what sleeping mat?

[Rabbitsmacker]

Hi everyone,

could i ask for your advice on a sleeping mat? was looking at a ridgerest type mat as i've heard they are of good quality, and have always been a bit dubious about self inflating mats after watching my mates swearing and verbally abusing theirs back into the rucksack.
however, i have got a bit of a bad back and wondered if inflated mats were a better option.

pro's and con's please, and suggest some makes and models, full size or 3/4, all the details if you can.

cheers all
Rob

 

[stooboy]

during the winter i use a alpkit regular airic, its full length and although good, and very robust (no punctures) its a bit on the large size, in the summer i use a blacks thermarest clone that's 3/4 length and packs down small.

i may toy with the idea of getting a exped down mat very pricey but considered the mutts nuts by a load of folks on here..

i never really faulted the thick foam ex army mat i had but i kept chopping it down for sit mats or to get on the plane to take to bushmoot and it didn't come back (bin'ed before peeps ask!)

 

[oscari]

I have used allsorts over the years and eventually went to hammocks as the mats just weren't thick enough.They were great at insulating from the cold ground but did little to even out the hardness.I found a large inflating thermarest copy from gelert 50mm thick and extra wide and long.This does the job perfectly,to protect it from sharp stones and twigs I put a closed cell mat down first.I sleep better on this set up than I do in my own bed.

 

[Nat]

Airic all the way. Used one in -11 to -13 temps on ex at Catterick couple of weeks ago, no cold, no slipping off.

 

[Shewie]

Fat Airic if I'm car camping or canoeing and there's no trees for a hammock. 3/4 Thermarest for lightweight bivvy nights or warmer hammocking.

The secret to packing them is to roll them up to get all the air out, close the valve(s) and then drop it into your pack before anything else. All the rest of your gear then goes inside it.

 

[R3XXY]

I have the 5cm Gelert mat, it was cheap but a little bulky, well worth taking if comfort is high in your priorities though. I've had back problems after fracturing 4 vertabrae, two in my neck and two in the middle of my back.

I think it does an amazingly good job of levelling out rough ground, and insulates very well.

I've never had any trouble getting mine back in my pack, I took shewie's advice. At 50cm wide though you'll need a big backpack, it fits my longback PLCE bergen perfectly.

3/4 length should be ok if you sleep on your side with your knees tucked up.

Vango do a good 3/4 length mat that packs up really small.

The only ache I get when sleeping rough is in my top hip (I sleep on my side), putting some sort of pillow between my knees prevents it.

See if you can find a shop where they'll let you try a few out.

As others have said, apparently the Exped Downmats are amazing.

 

[Barn Owl]

Yet to use my expedition down mat but it packs down great.

Have been using both the normal airic and wee airic in the past year and both work well.

 

[Fizzy]

Another vote for the Airic. My latest was the Fat Airic which I got on special. Great for car camping, but if you're looking to carry, I guess it's down to which give you the best balance between comfort and size/weight

 

[forestwalker]

could i ask for your advice on a sleeping mat? was looking at a ridgerest type mat as i've heard they are of good quality, and have always been a bit dubious about self inflating mats after watching my mates swearing and verbally abusing theirs back into the rucksack.
however, i have got a bit of a bad back and wondered if inflated mats were a better option.

I have a ridgerest and like it. Basically (the way I see it) if you want to pack it into the pack the inflatables are the only way to go, but if you are willing to have stuff on the outside then one (or even two) of the closed cell foam mats are ideal. What I like is the indestructability (unless you toss it on he fire, what is going to happen?) and simplicity.

ObCato; or a thick reindeer hide, but those are not ideal for everyone, and have their drawbacks (wet being their main problem; if you like to plonk the mat down on the wet ground when making lunch don't use a reindeer hide)

 

[Toddy]

A vote for the Exped down mat
Mine was bought for me as a Christmas present, I freely admit I'd have had to think hard on it to spend the money otherwise, and if I hadn't tried one, though.

I think you might be best to have a really good think about what you need and what you'll use it for.
Forestwalker's comment makes a lot of sense; those closed cell mats are still bombproof excellent bits of kit. Their only drawback is bulk.
If you can get enough brash and the like underneath one, they become a padded, dry, insulating layer. It works and they're as cheap as chips.

The inflatables save the bother of finding the brash, but oh some of them can be cold. They absorb body heat and instead of storing it they pass it straight on into the ground Very comfortable though, and if you sleep warmish a brilliant bit of kit. Car camping I found a vast improvement by taking one of the closed cell mats along to use with one of the early inflatables.

The down mats are not only lightweight inflatable padding, but they're warm underneath too.

If you can guarantee to be someplace cold enough then the reindeer skins seem to be unbeatable , otherwise they shed like mad, get smelly when they get warmed up beyond cold and generally are more bother to store than most of us in the temperate regions could be bothered with.

Horses for courses, you can make the ground comfortable to sleep on with a little effort and forethought, people have done so for millenia; we're spoiled rotten these days

atb,
Toddy

 

[Melonfish]

I've got the Gelert inflatable Xtreme, 3/4 took it out in january i'm a side sleeper with my knee's tucked so this thing worked well!
mind that was in a tent, next test is in my bivi at the end of this month
about 500g so pretty good overall

 

[andybysea]

I use either a Airic slim,a karrimat(the old two ply type)or a cheap gelert inflatible or a combo
depending what im sleeping on(ground conditions) and what the weather's like.

 

[helixpteron]

For over a year, I've been sleeping each night on a 25mm closed cell foam mat without an inflatable mattress.

When I travel, I use my Multimat Summit XL 12mm closed cell foam mat and a large Thermarest NeoAir.

 

[scrogger]

For Summer use a 3/4 thermarest 10 years old and after a leaking valve I thought it was terminal so bought an exped downmat as I had been looking at them for a while.

I actually sent the Thermarest back to the manufacturer and thought I would just get a nice letter back. It came back cleaned and as good as new.

The Exped is wayyyyyyyyy more comfy and for winter just so much warmer it actually allows me to use a slightly lighter doss bag. I do wonder wether it will last as long as the thermarest though, I doubt it but hope to be prooved wrong.

The thermrest is still my choice for summer/spring combined with about 50 cm of a roll mat which extends it but also doubles as a sit mat etc.

 

[PREPER]

I have been using a 3/4 highlander and a full length mat from Decathlon both less than £20.
I use a German Army groundsheet or a cut down IPK sheet underneath to protect/keep them clean. Never had any problems. Hope this helps,

PREPER............

 

[Tengu]

I use a £2.99 lilo.

 

[PREPER]

I use a £2.99 lilo.

I suppose you could borrow one. Cost £0

PREPER..........

 

[forestwalker]

For over a year, I've been sleeping each night on a 25mm closed cell foam mat without an inflatable mattress.

For comfort I sometimes carry both a 14 mm traditional foam pad and a ridegrest. Pure comfort.

 

[Rabbitsmacker]

wow! lots or replies! thank you for your intelligent advice, look forward to seeing what else comes out of the suggestions. thanks everyone.

 

[jamin]

i also use a 3/4 light weight therma rest. even been 6 foot 4 its not to short. easy to put away and not to bad to sleep on. better than not having it to sleep on