Inflatable Sleeping Mats

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iandusud
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Joined: 26 Mar 2018, 1:35pm

Inflatable Sleeping Mats

Post by iandusud »

My wife and I are planning on cycle camping this year for the first time in 30 years. In between we've done lots of cycling and lots of camping. We still have our Saunders Spacepacker Plus and our down bags. The only thing we really need to replace is the original Thermarests which although better than a Karrimat weren't great when I was 30 years younger. I'm a side sleeper and I get a good night's sleep on modern flock covered air beds, if not overinflated, but obviously I don't want to lug two of those around on our tandem! So I'm looking for recommendations which won't break the bank. One that has caught my eye is the Big Agnes Insulated Air Core which is available in both long and wide versions (I'm 6'1")
https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk ... mat-p14355
Over to you...
tatanab
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Re: Inflatable Sleeping Mats

Post by tatanab »

I too am a side sleeper and appreciate the thickness of Sea to Summit air sprung cell mats. Not self inflating, you use the bag it comes in to inflate it. There are insulated version too. I think mine is the Ultralight Insulated, from memory, 2 inches thick when inflated and about the size of a large bidon when rolled up . https://seatosummit.com/product-category/sleep-systems/sleeping-mats/air-sprung-cell-mats/ There are several UK outlets. Far from cheap though.
iandusud
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Re: Inflatable Sleeping Mats

Post by iandusud »

tatanab wrote:I too am a side sleeper and appreciate the thickness of Sea to Summit air sprung cell mats. Not self inflating, you use the bag it comes in to inflate it. There are insulated version too. I think mine is the Ultralight Insulated, from memory, 2 inches thick when inflated and about the size of a large bidon when rolled up . https://seatosummit.com/product-category/sleep-systems/sleeping-mats/air-sprung-cell-mats/ There are several UK outlets. Far from cheap though.

Thanks for chipping in. I've looked at Sea to Summit mats and they do have a good reputation. Something that puts me off a bit is the fact that most of them are mummy shaped. As there will be two of us in our small tent I would prefer rectangular mats that fit close up to avoid annoying gaps to loose things down! They only appear to have one rectangular one which is VERY expensive and quite heavy. It is clearly designed for sub zero temperatures. I'm not planning on that! :)

Another one that takes my fancy is the Exped Synmat UL LW https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk ... -mat-p6655
willem jongman
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Re: Inflatable Sleeping Mats

Post by willem jongman »

Insulated air mattresses have been the modern technology of choice for the last decade or so. Of those, I find the Thermarest Neoairs the best in terms of comfort and durability. I just received a Neoair Topo Luxe RW for my daughter who often suffers back pain: 10 cm and extra width of unsurpassed comfort and warmth for only 800 grams. Sadly not cheap but worth it in her case. We use lighter and cheaper Neoairs ourselves.
In the past we also had Exped mats but of the four we once had only one has survived.
Last edited by willem jongman on 1 Apr 2021, 9:27am, edited 2 times in total.
Aquila
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Joined: 19 Jan 2019, 11:02am

Re: Inflatable Sleeping Mats

Post by Aquila »

Try before you buy would me my advice, Many stores allow you to try out the mattress before you buy, I know alpkit do this and have them all inflated or rolled out ready to try instore, Its how I picked my choice and love mine (also a side sleeper).... if you decide to go with the Alpkit ones they are a lot cheaper as well.
KTHSullivan
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Re: Inflatable Sleeping Mats

Post by KTHSullivan »

Big Agnes Insulated Air Core


I would not buy anything Big Agnes. I had serious problems with one of there tents and there after sales service was non-existent, despite their claims to the contrary.
Just remember, when you’re over the hill, you begin to pick up speed. :lol:
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RickH
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Re: Inflatable Sleeping Mats

Post by RickH »

I've been impressed with my Thermarest NeoAir. It must be a decade old now & has not given me any problems. I got the pumpsac to go with it which let's you inflate it without having to breath warm moist air in.

It also can be used to keep stuff in inside the tent, you can put the mattress inside partly inflated & rolled up to make a seat (although I don't do that). I use it to store the NeoAir, lightly inflated, inside the sac when not using it (my reckoning is it is best not to store it long term rolled up tight).

