best camping matress??

Invasion

Invasion

Invasion

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Camped out in the garden the other night in new Kyham 2 amn tent to see if it was waterproof etc. Glad to say it didnt let in any water ;) but it was so uncomfortable as the ground was so hard all we had to put on the floor was an old sleeping bag :( got that bad we cam in at 3am :D

So what is the best option in packable matresses ? I have seen some self inflating ones are they any good ? or is it best just to get the roll up foam ones you see backpackers with ??
 
i'd just get one of those roll up foam excersize mat things.

anything else defeats the point camping isnt suposed to be about luxury get a hotel if you dont want to enjoy the great outdoors
 
We've always just used an airbed. Probably wouldn't bother if it was just for 1 or 2 nights but when we did 2 weeks in France an airbed was pretty much essential.
 
I used a 30mm self inflating mattress for a week in france (on the bikes) its perfectly usable, so long as you dont sleep on your side
 
We use a double campingaz air bed with pillow, very comfy, has pillows, hand storage under the pillows. You just dont want to be blowing it up by mouth every night!

£20 for happy sleeping is well worth it for me.
 
The Thermarest self-inflating mattresses are pretty good but you pay a premium for them, an ordinary foam camping mat shouldn't cost you more than £5-10 and will do the job perfectly well.
 
I use a bedroll which you can get from mountain warehouse or your nearest tiso/trekking shop.

£8, and nice and lightweight.
 
Gelert X-Treme Lite Self Inflating Mattress is supposed to be very good. About £20

I got one of these last year for a festival because I needed to get one fast from town. http://www.blacks.co.uk/product/095198.html

Cost more than my tent but is comfy enough, its not exactly like a full mattress but its very good for the size. Rolls up into a small carrier, is very light and inflates itself. Quick and easy to roll up too. I used it at V fest last year and about 4 times now when ive gone to mates houses
 
Depends how light you want to travel mate.
When we are travelling light on the bike we use self inflating roll mats which keep you more comfy and warmer than sleeping on the floor (and a gazillion times better than those godawful foam mats). Pack up nice and small too.
In the car with the big tent, we take a double inflatable air mattress for ultimate comfort. Heavy and large pack size are the downsides to these fellas though. Also, we went through 3 of these last year as they aren't too robust so it can get quite expensive.
Decide what you need it for first, that will colour your decision.
 
Guest2 said:
Gelert X-Treme Lite Self Inflating Mattress is supposed to be very good. About £20
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Done a lot of camping, Pennineway, coast to coast etc. The above if you want to be lightweight but still quite comfy.

If size and weight isn't a problem then get the single/double inflatable type with a pump from Asda etc, very comfy and deffo a good nights sleep.
 
I'd recommend the Thermalite Ultra myself if a self inflating lightweight mat is the way to go (I swear by mine) . It's smaller packed and about half the weight of the Gelert if you need to travel light. Also you have a choice of packing it long & thin or short & stubby as it comes with 2 pack sacks.
And if you don't need to travel light, get a big bouncy air mattress.
 
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Sleeping on the ground is horrible and the last time I did it, I couldn't move my left arm for a good few mins as I more or less cut off the blood circulation to it. If you want to be a man, awesome for you, i'd rather not wake up feeling like I've slept in next doors garden.
 
foam rollmats are for warmth, they're not too good at comfort, 2 or 3 together would be allright though.

Thermarests (as I wouldn't consider any other self-inflating due to leaks) are okay for comfort if you get a thicker one, otherwise it's just a smaller / lighter roll mat.

If you go for airbed go for a rubberized cotton - very comfy and less prone to leaks.

If your not car camping rubberized cotton will be too heavy, the thin (2-3") reed backpacking air beds are okay, for the weight, I'd suggest a foam roll mat as well though as airbeds don't do much for warmth, suck up the cold from the floor.

If your going the whole hog and wild camping don't worry, the long tussoky grass will be the sofest bed you've ever had in a tent.
 
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