I have not found a pad or mattress to sleep on while camping that is good all night for me.
Do you know of something that works for you? I sleep inside a trailer on the floor and have room for a twin or double size.Pescador - 6-16-2014 at 07:57 AM
The very best pad I have ever owned is a thermarest 3.5 inch pad. I have slept on gravel bars in Alaska, rocks in Baja, and I get no sore spots or
fatigue. Not cheap, but worth it. I have had mine for over 15 years and it is still as comfortable as it was the first day I used it.
I found a fantastic thermarest at a segunda that I love....but the clincher is to put a sheepskin on top of it...you will sleep like a lamb! I never
sleep as well on just the thermarest but even a crappy or dis inflated camp mattress is much improved with a sheepskin...which I put on my seat in the
car when traveling which keeps me both cool in summer and warm in winter.
We are what I consider minimalist campers most of the time...the sheepskin is bulky but it's my little luxury.Pacifico - 6-16-2014 at 08:04 AM
I use it on a cot and it is very comfortable....monoloco - 6-16-2014 at 08:20 AM
Just go and buy a 4" thick piece of medium to high density foam and make a fitted cover for it.Hook - 6-16-2014 at 08:50 AM
I am a fan of the cot/self-inflating camping pad combo. The car camping models of mattresses, not the back-packing ones. And not the big six inch
mattresses that are intended to replace a bed. Those things roll about and are noisy.
Four inch foam is too bulky and takes up too much space. And four inch is the minimum thickness.
I have ones by Thermarest and the REI knockoff as well. They are equal, but the REI one was significantly fewer coconuts.
You will stay cooler on a cot, with the air all around you. I tend to sleep hot.
Cots vary, too. We could have a whole thread on cots.
I bought some Slumberjack knockoffs at Costco about 10 years ago and they are great. Quick assembly; very tightly stretched.
Pretty wide, as cots go. I seem to be getting wider, over the years. Very forward-thinking, I was, when I purchased these.
Forward-thinking.......... or self-fulfilling (literally!) might be a better description.
[Edited on 6-16-2014 by Hook]boe4fun - 6-16-2014 at 09:39 AM
Costco has these available, but I'm not sure of the quality.wessongroup - 6-16-2014 at 09:45 AM
Hook ... nothing wrong with planning ahead .. sancho - 6-16-2014 at 10:27 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Hook
The car camping models of mattresses, not the back-packing ones.
I have ones by Thermarest and the REI knockoff as well. They are equal, but the REI one was significantly fewer coconuts.
Slept on a Thermrest, as pointed out, the car comfort model,
was very scepitical, got up in the morn ready to go, very
impressed. Not cheap, maybe $140+. So that may be a factor. Just a reg Coleman cot is OK, Hook, haven't tried the REI
model, it compares to Thermarest?micah202 - 6-16-2014 at 10:45 AM
.
.....best mattress?....a HAMMOCK! Bwana_John - 6-16-2014 at 11:39 AM
Paco Pad... kind of a Thermorest on steroids, you can lay it out on a roll of barbed wire and have a comfortable night with no punctures. Paco Pad
They have been ridden down the Colorado River all the way through the Grand Canyon!
Quote:
.....best mattress?....a HAMMOCK!
Thanks, but I would rather not wake up in the shape of a paper clip.. and Baja doesn't really have a lot of trees suitable for hanging hammocks from.durrelllrobert - 6-16-2014 at 12:28 PM
"Do you know of a comfy camping sleep pad?"
Yes, but she's already taken Hook - 6-16-2014 at 12:42 PM
Sancho, I think Thermarest probably makes a thicker one than the thickest REI sells. Sounds like Pescador has one that Thermarest used to call a
Camprest model and it was certainly not backpackable. It was about 3.5 inches thick, when inflated. Mine are only about 2 inches, inflated.
