I hear Travelodge are doing cheap rooms in Suffolk at the moment lol
Seriously, I'm not entirely sure what to suggest if you are already out there.
Nice big bedsocks certainly seem to help. Also, reducing the size of the 'sleeping area' e.g. reducing ceiling height or even insulating the sleeping area to keep the warmth in. Maybe even all sleep in the same area which will help heat up the area more quickly and keep it that way.
cardboard is fantastic best and cheapest by far,, i done a charity sleepout a few years ago it was approx 0 degrees (beginning of Dec) i slept on a 32" TV box I was the envy of everyone...with a basic 2 season sleeping bag and fleecy tracksuit type thing :)
I would think that the air in the airbed shouldn't matter as long as there's good insulation between you and it. Either provided by the material of the bed itself of by you layering up with some insulation on top of the bed.
------------- John Vernon, lover of camping and outdoors activities. Writing about camping, hiking and backpacking on .
I prefer to sleep with a duvet and not a sleeping bag, and I always have EHU and carry a fan heater with me.
When I was using an airbed, I would put a foam mat on the ground first to provide some insulation from underneath.
Even with the heater on low overnight, I could still feel the cold, and had to put a fleece blanket on top of the airbed, as well as thicker duvet on top etc...
In winter, I would put a fleece blanket on top of the airbed, then an electric under-blanket, then a sheet over the lot, and it was very cosy when I slept under the all-season 12 Tog duvet (a 4.5 Tog and a 7.5 Tog combined).
Since my airbed went down mid trip over Christmas 2011, I have now moved over to camp bed plus self inflating mattress, as I do not wish to be without a bed in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere.
The difference is sleep quality between air bed and camp bed + SIM is staggering.
Being off the ground with the SIM providing good insulation from underneath, it is very cosy with just the 7.5 Tog duvet. I hardly needed the fan heater at night except when it is very cold.
The only downside of the camp bed + SIM combination for me is that it takes up more space in the inner tent, and I am not able to have another camp bed + SIM inside.
Hence I bought a very good SIM, a Therm-a-rest Luxury Map, so that I can use it with a foam mat underneath without a camp bed, allowing another person to do the same inside the inner tent.
Based on personal experience, I would definitely recommend the camp bed + SIM combination over airbed.
DK
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Another vote for the cardboard on the bedroom floor...we used this last time as had a big TV box & laid it flat in the car boot for the journey there. With this & a fleece blanket covering the top of the airbed (sticks to the flock covering & doesnt slip off), I was so warm I just sleft with my sleeping bag unzipped & on top of me like a quilt...times before that I was frozen to the core, to the point where nothing you can do to warm u up
I also opt for the hot water bottles. Nothing worse than a cold damp sleeping bag or duvet you have to warm up with your body heat!
I think there also is some psychology in it. While my kids love their sleeping bags, I feel that however good quality, they are just not thick and heavy enough to give me this FEELING of cozyness and warmth... So I bring my thick duvet (transport it in a vacuum bag)and a heavy lined bed throw which I put on top of the duvet, in daytime it doubles as - yes, you guessed it, a bed throw...
I think it is good to use multiple layers like this because it is the air trapped between the layers that insulates.
I put a picnic rug or an old woollen blanket on top of the airbed with a sheet on top, works well for me.
------------- Proud owner of a 1987 Sprite Alpine 370 EK, a cheap popup tent and a beloved retro Trio frame tent from the early seventies, called Giraffen.
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Topic: Help! Camping right now! Airbed or not?
