World's lightest camping mat?

[Wallenstein]

Interesting concept!

A "skeleton" camping mat with cutouts around a main frame.

Weighs a shade over 9oz and packs down very small.

Hard to say whether it'd be warm - on the one hand the cut-out spaces will allow sleeping bags to loft, but you may also get air movement underneath which could wick heat away.

Costs will be about $99.

http://www.trailspace.com/blog/2010/08/05/outdoor-retailer-klymit.html

 

[trekkingnut]

she says 3 season... guessing the r rating would be less than 2.5 then... not bad though.... be very keen to test it out at some point.

 

[JonathanD]

Hmmm, I'm far from convinced that it would work. Seems more like a gimmick.

 

[Shewie]

I thought the idea of a mat was to insulate, if there's whacking great holes in how does that work ?

Always happy to be proved wrong with new gear though, anyone getting one to try ?

 

[trekkingnut]

I thought the idea of a mat was to insulate, if there's whacking great holes in how does that work ?

Always happy to be proved wrong with new gear though, anyone getting one to try ?

wont be getting one, not allowed to use inflatable or self inflating mats in the jungle. too many issues associated,. however, the idea in theory, is that the gaps in the mat allow the loft in your sleeping bag to be at maximum therefore you wouldnt be losing any body heat through convection. this is something that i am sure will be tested heavily. like the neo air.

 

[Shewie]

But when you move about in the night wouldn't there be flat and stretched parts of your doss bag, I get the theory but can't see how it can work unless you're completey static all night.

Just out of interest, what are the issues with inflatable mats in the jungle ? You'll never catch me near a jungle but I was just curious.

 

[JonathanD]

Sharp spikey stuff everywhere. Sharp, spikey biting, penetrating spikey stuff. There's the spikes too.

 

[trekkingnut]

mainly that everything in the jungle is sharp... so they get popper very easily. cant really use them in a hammock as well, cause id never sleep on the floor. they are just all around less practical, they end up getting filled with loads of moisture from the humidity, not robust enough, if they pop you are screwed (expeds usually last six months) so closed cell foam is better.

 

[Wallenstein]

I thought the idea of a mat was to insulate, if there's whacking great holes in how does that work ?

Always happy to be proved wrong with new gear though, anyone getting one to try ?

The insulation is provided partly by the fact you're not lying on the ground - not only is the floor cold (so conducts heat away from the body), but your bag gets compressed so doesn't insulate. Although a normal sleeping mat still compresses your bag, it's less conductive than the floor so you don't get as cold.

With this mat you might still loose some heat to air convection, but this should be no worse that the top or sides of your sleeping bag, so you should stay warm (especially in a tent where there's lower airflow anyway)?

 

[Shewie]

Sharp spikey stuff everywhere. Sharp, spikey biting, penetrating spikey stuff. There's the spikes too.

mainly that everything in the jungle is sharp... so they get popper very easily. cant really use them in a hammock as well, cause id never sleep on the floor. they are just all around less practical, they end up getting filled with loads of moisture from the humidity, not robust enough, if they pop you are screwed (expeds usually last six months) so closed cell foam is better.

Yep that would make sense, I don't suppose there much call for them in the jungle anyway as most folk are in hammocks anyway like you say.

The insulation is provided partly by the fact you're not lying on the ground - not only is the floor cold (so conducts heat away from the body), but your bag gets compressed so doesn't insulate. Although a normal sleeping mat still compresses your bag, it's less conductive than the floor so you don't get as cold.

With this mat you might still loose some heat to air convection, but this should be no worse that the top or sides of your sleeping bag, so you should stay warm (especially in a tent where there's lower airflow anyway)?

Not disputing what you're saying but what happens when you roll over onto your side and you shove your shoulder through the big hole. At least with a full mat, even though the doss bag is compressed, you'd still get insulation underneath.

It'll be good to read some reviews of how folk get on with them eventually.

 

[Toddy]

I think the balloon bed would be simpler and lighter too tbh.

Since the balloons can be bought dirt cheap (buy the ones for the balloon modellers not the recommended ones. just put one inside another and it strengthens the whole thing) and are disposable, I reckon that that should manage in the jungle hammock too. Just stitch on a pocket either end or strapings on the base. No ?

cheers,
Toddy

 

[trekkingnut]

I think the balloon bed would be simpler and lighter too tbh.

Since the balloons can be bought dirt cheap (buy the ones for the balloon modellers not the recommended ones. just put one inside another and it strengthens the whole thing) and are disposable, I reckon that that should manage in the jungle hammock too. Just stitch on a pocket either end or strapings on the base. No ?

cheers,
Toddy

had a look, never heard of these before, sounds quite exciting for adventure races i have to say. but when it said, enough balloons provided for three outtings... i work out there for six months! i would have to carry masses of spares around and i would be buggered if the pump broke. rather stick to "simple stupid" things to make sure that i can carry on working without having to worry about equipment failure.

tempted for adventure racing though... pretty cheap at 20 quid as well...

 

[Danceswithhelicopters]

Lets play, "find the Argon gas supplier..."

 

[Toddy]

The balloons the bed comes with are expensive. I watched a balloon modeller at one of the parks days and got talking to her. I mentioned the balloon bed and it's limitations.......and I quote, "How Much ???? I buy them at 200 for a fiver, and that's the good quality ones."
So they're out there, somewhere, at a reasonable price The girl just used one of those hand sized pumps to blow them up, only took seconds per balloon. It was she who said one inside the other, and promptly demonstrated by having an eighteen stone man sit on a curled up like a doughnut balloon, and it didn't bust, even when he bounced on it.

cheers,
M

 

[trekkingnut]

The balloons the bed comes with are expensive. I watched a balloon modeller at one of the parks days and got talking to her. I mentioned the balloon bed and it's limitations.......and I quote, "How Much ???? I buy them at 200 for a fiver, and that's the good quality ones."
So they're out there, somewhere, at a reasonable price The girl just used one of those hand sized pumps to blow them up, only took seconds per balloon. It was she who said one inside the other, and promptly demonstrated by having an eighteen stone man sit on a curled up like a doughnut balloon, and it didn't bust, even when he bounced on it.

cheers,
M

again all sounds good, for adventure racing or possibly uk based but not for an exped of that length.

 

[Toddy]

No idea tbh........ask Stuart, or BOD. Stuart lives in the jungle for months at a time and BOD lives so close to it that he spends a lot of time in it. They both have a lot of connections with jungle dwellers, who presumably don't use either balloon beds or closed cell mats.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[trekkingnut]

No idea tbh........ask Stuart, or BOD. Stuart lives in the jungle for months at a time and BOD lives so close to it that he spends a lot of time in it. They both have a lot of connections with jungle dwellers, who presumably don't use either balloon beds or closed cell mats.

cheers,
Toddy

hahah i dont NEED any of them. im happy using closed cell and im sure they'll agree thats best anway. i think we have both hijacked this persons forum and just started out own debate at cross purposes. lets leave them in peace.

 

[Shewie]

All this talk of balloons has got me thinking about all sorts of stuff for round camp. One which is really daft is a cotton shopping bag filled with balloons to use as a seat or cushion. The pan support was a bad one.

 

[Tengu]

I think Id prefer a balloon bed too

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

I saw a (I think Aussie army issue) mattress.
it was literally a 2 layered nylon sheet sewn together in areas to make pocket shapes.
the idea being that you fill the pockets with grass to make your bed.
sounds very much like the balloon idea!