Hi there we would like some advise on whether to get air matress or camping mats to sleep on for our first trip as we have been given conflicting advise by people Please help.
You will find any posts on this site regarding this topic. It is all about personal preference and how much room you have for transport.
Many will argue that good airbeds provide the highest level of comfort and if you like the luxury of your bed then this will be the best for you. However, airbeds are not good insulaters becuase of the volume of air and will need layers of insulation above and below the airbed to stop heat transfer from the ground into the bed and then on to you.
Self inflating mats are a good alternative where space is at a premium because they take up less room both in storage and are narrower than airbeds. They come in various thicknesses and can take some time to aclimatise to. They do not require upper insulation as they are an internal mixture of foam and air and therefore are not prone to the cold although I still use a ground mat under mine.
I confess that I like the comfort of my Coleman Comfort airbed when we go away as a family but I still get a good nights sleep on my mat when I go away with my Scouts. However I am a good sleeper and have been know to sleep in one of those thin woolies insulation mats with no problem.
Hi loumark and welcome to UKCS. We have had both and we personally never got on with camping mats. Bought a cheap airbed and found that the same. On the recommendation of this site bought a Coleman Comfort Double Airbed. Get a better night sleep on this than our bed at home. Very comfortable and does not affect my bad back. Also stay inflated for ages. Highly Recommend. As Nigel16 rightly points out it depends on how much room you have to carry your kit and airbeds are not good insulators. We use a picnic blanket and tin foil under ours with a blanker on top under a sheet, this keeps the cold out.
I have just started using one and find it to be excellent. Previously I used a Thermarest Prolite. I have a contact that can get the Downmat 7 full length for around £75 plus post. Maybe you can get them cheaper.
basically a sleeping bag with an airbed built in. We've never insulated it like people suggest and have been perfectly warm even when it's really cold in April. Maybe the ready bed provides enough insulation by itself, maybe it's the fact that there is 2 of us in it sharing body warmth.
hi, go for a rubberised cotton airbed WITHOUT a built in pillow for the best night's sleep. don't overinflate it and put a rug on top of it so that you dont wake up cold. take a decent feather pillow - these take up no space at all in the car and you will have the best night's sleep of your life!
We use airbeds in various sometimes in combination with a camp bed....either way, we use thin foam camping mats underneath and a square sleeping bag on top, then a duvet....My husband sleeps on one of those taller canvas camp beds, with a piece of 2 inch foam on top, then a duvet....and he has by far the best bed !....this year I am having a higher camp bed too, but for our weekend trip in two weeks I will be using a semi filled airbed on top, sleeping bag, duvet....but I'd rather have foam. I tried to get some two summers ago....and I was amazed at the price of the stuff !!!...unless anyone knows better??
We find the foam doesn't have to take up much space...it goes on the bottom of the trailer with heavy stuff to squash it down....but getting hold of it in the first place is a nightmare....I got one thick yellow piece and one ' egg box ' type piece from my dads loft...other than that....I haven't been able to to find anymore ( we need two more bits so everyone can have some for our family ! )....
You dont give your location so can only advise as to where I live.
On our local market we have a stall that sells different sizes of foam matting, and different types of cushion/beanbag fillings, foam chippings or polystyreene pellets, you could make your own covers 2 pieces of material sewn together to make a large bag and then use the filling. We have a 3" thick piece of foam 6-6 x 4-6 and it rolls down small and have got my mum to make a mattress type cover for it.
Well we spent the last few days looking for the punctures in 3 airbeds.. and that after carefully storing them in a floored loft. Good job we checked before our first trip out this year. Thankfully .. one was just the value needed resetting, another a puncture we eventually found. the last one has us stumped. Can't sleep on mats so a new one is on it's way. Joys of camping.
------------- Christine
2014
April -
BunRoy Fort William 3 sleeps
April / May
Invercaimbe Arisaig 4 sleeps
Bleatarn Brampton tbc July
We have used a rubberised cotton air bed for over 20 years (yes same one ) we allways lay a blanket under it and one on the top then the sleeping bags and thats all we do. to get the right amount of air in we pump it up just enough so when you place your fist in the middle and press down so you just touch the ground with some resistance . well that works for us on a double bed .
------------- geoff & annb,--
never lost just on tour
your just jealous of the little voices talking to me
We couldn't get on with airbeds at all, too cold, deflating in the middle of the night, also they made me feel a bit sea sick when someone moved. We now have Gelert folding campbeds, (see here) instead for OH and me, the kids are more than happy with mats with fleece blankets thrown on top.
thanks for the advise and have brought 2 air beds for my husband and myself and a campbed for our son so will be trying them out next weekend on our first camping trip wish us luck.
Hi one and all, I and my family do not like sleeping on the ground. So we bought 3 foldup campbeds that go into their own bags. Just clip the ends on and you have a very sturdy comfortable bed. I then put a self inflating mattress on top for extra comfort. I paid about £20 each from towsure but you can also get them from argos, buy it try it and if you dont like it you might be able to return it providing its not excluded from their 16 day money back guarantee. They are much higher than the gelert ones, recommended ***
basically a sleeping bag with an airbed built in. We've never insulated it like people suggest and have been perfectly warm even when it's really cold in April. Maybe the ready bed provides enough insulation by itself, maybe it's the fact that there is 2 of us in it sharing body warmth.
I wanted to do this with our single ready beds and a coleman comfort, but it wouldn't fit. does the double fit? I ended up using a single fitted sheet on upside down and sewing the readybed to it. I didn't want to fork out for new sleeping bags as well as air beds and we already had the ready beds but found the airbed in them too thin.
------------- Theres only one way of life and thats your own!
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: air mattress v camping mat
Hi one and all, I and my family do not like sleeping on the ground. So we bought 3 foldup campbeds that go into their own bags. Just clip the ends on and you have a very sturdy comfortable bed. I then put a self inflating mattress on top for extra comfort. I paid about £20 each from towsure but you can also get them from argos, buy it try it and if you dont like it you might be able to return it providing its not excluded from their 16 day money back guarantee. They are much higher than the gelert ones, recommended ***
