We are off camping this summer (UK), and have a couple of airbeds. Someone has suggested I would need roll mats underneath too... We have an extra groundsheet for the tent. I guess the main reason would be to prevent cold rising... would welcome thoughts and experiences on this!
Always used roll mats under air beds and they're pretty cheap to buy. If you get the ones with shiny aluminium on one side, they really do add good insulation.
I use roll mats, then I put picninc blankets on top and then the air beds. Stops the air in the air beds getting cold as it gives good insulation - and protection from any sharp lumps and bumps on the ground.
It's really essential to having something underneath an airbed! A roll mat is pretty good but a large, opened out cardboard box from a local shop will do just as good a job. Handy if you've not got the packing room or if you just forget to bring anything else.
On one occasion a friend of my children unexpectedly came to stay with us camping. I had nothing for him to sleep on although he did bring his own sleeping bag. All I could do was get cardboard and he slept directly on that! The wee lad was 10 at the time, and he slept soundly and reported that he wasn't cold.
Anything you can do to insulate the airbed from the ground and the airbed from your body has to be beneficial.
My tent has a SIG and then the bedroom pod has it's own SIG so that is two layers of groundsheet. Then I carpet the bedroom pod with a picnic rug. On top of that I lay a foam camping mat then the airbed. On top of the airbed I lay a car blanket and then a fleece blanket...then me in my sleeping bag.
I didn't deliberately buy foam mats and blankets for that purpose but gradually acquired them and decided to put them to good use. So any spare blankets, foam mats, and as previously mentioned, cardboard or newspapers can be utilised for insulation.
If you can wrap a blanket all the way round an airbed that will help to prevent the air inside from getting cold from the sides as well. The blankets I put on top of the airbed are just wide enough to hang over the edges and tuck underneath, which I think helps.
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Topic: roll mat too...?