It is definitely my most comfortable sleeping mat(tress), having started with an original yellow Karrimat, through doubling up with a second mat, then a self inflating Thermorest. The NeoAir is also the most compact by far for packing &, whilst I haven't done a direct comparison, must be towards the lightest.
Former member of the Cult of the Polystyrene Head Carbuncle.
Thehairs1970
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Re: Inflatable Sleeping Mats

Post by Thehairs1970 »

Another thumbs up for Sea to Summit. We got ours from https://www.bergzeit.co.uk/.

They seem to have bargains if you keep looking. Both of ours were sub £100.
sizbut
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Re: Inflatable Sleeping Mats

Post by sizbut »

My vote would be for an Exped SynMat UL7 Long. Absolutely wonderful to have a sleeping mat long enough for my 6ft length, also wider to match and deep (197 x 65 x 7cm). Also whilst not the lightest (600g), reasonably compact.
willem jongman
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Re: Inflatable Sleeping Mats

Post by willem jongman »

My Exped Synmat UL delaminated after only a few tours, and I am not the only one among my friends to whom this has happened. I moved to the Neoair, nd also find that one more comfortable, but this will be a rather personal thing.
iandusud
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Re: Inflatable Sleeping Mats

Post by iandusud »

Thank you for the helpful replies. As a side sleeper I'm definitely inclined towards a thicker pad and as stated above a long and wide rectangular design. This does limit choices. I've also heard criticism of the Neoair mats that they can be noisy. This would rule them out for my wife! :)
PT1029
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Re: Inflatable Sleeping Mats

Post by PT1029 »

+ one for the sea to summit.
NB. Inflating with it's bag NB, there is a certain knack to it, but better than lung power, and better than the 2 handed pump in Exped down filled sleeping mats which needs quite a precise knack to pump efficiently.
We used ours for a short trip last August, and for about 3 weeks on the patio in the really hot weather last spring/summer.

After following (on line unfortunately!) friends cycling overland to NZ, we got a camping quilt which we use with a double silk sleeping bag liner.
https://www.thermarest.com/ie/sleeping- ... 13174.html

Not cheap, and they do a warmer version as well. We used it last August and were fine, I suspect the one we had might be chilly in spring/autumn though.
The logic is that most modern camping mats are well enough insulated that you don't need any sleeping bag insulation underneath. In essence we cut out a chunk of volume out of our tandem camping luggage. I think that some of the volume saving was (possibly) partially due to a less warm quilts compared to our warmer normal sleeping bags, but we gained quite a bit of volume.
Edit:
Space Packer Plus! How old is that now? Most things I buy once - when you wear them out, something better has come along. Over a few decades I have had 3 Space Packer Plus tents (1 stolen, 1 ripped due to UV degredation - it had had a lot of sun). My partner who has shorter arms tham me didn't like it though (long reach to the zips), so now wallow in Hilleberg design, though I still use the Space Packer Plus on my own.
PH
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Re: Inflatable Sleeping Mats

Post by PH »

There's been several threads on the de-lamination issues some have had with inflatable mats, I've been through three, a Big Agnes, Downmat and Synmat, none of them managed 200 nights, I keep going back because I haven't slept so well on any other mat and even at a quid a night that's worth it. There's an increasing number of variations on the long tube design, I've recently bought an Exped Syncell, which as the name suggests has cells rather than tubes, not as thick or as insulated as the others, but I've bought a huge one to avoid rolling off, it almost fills the tent! I haven't camped with it yet so can't recommend, but a couple of nights indoors were comfortable.
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RickH
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Re: Inflatable Sleeping Mats

Post by RickH »

iandusud wrote:... I've also heard criticism of the Neoair mats that they can be noisy. This would rule them out for my wife! :)

In my experience, if my NeoAir is noisy when I lie on it, it just needs a little bit more air in it. Usually not much extra air & all but impossible to feel the difference.
Former member of the Cult of the Polystyrene Head Carbuncle.
willem jongman
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Joined: 7 Jan 2008, 4:16pm

Re: Inflatable Sleeping Mats

Post by willem jongman »

Some Neoairs are far noisier than others. In my experience the ones with extra insulation for really cold weather are noisier than the ones for warmer weather. It also depends on the outer material. The ultralight stuff is noisier.
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