This is all based on memory from a few years ago. You should go on line and see what they offer these days.chuckie - 6-16-2014 at 12:48 PM
I have been using a camp mattress from Cabelas for years. It is filled with a foam padding and rolls up. Very comfortable..Thermarests don't do it for
me, when they start to leak, and they all do, you end up with hip bones and shoulders on the hard stuff. My Cabelas is not backpackable.MMc - 6-16-2014 at 03:00 PM
I am a big on Thermarest pads, I have a friend that loves his foam mattress topper that he picked up at Costco. It is one of the foam topper that goes
on top of a regular mattress. The Thermarest pads were a game changer in the back packing world for sure.805gregg - 6-16-2014 at 05:34 PM
Big Agnes inflatable 78x25x4" thick like sleeping at homeFernweh - 6-16-2014 at 07:33 PM
Thermarest it is..... Won't leave home without it!
Barry A. - 6-16-2014 at 08:24 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by monoloco
Just go and buy a 4" thick piece of medium to high density foam and make a fitted cover for it.
I use that, AND an inch and a half inflatable sleeping pad under it-------------REALLY COMFY!!!
Barrywilderone - 6-17-2014 at 07:06 AM
"Just go and buy a 4" thick piece of medium to high density foam and make a fitted cover for it. "
Si - you can buy all thickness and size from upholstery stores. Then use a fitted bottom sheet plus a waterproof fitted sheet (whatever) to cover it
with - you can put these in the washing machine. Just leave it layed out on your trailer - cover with a blanket or 5x7 tarp to keep it clean; you can
put other stuff on top of it while traveling between stops. My friend put that in the back of his Ford truck with camper - traveled all over Europe.bajalearner - 6-17-2014 at 07:20 AM
Thx nomads. As everything else, quality comes with higher prices. I will check these out and decide which was to go. I do have extra space for the
foam idea. I can buy 2 twin size pads with the waterproof cover idea and lay them alongside each other when I need a bigger bed.Alm - 6-17-2014 at 02:05 PM
Same as many here, I vote for Thermarest. If you get the thickest possible - I think 3.5" is max - you won't need any foam under or over it. Maybe put
some tarp or other sheet on the floor to keep Thermarest clean. I assume you are going to put some sheet or blanket on top of Thermarest, and (if I
remember correct), some their models have velvet-like fabric. Don't go for cheaper self-inflatable off-brand Chinese imitations, after a few years
they develop leaks at the seams or right through the fabric, waste of money.
You can of course put a soft foam or a memory foam on top, but with 3-3.5" Therm this won't be necessary. In fact, 2" memory foam with a hard blue
foam pad underneath is pretty comfortable without any Thermarest, for a total cost about $50 for memory foam and blue pad, so this is another option
to consider. Ebay has memory foam size Twin around $40, I forgot what firmness is mine, probably a medium-firm. The only drawback of memory foam is
weight and bulk, but you are not going to fly or hike with this.
If you still decide to go for Thermarest, keep in mind that many of them are slippery, your bed sheet or yourself in the sleeping bag will roll easily
off in the night. REI sells Slip-Not straps for this, you clip them to loops on the sides of sleeping bag and then under/around the pad. Something
like this can be used for bed sheets, I guess. Maybe velvet-covered Therm is less slippery, but others are.
[Edited on 6-17-2014 by Alm]bajalearner - 6-17-2014 at 02:19 PM
Ah, memory foam, I didn't consider that. I have memory foam pillows and like them. I guess I forgot the memory foam Alm - 6-17-2014 at 03:59 PM
Not just a memory foam. It has to be at least 2" thick, and preferably with something underneath. I tried it right on the floor, and even though there
was a carpet, it wasn't soft enough for me, but with a $8 blue foam pad from camping store it worked well. Mine is 4.5 lb density, I think they come
from 2lb (the softest) to 6 lb (the hardest foam).
Something like This, only mine was $40 and no cover. I see some with brand name Martha Stuart for $40, but they don't tell the density. And there are some with
curved/slotted pattern that I don't know anything about, mine is just plain flat.
Walmart and IKEA I'm sure have some too.
They come in different sizes, same as regular mattresses.
