Camp Mattresses

[Davey69 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Davey69]

Hi guys,

Not sure if this is the most appropriate category for this post but here goes: We are over inflatable mattresses deflating when camping and wondered what others' experiences are - what is the best mattress to go with? If recommend sticking with inflatable can anyone suggest a good sturdy brand? What are those collapsible camp stretchers like for comfort? Interested to hear what other people's experiences are. We use a 6 man tent so there would be room for a queen size set-up.

Cheers

Dave

[Schaffer Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Schaffer]

Re: Camp Mattresses

We have Exped self inflating (my arse) mattresses and find these pretty good but have had a whole punched through one of them which we patched in Birdsville last year after crossing the desert and it hasn't skipped a beat since. Have also got a couple of very old Thermarest mattresses which never have been punctured but are no where near as warm and comfortable as the Expeds.

IMO none of the self inflating really self inflate. They do to a degree but then it's a bit of manual effort to finish off.

I've had a look at the strechers and they don't look too bad but tend to be a little more bulky. We have 5 in the car so space is a premium and the self inflating seem to pack well into small spaces.

[shorty Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shorty]

Re: Camp Mattresses

Hi we have a coleman self inflator and just spent 3 weeks on the gibb river road, it has a small hole but even then i managed to sleep really well and the foam inner insulates well, had normal airbeds and just hate them. my 2c, Chris

[esie Member Find all posts View Profile Close esie]

Re: Camp Mattresses

We've also got the Queen size Coleman self-inflating mattress. We are very happy with it, for overnighters to 7 night camping trips. I have a bad back, and can't sleep on inflatable air mattresses, and while I am still a little uncomfortable, it's nothing compared to the morning after a night on an inflatable. We open the vents every couple of days to allow it to reinflate a little, but generally you really don't need to do this. The main problem is transport and storage, due to the size of the rolled-up mattress. We generally carry it on the roof racks, but last time we were on our way to Woody Head and went through some heavy rain, the velour side of the mattresss at one end did get wet and doesn't dry quickly. Solution next time is to throw a tarp over it

[Davey69 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Davey69]

Re: Camp Mattresses

Thanks very much for the feedback!

[babs Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close babs]

Re: Camp Mattresses

I use a lightweight sleeping bag and a gortex bivvi bag - fits into a day bag no problems - although sticks and stones do break my bones as I get older.

I also have a few "Army" stretchers and they work very well considering the price!!!!!!!!!!

[StormyKnight Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close StormyKnight]

Re: Camp Mattresses

Things to check with the collapsible camp beds...

Sometimes the middle support (if a 3 legger) is in the wrong spot for your back because its not quite long enough so you can't select the best position.
Does it require the whole tent area to construct if the weather is bad.....
Does it require super human strength or agility to construct & tension up?
I have 4 kids & I'm the only one with a bed since it just takes too long to assemble & disassemble that many beds (also the tent won't fit 5 beds either)
In colder climates you will need insulation under your sleeping bag as the air temp is often lower than the ground temp

When the wife comes away, we have a double airbed thingy with built in 240v/12V compressor & we have the new tent & throw the kids in the usual old tent! It is very comfortable & sits about 20cm tall when inflated & packs down quite small considering how big it is inflated....

Cheers

[shcprado Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close shcprado]

Re: Camp Mattresses

hey dave just to chuck another spanner in to the works for you, for the past couple of years me and the misses have been sleeping in a double swag... i think u can get them in queen size if you need the extra size.

[LiveFreeAndRoam Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LiveFreeAndRoam]

Re: Camp Mattresses

We use the Therm-A-Rest ProLite 4 , self-inflating matresses. They inflate to just a few-centimetres in thickness and are amazingly robust. Despite their thinness, they are also surprisingly comfortable. I expected I'd surely have a hip or shoulder or butt, in contact with the ground, but that's not so. They take up very little space when rolled up so are good for hiking too. I also use them on our Coleman Camp Stretchers, which I find are just too firm without the mattress.

We still have some deluxe inflatable double-sized, queen-sized and single mattresses.

After many years of using air-mattresses, and also suffering through air leaks whilst camping, I've discovered storage makes a big difference to their longevity. If we store them partially inflated, stored under the kids beds, they last for many, many, trouble-free years. If they're stored folded in the linen cupboard, their life is shortened considerably.

Cheers,
LFaR.

[Mark from Brisbane Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark from Brisbane]

Re: Camp Mattresses

I use a Self Inflater bought at BCF...don't even know the brand....it sits on two Diamantina Single Stretchers (with a clip to make them a double) and my wife and I (older farts) find it the most comfortable bed we have had in all our camping years.....BUT it does take up some room (we stick it across the back seat of the Prado)....luckily we are in the nomad catergory of camper so no billy lids to worry about, so room isn't so much of an issue for us. But certainly we gave up pumping up air beds quite some time ago...nothing quite compares to getting a hole in one in the middle of nowhere!

[Guest Close Guest]

Can anyone recommend a good inflatable mattress? As a family of 6, space is a premium, so it looks like inflatables are our most likely option. Self inflatables looks like they will take up too much room.

I currently have on loan an older style Coleman Qn size airbed which looks like this
http://www.colemanaustralia.com.au/p...2#.U1XZCvmSzA0

Seems to be fine until a 2nd person joins in. So perhaps singles all round to avoid disturbing each other.

[fridayman Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close fridayman]

Another vote for Exped mattresses - I have a dodgy shoulder and get a good nights rest on my Exped Downmat Pump 7 (has a built in manual pump).

[glen_ep Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close glen_ep]

Definitely another vote here for self inflating. I have two, a Coleman and some other brand. They're much more comfortable than 100% air ones and if they do get punctured, they're still perfectly adequate for sleeping.

amts, what about the thinner self inflating ones for hikers? I haven't used them, just an idea...

[photoprado Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close photoprado]

Hiking, I use Thermarest Neoair XTherm. Very comfy when things get cold. Really couldn't be bothered with them for 4WD camping, they are a bit of a faff to blow up and the likelihood of punctures in a bush tent scenario is way higher than a hike-in scenario.

Agree that the 4WD mattresses are bulky. Too much bulk if you are moving on every day. We're changing to swags - they take up less room than the tent and mattresses and they are way quicker to setup and pack up than the tent. Warmer too.

[Guest Close Guest]

I was thinking that the thinner mats might be too thin (???). Hence an air mattress might overcome this. Regarding punctures, perhaps a way around that would be to carry a spare single air mattress. Would say 7 air mattresses still take up less room than 6 self inflating ones?

There appear to be plenty of cheap air mattresses around which for our very limited use, might be OK?