Roll mat help

[tups93]

Hey all,

I bought a Vango self inflating roll mat dooda the other day and we decided to go to Arran camping for a couple of nights, just back today,

Anyway the reason for my post,

Said roll mat dooda isnt very thick and kind of uncomfortable on my back i was wondering if i would be better buying another self inflating roll mat or if a foam roll mat under the self inflating one would help? Im holding a lot of weight but when i lie on it, it seems to flatten.

heres the link: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....00193&_sacat=See-All-Categories&_fvi=1&_rdc=1

Lidl are selling bags and mats on the 5th of May so ill go check em out as i need a wider sleeping bag.

http://www.lidl.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/.../lidl_uk/hs.xsl/offerdate.htm?offerdate=20382

cheers for the help

 

[tups93]

that shoudl say im not holding a lot of weight im only about 15 stone.

cheers

 

[rik_uk3]

Truth be told none of the self inflating mats are much good, one of those things in life where you believe the hype until try it. You can get some thick ones from someone like Alpkit? but then you may as well take a proper air bed and sleep in real comfort and save a few quid. I would take a cell foam mat and plonk a pukka airbed on top, sleep like a baby. Airbeds are lighter in weight too.

 

[Paul_B]

For more comfort I think you will have to splash out. A lot of people rate the neoair which is an airbed but has synthetic insulation stuck to the top surface to provide insulation. The trouble with plain airbeds is air can remove heat from your body by convection. The neoair and some other airbeds the insulation layer stops most of your heat getting to the air chambers in the first place. The air chambers can then act solely as the means of giving you more comfort.

You can get some very light airbed without the insulation and TBH in warmer months they can often be ok. If the temperature drops much you will feel cold. The best way to cope is put the CCF mat on top of the airbed. It can work underneath but to be most effective it needs to stop your heat energy you produce from entering the airchambers where it can move by convection. Anyway that is the theory. In practise people have argued both ways and whatever works enough for you.

If you can spend a little more can I suggest you look at some insulated airbeds bu Pacific Outdoor Equipment. I can't remember which one but there is the aether AC and some others. Some of them are straight airbeds though. These airbeds are often about £30. The insulated ones by POE cost about £70 but the neoo air can be as much as £100 or more for the full length. The thing is the Neoair is the first of the insulated UL airbeds and is also the lightest offering a reasonable 3 season warmth at a very low weight and pack size. If you want to save weight over money then neo air is good. It can seem a bit flimsy compared to self inflaters and some other insulated airbeds.

In winter you probably wont find the neo air and the other airbeds with a fibre layer bonded to the inside of the top surface warm enough. In winter many buy an Exped synmat or downmat. The first one is good to about -17C but is heavier than the downmat which is good to -28C. You can get a Synmat UL which is closer to the insulated airbeds in that it has the insulation stuck to the inside of the upper and IIRC lower surface too. It is lighter and packs smaller than the standard version which has synthetic insulation within the whole of the airbed tubes (similar to the downmat in this).

Anyway all these airbeds I mentions are generally a lot thicker than the self inflaters. Something like 6cm compared to 2.5cm. This should be enough to keep your bones clear of the ground which is what gives you comfort.

If you like the idea of downmats then check out Nordic Outdoors as I think they sell them at pretty good prices. A bit overkill for this time of year.

 

[Matthew.Passmore]

I have a "Numo" from alpKit, excellent mat, very comfortable and only £40.

http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16557&category_id=253

 

[Mike8472]

I would add a roll mat to your existing inflatable mat, you have already paid out for it you might as well carry on using it.

My advice would be add a dutch army roll mat; they are closed cell foam but 18mm thick. they are very very comfortable and don't feel like other foam mats! they are in a league of their own!!!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Dutch-Army-Sl...Collectables_Militaria_LE&hash=item3a65490e1c

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MILITARY-ARMY...s_SleepingMats_Airbeds_CA&hash=item2eb4539dbd

no link to seller, etc etc

 

[Teepee]

I use the Pacific outdoor Ether airmat(500g, £45, 3" thick) and its quite comfy for sleeping on the ground in the warmer months as there is enough padding to keep me from touching the ground. It inflates without too much lung grease and comes with a repair kit which will inevitably be needed. Anything like cold weather and it needs boosting-I use a thin foam mat. I couldn't, and still can't get my head round parting with a ton for a Neo air.

Have you tried topping the self inflating mat up with more air? My friends Vango is not supportive unless he tops it up and hes not a heavy bloke.

 

[AussieVic]

Hi tups93, I think that adding a second mat will be good for insulation, but I don't think it will do much for comfort. I've had a couple of self inflating mats over the years, and from my experience a slightly thicker (approx 5 or 6 cm – 2 inch ish) mat will be more comfortable than the thinner mats. Of course these are more bulky and heavy if you’re intending to carry them.

