Lidl camping mat

[Sweep]

This

https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/Non-Food-Offe ... leId=14154

Available from thursday.

3 year guarantee.

Would be interested in folks' views/impressions.

From the pic reminds me of a decathlon one.

[pjclinch]

It's an airbed, as far as I can tell. And there's nothing wrong with airbeds per se, as long as you know what you're getting. On the plus side, light, cheap and very comfortable, on the down side there's no insulation to speak of. The actual insulator in most things sold for the job is static air (the down, hollow fibre, cunning structure etc. is just a way of trapping air so it doesn't move around), and an airbed has enough open volume that the air can move around, pulling heat with it in convection currents.

So for keeping you comfy in summer it should be fine, but to help keep you warm in the cold... that's where you might want to spend more.

Pete.

[mercalia]

I am rather cynical about any cheap air bed or self inflatable. Whats important is the material they are made of to be able to take the folding/unfolding without the material creasing and weakening and punctures delvelop. The material has to be rather special to stand up to that for any length of use? its not as if it is fabric but some kind of plastic based material? that dont like being creased time after time?

for some thing that needs to be dependable I'll pass on this Lidl item. go and exercise your 3 year warranty when you are in the back of beyond

[Sweep]

It's an airbed, as far as I can tell. And there's nothing wrong with airbeds per se, as long as you know what you're getting. On the plus side, light, cheap and very comfortable, on the down side there's no insulation to speak of. The actual insulator in most things sold for the job is static air (the down, hollow fibre, cunning structure etc. is just a way of trapping air so it doesn't move around), and an airbed has enough open volume that the air can move around, pulling heat with it in convection currents.

So for keeping you comfy in summer it should be fine, but to help keep you warm in the cold... that's where you might want to spend more.

Pete.

Thanks for the reply. Kind of fits with my ideas. May take a punt on it and, bizarely perhaps, but am often not a light packer, try it in combination with/on top of my traditional thermarest.

Ps, good points you make mercalia.

[crazydave789]

from experience a lot of cheaper stuff is better suited to its purpose than most of the expensive stuff.

lidl/aldi stuff is cheap because of the way they sell it. production costs are probably the same as expensive items where the mark ups are designed to make them high profit items.

I've never had any issues with warranties on items from either and it is no worse than trying to claim on anything in the middle of nowhere.

price isn't always an indicator of reliability - I see more BMWs broken down on the hard shoulder than hondas.

air type beds seem to be making a comeback which is an oddity to say the least.

[Sweep]

I know what you mean about cheaper stuff dave. Touring i always take my aldi and cheap decathlon clobber - tougher and more likely to stand up to campsite washing. Perhaps, in view of mercalia's point,i will pop along and see if i can give a sample a bit of intensive massage/bending. Don't think i will be getting a hi-tech mat, read too many tales of failures, picked up a vango mat in tkmaxx for £15 a couple of months ago.

Edit, in view of your surprise about an apparent air bed revival, do you have any views on them in general?

[crazydave789]

I know what you mean about cheaper stuff dave. Touring i always take my aldi and cheap decathlon clobber - tougher and more likely to stand up to campsite washing. Perhaps, in view of mercalia's point,i will pop along and see if i can give a sample a bit of intensive massage/bending. Don't think i will be getting a hi-tech mat, read too many tales of failures, picked up a vango mat in tkmaxx for £15 a couple of months ago.

Edit, in view of your surprise about an apparent air bed revival, do you have any views on them in general?

not really but I used to float about on them as a kid in scarborough south bay pool. every now and again they would turn up in scouts and then the military before foam mats were gen issue. a lot of the US troops used to use them - not sure how many were vietnam surplus.

the rubbery ones were quite heavy but also tough the pvc ones easy to pop and hard to repair. I assume the modern ones are better though they will probably be suited for family eurocamp use rather than intensive touring in uzbekistan.

they are all over ebay as well and are usually aimed at the festival market where they have an awful habit of throwing it away afterwards.

if they patch up with seamgrip or shoegoo then they could be a comfortable alternative to a thermarest like most things though you don't know until you try it. looks Ideal for bronzing in the garden.

