I'm 6ft tall and 15 stone with a bad back. I'm a side sleeper and due to a hiatus hernia have to sleep on my right side.
I have a king size intex full height airbed and cant fault it in any way. I also have 3 of the single (twin) size ones and they are equally as good.
If you look after them and follow the rules you should get many years out of one. Best of all they arent particularly expensive. Only downside is you need electricity for them but as I only camp with EHU then that isnt a problem for me.
I leave mine plugged in all the time. On a really hot day when I get up I let about 2-3 seconds worth of air out then replace it in the evening once things cool down. It's a matter of pressing a button!
I've considered going down the campbed route but to date have never found one I can sleep on, they are so uncomfortable for me. They are also much bulkier than an airbed. A lot of people recommend a thick SIM (Self Inflating Mattress) on top of a campbed but then of course you also have a really bulky SIM to carry around, plus a decent thick SIM is 2-3+ times the cost of the airbed and you still have the campbed to buy!
My advice would be to get along to a camping store first and see if you can try out a campbed and a campbed with a SIM. If you find that really comfortable then you know you can go down that route. Trying out an airbed is far more difficult as not many places have them on display.
The good thing about SIMs (Self-Inflating mat/mattress) are that you can set the firmness to suit yourself.
We're absolutely delighted with ours, an Exped 10cm comfort SIM, but as with many camp beds/sleeping mats etc, they can be rather narrow for some. Ours are also 2 x singles, so not what you're looking for.
There are XL available, of course, as well as doubles, and I'm sure someone will come along soon enough with an ideal recommendation or two for you.
Budget can range from pennies to hundreds, and they come in all different sizes and depths.
The main point of my post is to get you acquainted with the term SIM, or self-inflating mattress, as I'm certain that's the route you'd be best advised to follow!
EDIT:
Started before Highslayer... but got distracted!
Only thing I'll addy about SIM or air beds as its covered above, is make sure they are thick enough so you dont feel any stones or major lumps poking out so you can feel them when lying on the sim/air bed.
Personally I prefer a simple wide roll mat and theres plenty out there which give you a choice between weight if wild camping/backpacking and heavy density enough to dampen down any stones which can interfere with sleep.
Are you looking to do any sort of wild camping/backpacking camping, or more base camp camping straight out of the car?
I would recommend the 10cm Exped Megamat. They do a double version but I would suggest 2 singles and join them together so you can adjust the amount of air to suit each of you.
They provide very good insulation against the cold ground.
I agree with Highslayer. We have used an Intex queen size mattress for the last couple of years and found it to be really good. Yes you will need EHU as it has a built in pump but it packs down relatively small for its size and it is very easy to set how firm you want it. Another bonus is the height they stand around 40cm off the floor so you are fine if the ground is a bit lumpy underneath
I think they are around £30 new now so not a great cost compared to some of the beds on the market either.
And another vote for the queen-size Intex plush electric blow up bed. We used ours last weekend and it's very comfortable. So easy to inflate and deflate, just plug it in and turn the dial to inflate/deflate. Our comes with it's own carry bag.
Decathlon Quechua air 70 with whatever you want on top. Sprung slats, solid sides and you put a sim air mat or whatever mattress you prefer. I have spina bifida occulta and this bed is the most comfy I have ever been in a tent.
We link two together and there is no bar down the middle, no sag into the middle and when one person moves it doesn't effect the other. On top we have a kampa bliss air mat.
If you have costco membership buy it from there as you can just get full refund if anything ever went wrong with it. They pretty much have them in stock all year round too. The only issue we had was one of the inner seams failed after about 6 years so just took it back got full refund and purchased another straight away.
I also brought some alpkit fat SIMs and they are nothing but bother so I wouldnt go for SIMs again.
