self-inflating camping mats - worth the extra?

[lamper]

Yeah they actually. They do seem a little heavy compared to the Thermarest, but I like the idea of down rather than foam...

The 3 season ones coem in at about £100, so a good 20-30 more than the thermarest....

 

[gregorach]

they do not weigh less but they are far smaller. personally i don’t like them, they leak through the valves after a while and there is always the risk of puncturing it. also i find inflating and packing away a pain.

foam mats may be bulky but there is nothing that can go wrong and they are cheep!



pete

Well, I've never had any of my genuine Thermarest mats leak through the valves... As for punctures, what the heck are you people doing with your mats? I may smoke in my beloved Rab down bag whilst lying on a Thermarest, but I do it very carefully.

Still, each to his own. Personally, I wouldn't go back to a closed-cell mat for any money.

 

[Toddy]

I've gone the full gamut over the years from a set of ground scrapes and a blanket, to the karrimat to the airbed to the Thermarest to the Exped Down.

I still have all of them but the down mat wins hands down. I preferred the Vango karrimat that folds though to the one that rolls up.

If I lost or killed my down mat tomorrow I'd buy another, it really is that good

cheers,
Toddy

 

[John Fenna]

So good she posted twice!

 

[Tengu]

I have a lilo and am very happy.

Ive never got on with self inflating mats, the cheap ones are too thin

 

[Toddy]

So good she posted twice!

Ah, but I fixed that

The Mods screen looks just like everyone else's but we have extra buttons......that just look like everyone else's.....and I'm a computer clutz

The down mat is that good right enough though.
I thought it really expensive and I don't think I'd have happily coughed up for it myself, but having been given one as a present, oh it's worth it


Asa, you're young and the budget is tight, the closed cell foam mats are really sound bits of kit. When you're feeling richer, the thermarest (or the knock offs, Lidl's had one at under £15 and HWMBLT thinks it's excellent) are really good. I'm just spoiled.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Oblio13]

I think I've used almost everything out there:

Natural materials: Can be comfortable, but take time to assemble and can get sap on your sleeping bag. Not always available.

Military closed-cell: Very light. Bulky. Not comfortable unless you use two.

Ridgerest: Light but bulky. Not particularly comfortable or warm. Difficult to wrestle flat if it's been rolled tightly.

Z-rest: What I've settled on for when ounces count. Bulky, but less so than Ridgerest. Carried one on a trek across the Andes. Not particularly comfortable or warm, but I was so tired every night that it didn't really matter.

Thermarest: I've used several models of these for years. Comfortable and warm. I don't trust them completely after having had one fail irreparably on an extended Alaska trip. I was miserably cold for ten nights in a row.

Hammock: My warm-weather favorite, getting off the ground and dispensing with a ground pad altogether. Had a Hennessy, now I have a Clark. I've used them in Africa, the Amazon, and all over North America in the summer. Great rain and mosquito protection, no worries about ants, scorpions, spiders, rocks, puddles or uneven ground.

Downmat: What Toddy said. Very heavy, very expensive. Worth every penny and every ounce for winter camping. I can't remember the model I have, but it weighs five pounds, which is more than my sleeping bag and tarp combined. I usually snowshoe pulling a plastic sled. I make camp by simply emptying my other gear from the sled and unrolling the downmat in it. With a piece of canvas over the top, I sleep through bitter temps with only my face cold. If I prop up the canvas to reflect the heat of a fire, it's literally as comfortable as snoozing on the sofa at home in front of the fireplace.

The older I get, the more comfort means to me, and the more I appreciate a good night's sleep. So in summary: Warm weather: Hammock. Backpacking: Hammock or Z-rest. Canoe or car camping: Hammock or Downmat. Winter: Downmat.

 

[Karl5]

The older I get, the more comfort I need to get a good nights sleep.

Started out with a cheapo closed cell mat, and slept well on that. Mind you, I always had to "un-crick" all of my joints in the morning.
"Found" the Thermarest about 15 years ago, and there was no going back to the cell mat after that. The Thermarest type mats are just that much more comfortable.
3 years ago, the downmat found a home at my place. You won't find anything comfier or warmer than that. Much too heavy to lug around, though. And to be honest, it's uber-expensive. Still, wouldn't want to be without it when I don't have to cary my pack.

To sum it up:
Carrying my load - Thermarest
Not carrying my load - Downmat

/ Karl

 

[drewdunnrespect]

why not just buy a hammock and under blanket and stuff sleepong on the ground

 

[gregorach]

Perhaps because a lot of places have no trees?

