Sleeping mats self inflate vs Foam

[Harb505]

I am mainly a summer/autumn camper and tend to just sleep on the ground under a tree (3 season moisture resistant bag keeps me warm and dry)...But with winter coming and a friend wanting to take me up to the peak district I figure a sleeping roll might be in order but I'm a bit torn as what to buy:; foam sleeping roll - cheap, functional and fairly light. Self inflater - 4 times the price and not sure what the advantages are.
Oh and one other question are there any water proofing treatments for sleeping bags?
Thanks for your time

 

[Toddy]

I grew up when a blanket and a bit of oilskin underneath was considered an ample sufficiency.
Then came the closed cell mats, and we thought them absolutely brilliant
Airbeds were heavy rubberised canvas and needed a pump and they leaked....but in came the self inflatable ones and they were very, very good indeed.
Now we have down filled ones and, trust me on this, it's like night and day they're actually *warm* underneath you

Winter time ? Even a cheap self inflatable one is better than the closed cell on it's own. If you're not carrying it far, take both.....or beg or borrow a friend's down mat

If the site's good for it then you can always make a bed from heather, myrtle, pine boughs or the like, but it's a lot easier just taking the mat along.

Hope it's a good trip

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Harb505]

Or as an alternative to the water proofing can any one recommend a good bivy bag for less that £50 (not bothered if its hooped or draw string)
Thanks again

 

[Harb505]

Thanks for the advice Toddy ... so how badly would a down mat batter my wallet?

 

[Toddy]

Think of it as your Christmas *and* birthday present

Not cheap, but if you can carry it easily, appreciate the comfort and can afford it (or can persuade someone else to do if for you) it's worth the difference

cheers,
Toddy

p.s. Fabsil provides a relatively good waterproofing on a bag, but mind that you don't compromise the breathability too much. Sodden wet and sweaty is not comfortable.
M

 

[Wayne]

Toddy is spot on a good sleeping mat is priceless. I spend slot of time under canvas and really notice the difference between different mats. For overseas expeds I use a cheap £10 decathlon ultra lightweight mat. It works but you know your going to be less warm and comfortable. I have tried the down mats and would like one and will eventually get round to replacing my leaking fat alric.

 

[Harb505]

Well just had a look around online and found a Alpkit 'Hunka' bivi for £30 which I'll probably invest in (not bothered about storage space) and has anyone got an opinion on the Eped 'DownMat 7' it's £130 -but I'm hopfully geting a £600+ christmas bonus

 

[Harb505]

Exped DownMat 7 sorry

 

[Robbi]

i use the Artiach skin-mat ....here... http://www.torpedo7.com.au/products/ARMASNNSM really very good and comfy. ( ignore the price in the link !! )

i'm actually going to use it with my recently aquired bed roll, between the blanket and the outer layer, should be REALLY comfy and warm

 

[Toddy]

I have the exped down mat It's brilliant.
Wide enough to allow me to turn over and not fall off and if anything too long for me (I'm only 5'2") so my feet and lower legs stay warm too

It seems like a footer to blow it up (mine has the integral valves that you use your hands to press air into the down) but I very quickly got the hang of it

Alpkit get a good rep, but I haven't tried those mats.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Wayne]

My al kit fat alrics leaked within the first month. They were thick enough that the hassle of sending them back didn't seem worth it. My other al kit purchases have all been good.

 

[salad]

If like you say you are a 3 season camper the ermm something like this would be suitable http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=81037&highlight= not trying to push something I have for sale but it seems to fit what you described . I used to have an exped down mat which was excellent and warm and comfortable however I found that if I used it in a bivi bag then everything became a bit tight as they are quite thick and I am quite big. I am now using a thermarest prolite plus which I use for both winter and summer and it fits in my bivi bag with me just fine . the prolite 3 I have for sale is the same shape just thinner and designed for 3 season use .

 

[Jimmy Bojangles]

Last time I went out I took a strip of foam I cut form an old sofa cushion, and it was by far the best nights sleep I've ever had outdoors. Even with my friend waking me up to tell me he felt sick. ***, he's 33 and had drank 10 cans, why tell me? Lol anyway I digress, I cut a 2 strips about an inch thick and gaffer taped them together so they were long enough to go from shoulders to knees, and lay that on my foam mat. For travel I rolled the foam up in my mat and as it compresses it hardly added any more bulk. It worked so well I'm thinking of ordering a roll of inch thick foam to make it a proper job.

If you've any old cushions or a local upholsterer (they're always happy to unload some old foam) it's well worth a go.

Cheers

Mat

 

[dwardo]

I have two cheap gelert mats, one three quater and one full length. I use both in winter with the 3/4 in my bivi and the full length under me.
I would love one of the posh expeds but the thing that worrys me is getting an stray ember on the matt and loosing £130 instantly. I know its only a possability but it has happened to me twice already

 

[tartanferret]

Have you tried your local army surplus for a mat?

I got a 3/4 length self inflater the other day, brand new in a stuff sack for £15, i cant tell if its any good though as santa claus is keeping it for a xmas present.

Hopefully it wont leak all the time like my "Irosa" branded mat, (cheap thing).

They usually sell ex-military bivi bags too, can be quite reasonable if you dont mind a squaddies name and bloodgroup scribbled on them,

 

[blacktimberwolf]

I prefer foam mats when backpacking, they're lighter in weight ( 300g as opposed to around a kilo for a self inflating ) & I don't really trust inflatable things, they have a tendancy to leak & deflate, then they are absolutly useless.....
I only use inflatable mats when family camping in campsites but my foam mat is always near by..............just in case.

 

[Toddy]

I worried about them leaking.......it comes with a wee repair kit, just in case. I've been using mine for several years now and it doesn't even soften and go down when up for days on end, let alone leak.
Maybe I got lucky, but a search shows incredibly few complaints.

It's not a kilo weight either, but tbh, the extra warmth underneath means I don't need so much weight on top iimmc.
The comfort, and small packability, factors alone make it worth while carrying.

Each to their own though.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[blacktimberwolf]

It's not a kilo weight either,

I wasn't refering to the exped down mat but the more "run of the mill" S.I. matresses such as Thermarest which are around a kilo, give or take a 100 grammes.

 

[Toddy]

The Lidl's copy 'thermarest' that we have is foam lined. Even when it's been eaten by mice the foam layer still made it comfortable.
I don't know if the thermarest ones are though

cheers,
Toddy

 

[salad]

I wasn't refering to the exped down mat but the more "run of the mill" S.I. matresses such as Thermarest which are around a kilo, give or take a 100 grammes.

.

Me and the missus first invested in some large thermarest mats about 6 years ago, we tend to only use these ones for car camping thesedays. They have been great , the only time I had to repair one was when I put a knife through one when I was at home. I now use a more light weight thermarest for treking and that has been great too . I am well happy to recommend them as I have only had good experiences all of our mats get well used