Sorry, thought I'd ask here! Is a SIM (I'm guessing self inflating mattress?) just the same as a camping mat? We've got a rustly sounding khaki mat somewhere, but we don't use it. We use an air bed and OH has just got a camp bed on legs.
What's the diff between a SIM and a mat?
Mats tend to be made from closed cell foam. SIMs have some form of internal insulation - foam, down etc but are fully enclosed in an air tight envelope with either one or two valves. The sim will "self inflate" when you open the inlet valve and most folks tend to puff in a few extra breaths to harden them up.
The difference between the two is in the comfort level.
In my experience you need to get the better quality (and more expensive) thick SIMs. I used to have one of the cheapo ones but found my hip hitting the floor when I slept on my side...not very comfortable. I could never afford the good quality ones so went back to an airbed.
I would agree with Bob61, for family camping we have two "ThermaRest DreamTime XL's" which fasten together with there embedded straps to form a very comfordable QueenSize bed.
For backpacking, I take a "ThermaRest ProLite regular" great bit of kit, but no where near as comfortable as the "DreamTime" but then again the "DreamTime" is far to big to take backpacking.
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Topic: What`s a SIM?! Is it the same as a mat?
