Author Topic: Sleep Mat  (Read 1352 times)

myxpyr

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Sleep Mat
« on: 19:27:41, 10/09/19 »
Well, I managed to get to the Cairngorms for a few days and spent a night in Bob Scotts bothy. Must say, had I not been looking for it I think you could easily miss it.
Anyway I used my rather old(twenty years) Thermarest mat. I don't know if the mat was "worn out" or whether age has rendered me less tolerant of lying on wooden floors but it was not a comfortable night >:(
I'd be interested to hear if others have any recommendations for such things.

fernman

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Re: Sleep Mat
« Reply #1 on: 19:46:03, 10/09/19 »
Similar to my Thermarest which I binned at 19 years old. It was no longer as "spongey" as it used to be, while its surfaces had become highly polished.

I just know you'll get lots of recommendations for a replacement. My choice is a Multimat Superlite, available in short or standard lengths. I don't think mine is going to last anything like 19 years but I'm happy with it..

gunwharfman

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Re: Sleep Mat
« Reply #2 on: 19:46:10, 10/09/19 »
If you mean that you were cold and you want to keep using it for a while, the 'old tramps trick' is the cheapest way of solving the problem, newspaper pages under the mattress.

If you want to buy a new one, I only have experience of Thermarest products. Mine is a Neo Air, I find it very comfortable and to date, I've never been cold sleeping on it. It's not self-inflating (I use a low tech method to inflate it, a plastic bag pushed over the valve, rolled and the air squeezed into it) but if you want the self-inflating type the choice seems to be, their thin one or their thick one. I have a thin one a Prolite, its works well but for comfortable sleeping, I have to tweak the air pressure, too much air and it's like sleeping on concrete, too little and because I sleep on my side my iliac crest gets painful.

richardh1905

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Re: Sleep Mat
« Reply #3 on: 19:54:20, 10/09/19 »
For 3 season use I use a cheapo Lidl lightweight blow up mattress, 6cm thick, comfy, 500g, does the job just fine. Similar to this offering from Decathlon, but not tapered - https://www.decathlon.co.uk/trek-700-l-mattress-yellow-id_8493395.html

Wouldn't recommend it for winter use though, due to lack of any kind of foam insulation. Could be a bit cold.
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

Patrick1

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Re: Sleep Mat
« Reply #4 on: 11:56:33, 11/09/19 »
I think the development of lightweight air mattresses over the last decade or so has revolutionised camp sleeping comfort. Go and try a few in an outdoor shop - you may be surprised. We've stuck with thermarest - their neoair venture is the budget option and is very comfortable and, despite being one of their heavier air mattresses, is still significantly lighter than their old self inflating foam mattresses. Spend a little bit more and a neoair xlite adds some insulation and drops the weight and pack size significantly to something which is about the same size and weight as a can of coke but which offers a really very comfortable night's sleep.

andyapanel

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Re: Sleep Mat
« Reply #5 on: 13:17:32, 12/09/19 »
I have used a Thermarest Z light for several years; I would thoroughly recommend it.
I would not take an inflatable in case it developed a puncture.

vghikers

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Re: Sleep Mat
« Reply #6 on: 13:32:54, 12/09/19 »
Quote
I would not take an inflatable in case it developed a puncture.

If you've been accustomed to a non-inflatable, they might seem as fragile as a balloon at first but they're not - they're much tougher than they appear. We've used a few makes and designs over the years and never had any problems with the design. Any problems that do occur are far more likely to do with the valve.

gunwharfman

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Re: Sleep Mat
« Reply #7 on: 15:48:26, 12/09/19 »
I've bought three Thermarest's over the last few years and I agree with' vghikers,' they are 'much tougher than they appear.' My very first one came with a very slight leak (I found this out before I started a hike) and I sent it back and it was replaced almost immediately, that must have been 8 or 9 years ago. Since then none of my Thermarest mattresses have leaked. I always carry a repair kit with me though, 'just in case.'

Patrick1

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Re: Sleep Mat
« Reply #8 on: 17:01:00, 12/09/19 »
I would not take an inflatable in case it developed a puncture.


Mainly a concern, I'd have thought, if you're doing a long and truly remote hike. For the sort of walking most of us do I think the consequences of failure are minor enough to accept the very small risk. And if it does remain a concern then you could always carry some very thin and very light additional insulation just in case. I carry a mat sized folded sheet of reflective radiator insulation from a DIY store which weighs only a couple of tens of grams and doubles as my sit mat, goes under my thermarest for extra insulation anyway and is surprisingly warm. It provides minimal cushioning but if my thermarest did fail irrevocably in the night I'm happy it would be enough to keep me warm for the rest of the night, even if not terribly comfortable.

richardh1905

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Re: Sleep Mat
« Reply #9 on: 20:03:35, 12/09/19 »
That's a good idea, Patrick.
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

Snowman

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Re: Sleep Mat
« Reply #10 on: 22:35:43, 12/09/19 »
I have to state here that I was invited to join a well known online store's independent reviewer group.   On a recent camping trip my son's blow up bed failed so I looked to see if there were any 'sleeping mats' up for review.   There was so I requested it (it doesn't cost me so that it's clear I'm being upfront here).   However when it arrived I was quite impressed by what I'd been sent.   


I too have survived trials and tribulations (and quite a few fitful nights) on a Thermarest Lite, but this blow up I've been sent is potentially the answer to all that.  To start with it's a fraction of the packed size of the Thermarest Lite, at about 10" by 4" (diameter).  Add to that it provides significantly more padding than the 1 inch thickness of the sleeping mat, so my lad isn't getting it, I am.   It also has the advantage of not (apparently) needing to be kept inflated during storage at home, which was always a bugbear with the Thermarest.


Since this isn't a review for the online store I'm not divulging the brand name here, but suggesting that if you like a bit of comfort when camping out in the wilds, you take a good look at the options now available when it comes to what you sleep on.

fernman

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Re: Sleep Mat
« Reply #11 on: 09:12:59, 13/09/19 »
So we've got to look for one whose specs say it rolls up to 10" x 4"?
so my lad isn't getting it, I am.

 ;D


Got it, we've got to look for one whose specs say it rolls up to 10" x 4".

Snowman

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Re: Sleep Mat
« Reply #12 on: 21:23:34, 13/09/19 »
So we've got to look for one whose specs say it rolls up to 10" x 4"?
 ;D


Got it, we've got to look for one whose specs say it rolls up to 10" x 4".




Missing the point.   I'm pointing out that there are alternatives, that I personally will take advantage of because they are improvememts over what has become a 'standard'.   By all means look for a spec that states 10" x 4", however I wasn't suggesting that I had the best alternative, only that there are alternatives.

fernman

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Re: Sleep Mat
« Reply #13 on: 22:37:42, 13/09/19 »
Now you're talking in riddles  :)

The real point is that I am trying to find out which mat you were sent, a mat that impressed you so much, that you felt was superior to a Thermarest. Whatever it is, I want some of that! But I do understand your reluctance to tell the brand name, under the circumstances I would be the same, so when I have worked it out I won't broadcast it either.

Patrick1

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Re: Sleep Mat
« Reply #14 on: 10:33:48, 14/09/19 »
The real point is that I am trying to find out which mat you were sent, a mat that impressed you so much, that you felt was superior to a Thermarest. Whatever it is, I want some of that!
I think he's comparing it with one of the foam Thermarests, not the Thermarest Neoair series though.

 

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