I am certainly thinking about it.

 

[Pinky]

Tks all.

I shall undoubtedly get the thermarest -- probably will go for the Prolite4.
Going to hunt around for price now being an old miser! I should have bought
it last time but I was recommended the Airtiac by a backpacker/Mountaineer!

I have also always carried a heavily cut down piece of "Karrymat" which has a
foil backing and gives me a bit more thermal protection ( It just sits
bungeed on top of the trailer load -- just see it here -- taking shelter from
a down pour www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Wooden_Bridge_at_Ketch1.JPG)

I am considering retiring my little tent this year. I got a slightly bigger
one for last years trip but dumped it ( Weight!) the day before I left in
favour of my little Vango again. The Vango Microlite 200 has always been dry
and warm but I could sometimes murder for a bit of porch space and extra
moving room in bad weather. So hopefully I shall take the new tent this year.
It is a cheapo one and if it doesn't survive I shall get a new one while in
France.

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

"
>

 

[Peter Clinch]

Pinky wrote:

> I shall undoubtedly get the thermarest -- probably will go for the
> Prolite4. Going to hunt around for price now being an old miser!

Possibly a Cunning Plan is go to a good outdoor store and try out
several models (no problem if it /is/ a good store!). All very well
getting a Prolite for more weight/bulk saving, but if it turns out you'd
sleep twice as well on a TrailLite maybe not the best choice after all.
And the only way to be really sure is by trying them out on a hardish
floor and seeing how your own particular bones react.

I usually use an Ultralite for cycle camping (what is now the Prolite),
but there's no doubt my old "Standard" gives me a better night's sleep.
As usual, it's a compromise between packing/pedalling comfort and
sleep comfort, so you choose, you lose! ;-/

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/

 

[Pinky]

....
>
> Pinky Wrote:
>> My current self inflating sleeping mat ..has
>> come to the end of its life. I ...just cannot make up my mind about a
>> replacement.
>> ..I do confess that these days my aging bones do tend to look for
>> reasonable
>> comfort at night.
>
> They're kind of pricey, but the 'Exped Downmat'
> (http://www.altrec.com/shop/detail/22214/) is getting rave reviews from
> just about every direction.
>
>
> --
> dabac
>
I must say that I like to look of this Exped down mat -- light, small and 9
cms thick when inflated

But at $233 on that website for international delivery ! WOW!

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

"dabac" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]

 

[Nick Kew]

On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 22:15:28 GMT
"Pinky" <[email protected]> wrote:

> Any ideas or advice would be welcome!

Variant on that question.

For those of us who are happy to sleep on grass or gravel
rock or snow provided it's flat, but find it painful when
said surface is lumpy.

Do any of the available mats help?

--
not me guv

"I'm able-bodied. Why should I want a car?"

 

[Peter Clinch]

Pinky wrote:

> I must say that I like to look of this Exped down mat -- light, small
> and 9 cms thick when inflated

Though do note that you get to provide all that 9cm inflation, where
T-rests mainly do themselves.

Does anyone know if it's reasonably easy to get a portable bike pump to
do it for you?

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/

 

[al Mossah]

>
> Any ideas or advice would be welcome!
>

Some friends have their own design, used to great effect on events
such as the OMM, SLMM, LAMM and Polaris.
http://www.balloonbed.com/

Peter.

 

[Peter Clinch]

al Mossah wrote:
>
> Some friends have their own design, used to great effect on events
> such as the OMM, SLMM, LAMM and Polaris.
> http://www.balloonbed.com/

I'm impressed! I wouldn't want it for general cycle-camping, but if
we're bonkers enough to try another MM it certainly looks better than my
old Komedy Karrimat (the old "official" rather small and very thin KIMM
one).

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/

 

[Pinky]

"Peter Clinch" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Pinky wrote:
>
>> I must say that I like to look of this Exped down mat -- light, small and 9
>> cms thick when inflated
>
> Though do note that you get to provide all that 9cm inflation, where T-rests
> mainly do themselves.
>
> Does anyone know if it's reasonably easy to get a portable bike pump to do
> it for you?
>
> 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/

It appears to come with its own pump/pack sack but the reviews clearly
indicate that inflating it is a drawback

If it were to become available in UK at a lower price it might be good!

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

 

[Tony Raven]

Roos Eisma wrote on 30/03/2007 08:19 +0100:
>
> It isn't as cool as sitting in the perfect yogasit on your flat mattress
> but it works better with my joints
>

Shsssh about your joints - we have a resident policeman in the group ;-)

--
Tony

"The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there
is no good evidence either way."
- Bertrand Russell

 

[Peter Amey]

archierob wrote:
> http://www.alpkit.com/airic/
>
> It says you wouldn't want to carry the fat airic around but if it
> meant a good nights sleep I am certainly thinking about it.
>
>

I was quite impressed by these at last June's York show. Rather sorry I
didn't buy one in fact.

(In practice I suspect my lightweight camping days are pretty much over,
it's either a nice hotel or the old Bedford these days)

Peter

--
www.amey.org.uk

 

[Helen Deborah Vecht]

Nick Kew <[email protected]>typed


> On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 22:15:28 GMT
> "Pinky" <[email protected]> wrote:

> > Any ideas or advice would be welcome!

> Variant on that question.

> For those of us who are happy to sleep on grass or gravel
> rock or snow provided it's flat, but find it painful when
> said surface is lumpy.

> Do any of the available mats help?

I've put a bunch of keys under my Thermarest on the kitchen floor and
couldn't feel the keys...

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

 

[John B]

Peter Clinch wrote:

> John B wrote:
>
> > You're all spineless soft wusses ;-)
>
> On the contrary, it is my very possession of a spine that makes a mat
> such a good proposition!
>
> > I'm coming up to nearly half-a-century of cycle-camping and have yet to ever
> > use a sleeping mat.
>
> Not only does it make life more comfortable from a hard-ground point of
> view, but a /cold/ ground POV too.

> Since you clearly don't like comfort, you'd better get rid of that
> Trice! ;-)

Hey, but that's my bed ;-)

John B

 

[dabac]

For those of us who are happy to sleep on grass or gravel
rock or snow provided it's flat, but find it painful when
said surface is lumpy.

Do any of the available mats help?

Depends on the size of the lumpiness, but not to any definite degree. The thicker the mattress the better it smoothes things out. But maybe more importantly a good mattress allows you to user cruder methods to fill the dips between the lumps. A couple of strategically placed pieces of clothing to bridge the deepest troughs can do wonders.

 

[dkahn400]

On Mar 30, 12:07 pm, "al Mossah" <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Any ideas or advice would be welcome!
>
> Some friends have their own design, used to great effect on events
> such as the OMM, SLMM, LAMM and Polaris.http://www.balloonbed.com/

What a brilliant idea. Probably not so good for touring but it looks
to have a certain abount of potential for long Audax rides. Certainly
beats sleeping on the verge with nothing but your cycling clothes.

--
Dave...