[mercalia]

The only cheap thing I would buy is a hammock ( £12 or so?) made from so called parachute silk that is quite strong. That is part of my standard away day gear now and is quite small. find a couple of trees and in a minute have some where to have a snooze. The only thing that does need replacing on these cheapo hammocks is the hanging gear, replace the rubbish round ropes and metal carabiners with one piece flat mesh from DDHamocks that sticks to the bark of the trees like velcro, wind around a few times and do a shoe lace knot is all needed £8 incl post

eg https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Double-Person-Parachute-Nylon-Hammock-Outdoor-Travel-Camping-Swing-Hanging-Bed/232740746809?hash=item36306df639%3Am%3Ampzryw878CKGQP94EzVSYFg&var=532256489525


https://www.ddhammocks.com/product/strong-webbing?from_cat=29

[crazydave789]

The only cheap thing I would buy is a hammock ( £12 or so?) made from so called parachute silk that is quite strong. That is part of my standard away day gear now and is quite small. find a couple of trees and in a minute have some where to have a snooze. The only thing that does need replacing on these cheapo hammocks is the hanging gear, replace the rubbish round ropes and metal carabiners with one piece flat mesh from DDHamocks that sticks to the bark of the trees like velcro, wind around a few times and do a shoe lace knot is all needed £8 incl post

eg https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Double-Person-Parachute-Nylon-Hammock-Outdoor-Travel-Camping-Swing-Hanging-Bed/232740746809?hash=item36306df639%3Am%3Ampzryw878CKGQP94EzVSYFg&var=532256489525


https://www.ddhammocks.com/product/strong-webbing?from_cat=29

hammock toggles - much better. QR knots are fine but people like undoing them for you.

simple peapod jungle hammock you can use as a ground cloth, towel or sarong when everything is in the wash

[Sweep]

You just have to treat us to a pic of you in your hammock sarong dave - have visions of something between dorothy lamour and david beckham.

[MrsHJ]

It's a lookie likie thermarest neo air isn't it? It's either going to be brilliant or awful.

That said I'm getting some good use out of my neoair and I'm not offering to swap it or to test this one and my hip says thank you.

[pjclinch]

It's a lookie likie thermarest neo air isn't it? It's either going to be brilliant or awful.

That said I'm getting some good use out of my neoair and I'm not offering to swap it or to test this one and my hip says thank you.

NeoAirs cost a small fortune because they're quite elaborate, with an internal structure of cells that stop the air moving around much sapping heat through convection currents. This is an airbed, considerably lower tech, hence the considerably lower price, but of course the external appearance says nothing about the internal structure.

If all you need is to be on something softer than the ground this is fine. If you want some significant insulation too, that's what your NeoAir is for. A NeoAir will double as an airbed in the warm, but an airbed won't double as a NeoAir n the cold. If you want to keep the expensive stuff for when it's really needed that might be a reason to add one of these to something posher in the gear cupboard.

Pete.

[mercalia]

It's a lookie likie thermarest neo air isn't it? It's either going to be brilliant or awful.

That said I'm getting some good use out of my neoair and I'm not offering to swap it or to test this one and my hip says thank you.

NeoAirs cost a small fortune because they're quite elaborate, with an internal structure of cells that stop the air moving around much sapping heat through convection currents. This is an airbed, considerably lower tech, hence the considerably lower price, but of course the external appearance says nothing about the internal structure.

If all you need is not to be on something softer than the ground this is fine. If you want some significant insulation too, that's what your NeoAir is for. A NeoAir will double as an airbed in the warm, but an airbed won't double as a NeoAir n the cold. If you want to keep the expensive stuff for when it's really needed that might be a reason to add one of these to something posher in the gear cupboard.

Pete.

well even in the summer nights and the ground can be cold?

[MrsHJ]

It's a lookie likie thermarest neo air isn't it? It's either going to be brilliant or awful.

That said I'm getting some good use out of my neoair and I'm not offering to swap it or to test this one and my hip says thank you.

NeoAirs cost a small fortune because they're quite elaborate, with an internal structure of cells that stop the air moving around much sapping heat through convection currents. This is an airbed, considerably lower tech, hence the considerably lower price, but of course the external appearance says nothing about the internal structure.

If all you need is not to be on something softer than the ground this is fine. If you want some significant insulation too, that's what your NeoAir is for. A NeoAir will double as an airbed in the warm, but an airbed won't double as a NeoAir n the cold. If you want to keep the expensive stuff for when it's really needed that might be a reason to add one of these to something posher in the gear cupboard.

Pete.

well even in the summer nights and the ground can be cold?

I don't get airbeds at all-too hard (or deflated) and too cold for me. I take thermarests car camping as they're far more comfortable.

[pjclinch]

well even in the summer nights and the ground can be cold?

Just being off the ground will help a bit, and while you may have a less than perfectly comfortable night you're unlikely to be dying of hypothermia. Think of all the thousands of people that go camping with low spec bags and mats every summer and don't have any great problems... Perhaps more to the point if you always go what the weather can do you'll need to carry a bunker class tent all the time.

I don't get airbeds at all-too hard (or deflated) and too cold for me. I take thermarests car camping as they're far more comfortable.

A NeoAir is an airbed, albeit one with a fancy latticework of internal baffles. But it's air you're resting on. As with any other airbed, it's just a case of getting the sweet spot for pressure for your idea of comfortable. But "too cold" is an entirely reasonable criticism of a plain air bed if you sleep cold.

Pete.