I also think that some brands are better than others, at least in my experience, so trying another brand may be better. Personally I’ve found the Thremarest brand the best for me (no affiliations etc) – and yes it does cost a bit more than some of the other brands, but its comfortable for me and it gets quite a bit of use.

I seem to have 2 types of friends that I camp with, those that like these mats and those who don’t. I suspect that the shape of some people or the way they lie, just doesn’t suit some mattresses ?

A friend has just bought one of the newer style mats like the neoair (can’t remember exactly which brand), which he claims is vastly superior to the older type of mats like I have. Personally I don’t want to know this because I’m happy with my mat and don’t want to have to buy a another …. But perhaps when its time to buy a new mat I’ll have a closer look.

Good luck - If you can’t sleep well, its hard to be happy camping.

 

[tups93]

cheers for the help guys,

im trying to stay away from airbeds,

think ill give the Dutch army mat a try and see how i get on and if i have no joy then ill maybe try an airbed.

cheers once again

 

[Rabbitsmacker]

i have a cheapo mat that is quite heavy but still holds my weight, 15 stone also. got it from tkmaxx, might be a trekmates one can't remember. but just bought a mates thermarest prolite regular. as light as a feather and supports well, needs to be topped up tho. i couldn't tell much difference between the thermarest and a foam roll matt once on the rucksack, very impressed, but have to say, roll mat and air matress, very comfy! lol

 

[PDA1]

+1 on Tepee - Although the mat "self inflates", you need to blow a few breaths into it to achieve sufficient pressure to support a body. For ultimate comfort, get a hammock.

 

[Chrisj]

+1 on Tepee - Although the mat "self inflates", you need to blow a few breaths into it to achieve sufficient pressure to support a body. For ultimate comfort, get a hammock.

I'd second that. I have an old Thermarest Guidelite and if you just leave it to self inflate it is way to soft to give any support and just squashes when you lie on it. If you blow some extra air into it though it is really comfy and warm. It works really well between the layers of my dd hammock as well.

 

[ged]

I think you just need to keep trying things to find what works for you. Some people need more than others with sleeping.

When I sleep I don't really notice what I'm lying on, even if it's granite. A guy who once worked for me when we were doing a lot of flying around the USA fixing problems said he thought I could sleep on a clothes line, because I could always curl up in a seat on the 'plane and get a couple of hours kip. He never could do that.

I do find that being dog tired helps me sleep no matter where I am. No surprise there really. Why not try doing some hard physical exercise during the day, or failing that staying up all night partying?

Having said that I've used a couple of Thermarest mats for literally decades and they've always done the job for me. I've recently tried a cheap Closed Cell Foam mat from Yeoman Outdoor and it's fine too, but it's very bulky compared to my 3/4 length Thermarest which packs down to about the size of a one-litre Nalgene bottle. The only reason I got the CCF mat was so I could keep it in the car permanently for emergencies.

One of the best nights camping I've had in years was at North Wood a few months ago. Usually I take a motorcycle but for some reason I needed to take the car, so I happened to have a wool blanket with me because I always keep one in the car. Just for the hell of it I folded it up and put it on top of my Thermarest. It was lovely and cosy, and except for not usually having a spare blanket handy I can't think why I've never done that before.

 

[lab72]

+3 what Tepee said.

 

[tups93]

cheers for all the help guys,

the only real problem im having is im a poor student and have already spent money on this mat i dont really want to go buying more mats, plus i like the size it folds down too, means i can fit my sleeping bag and mat beside each other in the bottom of my rucksack, i was thinking if i go for the foam roll mat ill just either roll it round my tent or roll in inside my tent and carry it since ill be carrying my tent anyway. So thats why i was asking about foam mats either under or on top of the self inflating dooda.

I have read this over a few times and i think it sounds quite arsey i dont mean it to come across that way.

cheers once again folks youve been a great help.

it may sound like im being cheap but im sure some of you understand where im coming from regarding not wanting to spend out more money on other mats.

 

[tups93]

Ive tried topping it up but it didnt seem to make much difference, i think the real problem im having is with all my excitment of seeing it for not very much money i dodnt relise how thin it was. That will teach me to read things more carefully.

 

[Sniper]

tups93 I have a closed cell roll mat you can borrow to try out beneath your inflatable, your welcome to pick it up anytime as we appear to be neighbours. Like others have intimated though are you giving the inflatable one a few breaths to get it fully inflated as I found the same thing when I tried mine out the first couple of times.
BTW whereabouts in Sunny Saltcoats are you, I'm up the top end just off Sannox

 

[tups93]

cheers for the offer sniper i might take you up on that,

Im pretty much across from the Apollo.

But spend pretty much all my time at my fiancees in Ardrossan

 

[Sniper]

No problem mate It's here anytime you want it. We'll have to meet up at some point it's good to have another in the area.

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

I have the very same Vango and when i fill it a little its spot on for me and im 17 1/2!stone. It may seem a daft thing to say but check the ground your putting it on as that makes a huge difference.