 

[calibanzwei]

I tend to go places where there are plenty of trees all on 45 degree slopes - might try this hammocking lark

 

[verloc]

The downmats are awesome - I am a big fan. I buy things to be used and over the past 18montsh I have abused and battered this mat - it even survived a run in with the dog (the dry bag didnt fare quite so well). I suppose its the same with any bit of kit - you use what your willing to pay for - Ive made a couple of purchases that I have not been happy but when its a freezing cold Angus night and im toasty in my bag, I have never once regretted paying the extra for the downmat.

Not sure which downmat your using Oblio13 but 5lbs (2.2ish KG) that sounds really heavy, my downmat 7short only weighs about 700g which puts it amongst the thernarests i think, even the uber (car/bike/sled etc etc tourer) downmat 9 DLX comes in at under 1.4kg.

So in answer - yes they are worth the extra unless you dont have / dont want to spend the extra then I suppose they are not

 

[Elines]

The Facewest site has a comparison of mats at:

http://www.facewest.co.uk/Rollmats-Comparison-Chart.html

The top of the range models (on a like for like basis (almost)) are the standard Neoair and fhe Exped downmat 7

An extract from the Facewest table shows:

Neoair

Reg 410g
Reg 51 x 183 x 6.3cm
packed size TBC
Warmth 6/10
Comfort 8/10
Price £95.99

Downmat 7 Pump

Std 975g
Std 7x178x52cm
packed size Std 723x16cm (?something wrong here I think, with the723)
Warmth 9/10
Comfort 9/10
Price £110

So this suggests:

For comfort go Exped downmat, but at a bit higher price

For a blend of lower price, lighter weight (and probably smaller packed size) but not quite so comfortable/warm - go Neo air.

I have no practical experience of either - does anyone and they can draw a direct comparison?

 

[kata]

Take a look at alpkits range I use the slim Airic and am very pleased with it, thermarest performance for not many £...... http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=category&category_id=253

 

[jimford]

Take a look at alpkits range I use the slim Airic and am very pleased with it, thermarest performance for not many £...... http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=category&category_id=253

I have a 'Fat' Airic that I use when camping out of the boot of the car. I'ts very comfortable.

Jim

 

[Silverclaws]

I got a couple of self inflating mats at the weekend from that horrible outlet, Mountain warehouse. The mats were attractive because of their price and the fact that they folded in half and packed measured no more than about a foot long by half a foot wide/ diameter and weigh 500 grams. The price was a penny under £25. Anyway, seeing this thread here, one of them is going back to the shop today for a replacement, as no instructions were supplied with the units. I say this, because one of them is broke, it developed a big bubble half way down, caused by someone blowing air into the thing to top it up, but I think too much puff was used. Anyways, neither of us had used these things before, so did'nt know how to use them, set them up, so maybe we wrecked it, but then no instructions.

The mat, is a Mountainlife ultimate mat 2 in cobalt. I gave my mat, the unbroken one to my pal, as he was off to Wales, I took the U/S one and will get it changed, but on the whole, am happy with the purchase.

 

[gregorach]

You shouldn't be able to blister a mat just by blowing it up - that's a sign that the outer skin is separating from the inner foam. I've seen it happen with quality mats left out in the sun - the heat and the pressure caused by the expansion of the air inside can cause the glue to fail. If you didn't leave it out in the sun, it's a manufacturing defect.

 

[Tubbyfraser]

I have a Multimat Expedition 25/38.

British designed and used at the South Pole - this is from their website:

"Our Multimats retained remarkable efficiency all the way through. I would strongly recommend anyone venturing into the wilderness to take a Multimat - it is most definitely up to the challenge."

Captain Sean Chapple Royal Marines
Expedition Leader, South Pole 2007 www.polarquest.co.uk

It packs down very small yet is full length. It is narrower than some but I'm a tubby 6 footer and it's just fine. Surprisingly comfortable and feels very robust in the way of material construction. I note that the SRP is £80 which delighted me as I got mine for £50 but can't remember where .

The small stuffsack that it comes in has a durable fleece lining so if you turn it inside out and stick an item of clothing in, you get a grand pillow (if you're soft enough to admit using one like me).

I do like the Alpkit Fat Airic as well - it's a huge upgrade from the Standard Airic .
.
Multimat website here: http://www.multimat.uk.com/product.asp?Ref=4&Label=Expedition&Nav=1&ProductRef=31

Cheers,
Graeme