Sleeping mat dilemma - Mountain Equip. Helium

[BryterLayter]

I am completely new to cycle camping/touring, at present I am slowly purchasing essential equipment. I have been following the posts on the CTC forum with interest and have gained valuable information.

The general consensus with regards sleeping mats appears to be thermarest especially the neorest and Exped Synmat appear to be the mat to choose from . I was deciding which to go for when I dropped into my local Cotswold store in Birmingham and they have Mountain Equipment Helium 2.5 and 3.5 at £30 and £40 on special offer.

Are these mats as good as thermarest and Exped, if not ,for the price should I go for one of them anyway or should I pay more and get the best one for job.

Also Any advice on a quality sleeping bag would be great.

My intention is to start in the spring on a few weekend excursions and build it up from there, I would like to do the coast to coast in the summer . I cannot see myself touring/ camping in the winter, at least not in the immediate future.

[groberts]

Take a look at www.alpkit.com . Their gear is usually very good and very competitively priced, the only downside is they're often out of stock and you have to wait but as it's still January that should not deter you; just register your interest online. I have a Skyehigh 600 bag and one of the older mats which are brilliant and much less than the brand name prices.

[meic]

If you do go to Cotswold's dont forget your 15% CTC (or any other club) discount.

You may have seen when trawling the forum that Alpkit's sleeping bags get a lot of praise (not just from me )

Personally I am quite happy with cheap rollmats and have never taken my Thermarest camping without being in the car.

[b1ke]

Thumbs up for Thermarest from me. Had mine for about 4 years and it delaminated last year on tour.



I contacted the distributor and they said they'd fix or replace it if I return it to them, which I thought was incredibly decent given the amount of time I'd had it. On that basis, plus the amount of excellent service I've had from the mat itself, I'd recommend them. I had a cheaper mat from Decathlon, but it lasted one tour and then the valve went.

These days, I tend to opt for the more expensive stuff because it seems - by and large - that you get what you pay for. Plus I really, really don't like adding to landfill, so I want my gear to last a long time.

[bikefish]

Thermarest make their own stuff in Seattle and like most US manufacturers stand by their products - IME its worth paying a bit extra for that. Many outdoor gear companies no longer make much - so if its made in China the company will likely make you go through hoops to claim a warranty replacement

[BryterLayter]

I reckon I will go for a thermarest, I just need to decide on which one, any particular recomendations?

[b1ke]

any particular recomendations?

My Thermarest (the one pictured above) is bottom of the range, I think. Looking at what's currently on offer, I think its the equivalent of the 'Trail-Lite', retails at around £50. Not the lightest mat (around a kg), but like I said above, I had 4 years of regular use from it before it developed its own 'pillow'. I can't remember how many tours it's been on but there have been many - the last one was 3.5 months (the delamination occurred near the end). Whichever one you choose, I'd avoid the 3/4 length options, unless you're particularly short.

[irc]

I've used a couple of cheapo self inflating mats. Both failed. One halfway through a 2 1/2 month tour. So it may well be worth, as others suggest, paying the Thermarest premium for their proven no questions asked return and rplace policy.

Me, I'm going back to closed cell foam. Cheaper, lighter, and unbreakable and faster to pack and unpack. Good attributes for any touring gear. They are not as comfortable as inflatable mats but for me pass the "good enough" test.

[JeremyintheCzechRepublic]

I have tried a self-inflating sleeping mat but I prefer a more traditional air bed - it only take a few puffs to blow them up and the extra thickness separates you from the ground which will keep you quite a bit warmer, particularly if you are not a 'bag of bones'.

[Justin]

I use the Thermarest Prolite 3 Short and it does the job well. If you're looking to save weight then this model excels in that regard. Prior to buying I was undecided on whether to go for the full length Thermarest or the lighter short version. I've never once regretted getting the short version and the weight saving is very welcome. Only slight downside is, if you tend to sleep on your side then you may want the added comfort of a thicker mat, such as the Prolite 4, the Neoair or the Exped Downmat's.

For sleeping bags, I can thoroughly recommend the Rab Quantum Endurance 400 as a superb three season bag. It's rated down to -5 degrees. I've used it at exactly -5 degrees in the snow , sleeping with just a baselayer on and a silk sleeping bag liner and it performed flawlessly. I would happily use it in colder conditions too. The Pertex outer fabric is superb at keeping moisture and dampness away from the down filling. I've slept without the protection of a tent, woke up in the morning with the sleeping bag completely covered in dew and the inside of the bag remained totally dry and very warm.

[pedalsheep]

The thinner mats are fine in short length but I found it impossible to get comfortable on a short Neoair. The extra thickness seemed to mean my back was permanently arched and I couldn't get enough spare clothes under my feet to cure the problem. Ortlieb panniers under my feet were none too comfy either. In the end I sold it and bought a full length one. I'm only 5'4"!

[PH]

I find this thread very confusing, we're talking about two different things, the type of mat and the make of mat. Many on the manufacturers make both types, because a type A mat from manufacturer Z is great, it doesn't necessarily follow that a type B from the same manufacturer is also to be recommended.
IMO, you need to decide the type first, the two main contenders are self inflated mat or insulated air bed, then see which manufacturers offer the best on the criteria you set, size, weight, cost, pack size, insulation and any other personal preference.
I'd chose even the cheapest air bed over the dearest mat, though I'm sure others will differ.

[meic]

Certainly will.

You say the two main contenders, yet I will bet that the sales of closed cell mats outstrips all the others combined.
They are quick, easy and 100% reliable.

I have always used closed cell mats and the army issues closed cell mats to its troops.

I travelled around the world for 19 months using a closed cell mat. when I go touring I take my closed cell mat. There is a thermarest there for me to use but I always opt for the closed cell mat.

[georgew]

^^^^^^ While the Army may use closed cell mats (when I was in they used nothing at all) it's worth noting that members are on the youthful side. Now for old guys, closed cell mats do tend to be a bit too Spartan. Having used Thermarest and later, Exped., there's no doubt that the 9cm Exped was by far the most comfortable and the most warm. No contest really.

[PH]

Having used Thermarest and later, Exped.,

What are you talking about?