air bed and a bad back

[xander]

hi
i need some help
3 years ago i slipped 2 disks in my back. a stair jumping 3 1/2 year old jumping from the middle of the stairs shouting as she jumped "catch me daddy" i only had time to twist and i caught side ways if that make sense this almost crippled me well did for a few months and i was off work for over a year ive been back at work for aver a year now with no major problems but sleeping on hard beds kills me in the morning i can hardly stand straight
ive tryed a hammock but found it hard to get in to and had to get sam aka man_of_tanith to tuck me in lol
so ive got a dutch army bivi bag adn now im looking for a air bed that will be soft enough and fit inside and doesn't cost the earth
thanks for your help

xan

 

[Shewie]

For comfort it's hard to beat the Exped downmats, if you want something lighter and smaller to carry then the Thermarest NeoAir is very good too. You're looking at round 2-3" of loft so not sure how the dutch bag will take that, army issue bivvys are normally a good size though.

 

[ged]

... need some help ...

Aldi had some cheap air beds a week or two ago, both the self-inflating type and the ordinary pump-inflatable air beds. Both were 12.99 I think. I looked at the self-inflating one but it's far too bulky for my camping needs. It's about two inches thick when inflated and rolls up to something about the size of one of the closed cell foam mats.

My discs didn't get out of position, they're just sh@gged from decades of abuse. I had all kinds of physiotherapy, some of which cost me a fortune, and it didn't help a whole lot although the (expensive) private treatment was a lot better than the (free) NHS treatment. The thing that really gets my spine moving again and keeps it mobile is exercise. Taking the dogs for long walks has worked wonders. I often needed pain killers at first, but after a year of the new exercise regime I could manage without most of the time, and now it's rare that I need any.

After my back trouble started, I tried several mattresses at home with varying results. Some were terrible and it didn't seem to be a simple matter of whether it was hard or soft. Eventually I settled on a memory foam one, which took a bit of getting used to but seems OK now. I'm not altogether sure I wasn't wasting time and money on mattresses at home.

This is not medical advice, just random snippets of information about my experiences with a back that's bad in a different way from yours.

 

[Nonsuch]

Yes the Exped Downmats are very good indeed and very portable. If portability isn't a problem, Alpkit's Fat Aerics are also superb. If you are going my vehicle, you could even consider a quality campbed with an inflatable mat on top of that - luxury!

It's funny how dangerous toddlers can be. 20 years ago at my nephews' 3rd birthday party I decided to have a go on their bouncy castle. Left knee crocked permanently at the age of 27...

 

[John Fenna]

Another vote for Exped down!

 

[Elines]

I have an exped downmat (the 7cm one) and the 'softness' depends on how much air you put in it - just because it has feathers in it (as insulation) don't think that this will help with softness. In my view it doesn’t. (The mats are still excellent, just not ‘feather bedded’.) I generally blow the mat up so that it is not fully inflated and such that when I sit on it I am on the ground.

As part of trying to get on with ground dwelling (I usually use a hammock) I have tried several additions to the downmat (for which read any kind of mat for the purposes of this query).

Using two rollup foam mats, one on top of the other, was a definite improvement to comfort.

Best so far – though still working on this one – was a mat size piece of memory foam mattress topper, of a nominal 2” thickness. I have only used this once –a few days ago and want to give it another try. I found, for example, that I could lie on my side without my shoulder stiffening up.

I use a good sized pillow and that may also help you.

I had a memory foam mattress topper to cut up because we had originally bought a cheapo 2” one from Aldi several years ago. We recently decided to get a 4” thick one of better quality and it is fantastic.

I had thought that getting up in the morning feeling stiff was just part of getting older. Since we have had the new topper I am more flexible and don’t feel sore when I wake up.

 

[Mesquite]

If you are going my vehicle, you could even consider a quality campbed with an inflatable mat on top of that - luxury!..

Got to admit that's the way I go whenever possible. I just use a closed cell mat on the bed and sleep a lot better than I do at home...

 

[xander]

I'm going to get a cheep one from go outdoors to gauge just how thick a air bed I can get away with then I can look at getting something more long term

 

[Man of Tanith]

anything other than me having to tuck you in again

 

[Mesquite]

anything other than me having to tuck you in again

Did you read him a bedtime story?

 

[rik_uk3]

I have back and knee problems and I've found a cell foam mat on top of a cot bed to be by far the best solution. As they are raised getting on and off them is much easier than getting off the floor. I'm afraid I can no longer us low tents

 

[xander]

Did you read him a bedtime story?

yep he read the tiger that came for tea and the big hungry Caterpillar lol

 

[eel28]

Got to admit that's the way I go whenever possible. I just use a closed cell mat on the bed and sleep a lot better than I do at home...

Plus one for that. Have been doing the same for the past couple of camps. Last time tried a new bed (Inexpensive X legged one from Aldi) and had the best nights sleep I've had in ages