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Outwell Wolf Lake 7
Outwell Greycliff 7ATC
upcoming camping trips:
Henlow Lakes May 18
Somewhere over the rainbow June 18
Henlow Lakes July 18
Hele Valley Devon Aug 18
Ross on Wye Aug 18
Quote: Originally posted by Ewen c on 28/9/2017
Decathlon Quechua air 70 with whatever you want on top. Sprung slats, solid sides and you put a sim air mat or whatever mattress you prefer. I have spina bifida occulta and this bed is the most comfy I have ever been in a tent.
We link two together and there is no bar down the middle, no sag into the middle and when one person moves it doesn't effect the other. On top we have a kampa bliss air mat.
I was having a good look at these and think they seem excellent. What put me off them though was the price - £40 for a full height, king size airbed or £90 for 2 of these plus the cost of a double SIM (almost £100 for a decent one) and it is also very difficult to find a 140cm wide SIM. When all folded up it is smaller than a campbed + SIM but larger than an airbed
Those were the things which put me off but I think if the budget is there then it looks a really good solution, especially as you can use the middle of the bases for storage
Quote: Originally posted by HighSlayer on 29/9/2017
Quote: Originally posted by Ewen c on 28/9/2017
Decathlon Quechua air 70 with whatever you want on top. Sprung slats, solid sides and you put a sim air mat or whatever mattress you prefer. I have spina bifida occulta and this bed is the most comfy I have ever been in a tent.
We link two together and there is no bar down the middle, no sag into the middle and when one person moves it doesn't effect the other. On top we have a kampa bliss air mat.
I was having a good look at these and think they seem excellent. What put me off them though was the price - £40 for a full height, king size airbed or £90 for 2 of these plus the cost of a double SIM (almost £100 for a decent one) and it is also very difficult to find a 140cm wide SIM. When all folded up it is smaller than a campbed + SIM but larger than an airbed
Those were the things which put me off but I think if the budget is there then it looks a really good solution, especially as you can use the middle of the bases for storage
We use a cheap aldi sim on my daughter's and it does the job. The Kampa bliss is 138 cm wide and costs about 30 quid. The sprung slats mean you can get away with cheaper mattresses. It saves a lot of room in the car as well.
Oh yeah, a ten year guarantee helps offset the cost. Airbeds aren't as sturdy.
Quote: Originally posted by HighSlayer on 29/9/2017
Quote: Originally posted by Ewen c on 28/9/2017
Decathlon Quechua air 70 with whatever you want on top. Sprung slats, solid sides and you put a sim air mat or whatever mattress you prefer. I have spina bifida occulta and this bed is the most comfy I have ever been in a tent.
We link two together and there is no bar down the middle, no sag into the middle and when one person moves it doesn't effect the other. On top we have a kampa bliss air mat.
I was having a good look at these and think they seem excellent. What put me off them though was the price - £40 for a full height, king size airbed or £90 for 2 of these plus the cost of a double SIM (almost £100 for a decent one) and it is also very difficult to find a 140cm wide SIM. When all folded up it is smaller than a campbed + SIM but larger than an airbed
Those were the things which put me off but I think if the budget is there then it looks a really good solution, especially as you can use the middle of the bases for storage
We use a cheap aldi sim on my daughter's and it does the job. The Kampa bliss is 138 cm wide and costs about 30 quid. The sprung slats mean you can get away with cheaper mattresses. It saves a lot of room in the car as well.
Oh yeah, a ten year guarantee helps offset the cost. Airbeds aren't as sturdy.
10 year guarantee certainly helps assuming of course that any damage is actually covered by the guarantee.
My Intex is 6 years old now and as the Decathlon products are 3-4 times the price with the cheaper bliss mattress it doesnt really offset the cost at all. The decathlon would need to last 18-24 years to be as cost effective - assuming that my intex doesnt last another season of course
We've used air beds in the past but find self inflating mats are much more comfy and reliable, with 2 singles pushed together better than a double (for ease of packing away - you have to wrestle a bit with the doubles as one half always slides out of square after you fold it in half to roll it up!).
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Topic: Tent Matress?
