Air mattress insulation

[zracer]

An electric blanket (12V) and a deep cycle battery should doer..

 

[racehorse]

that is an awesome idea... I have a memory foam topper begging to be repurposed.

Just bear in mind the colder it gets the harder the memory foam becomes - it loses it's softness when it gets really cold. I ditched my memory foam because it becomes hard in the cold. Exped, sleeping bags and sometimes the 12v electric blanket is my course now.

 

[gwittman]

I pace an Army blanket (wool) on top of the air mattress, place a good sleeping zero degree bag on that and another Army blanket on top. If it gets under 40 I wear some flannel PJ's with a hoody that I can pull near closed to keep my head and face warm. I have slept comfortably just a few degrees below 30 but that is about the limit. Anything colder would become uncomfortable but I have no desire to camp that cold anyway.
Before I get up I fire up a radiant heater to take the chill off before removing myself from the sleeping bag.

 

[justbecause]

I pace an Army blanket (wool) on top of the air mattress, place a good sleeping zero degree bag on that and another Army blanket on top. If it gets under 40 I wear some flannel PJ's with a hoody that I can pull near closed to keep my head and face warm. I have slept comfortably just a few degrees below 30 but that is about the limit. Anything colder would become uncomfortable but I have no desire to camp that cold anyway.
Before I get up I fire up a radiant heater to take the chill off before removing myself from the sleeping bag.

it was down to 12 when we were in new mexico. and the rtt condensated so badly it looked like a water gun fight. that was when I knew we had to find an alternative. We just got an Oz tent, so far I really like it, but I have to figure out a bed situation, the old backpacking inflatables arent cutting it. My high dollar big agnes never performed the way I think it should for the money, but now its non-op.

I do plan on using a mr. buddy heater. the great thing about the oz tent is that there is room for a footlocker, or box, or something I can put it on, the whole tent isnt a sleeping area.

 

[thethePete]

That Exped MegaMat Duo is designed to be large enough to sleep two people side by side and with an R value of 9.5 sounds like the ticket for our needs!! We have slept on a Coleman queen sized air mattress that is 10" thick and quite comfortable but does nothing to insulate from the cold.

This is the one we were looking at also, but MEC makes a version that's a fraction of the price and almost as warm. Purchased it and am thoroughly impressed with the footprint of it, and it's quite comfy on the floor. We'll see how it is camping this weekend.

 

[20DYNAMITE07]

wool blankets, two is about all you need between you and your air mattress

This...
Harbor Freight has 60"x80" wool blend blankets for $11 each. Wool is great. It will keep you warm, even when wet.
http://www.harborfreight.com/60-inch-x-80-inch-wool-blanket-92625.html

 

[Accrete]

my 2 bits...
As others have stated the lightweight backpacking insulated air mattresses work well. And also that the gel toppers get to be pretty much near-frozen planks at low temps.

In our van conversion we use two 25" x 78" Big Agnes Q-Core air pads on top of a Froli-Sleep System (the FSS was installed in 2010 used it since first night). We then use a combination of flat sheets and various down-alternative throws/blankets to keep comfy.

We have morphed the mattress from geltopper only, to gt over 4" futon, to futon over gt, and now simply the two Q-Core. We seem to be better able to maintain comfort at a wider range of temps with the Q-Core. This season will be the big test with nearly 40 nights planned off grid.

: ) thom

 

[Chickenhawk]

For me nothing beats my Paco pad. I do a lot of extended river trips. I use it on the river, in the camper, everywhere really hot or freezing temps. If you're looking for a warm blanket That is super compresable, check out the Woobie and Doobie from Kifaru.

 

[jk6661]

Just bear in mind the colder it gets the harder the memory foam becomes - it loses it's softness when it gets really cold. I ditched my memory foam because it becomes hard in the cold. Exped, sleeping bags and sometimes the 12v electric blanket is my course now.

How cold outside before the memory foam starts to get hard? Also, do you use a battery to power your electric blanket, and if so how large and how long does it last?

 

[toyotech]

That's why my memory foam is 2 inches foam and 2 inches memory. It does firm up when cool but I prefer a firm mattress anyways. I guess I never really noticed. My truck bed pretty well insulated. Below. Sides and top.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[fiddypal]

I have a mix for versatility and to avoid the issue of memory foam getting cold (have yet to experience this but have read about it).

I have 2x Teton sports sleeping pads, which side by side fit perfectly between the wheel wells in my truck bed (i have a sleeping platform back there which is carpeted). I chose these for their portability since i can roll them up and carry with me if i want to hike and camp outside somewhere or want the pad to lay down on, etc. Yeah they are not the best choice for backpacking because of weight but most of my use is with them in the back of the truck so they work for my needs well. I also purchased a 2" gel infused memory foam topper and cut it to fit the size of my sleeping platform in the back.

My plan is for camping in warm temps, i put the memory foam on top of the Teton sports pads so a super comfy bed, and if its cold and the memory foam turns to rock i can just put the Teton pads on top of the memory foam topper. I have yet to test this out in the field with cold temps (works great right now in summer temps, very comfy bed), but i don't really plan on doing much camping in freezing temps.

Gel memory foam topper - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019J9AUZW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Teton sports pads - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GV3YSV2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Personally i think the teton pads are way overpriced since you get **** foam but it was the only camping pad i could find in the size i wanted. If you can sew up a cover like this with the compression straps and handle you can probably make one much cheaper and get nicer foam for the inside. I have also considered chopping up my memory foam topper to fit inside the Teton sports covers and replace the foam inside them but then i have to worry about the cold temps issue so that idea is on the back burner until more research.

 

[TwinStick]

Old thread, I know.

This thing is so warm it's unreal. http://www.pendleton-usa.com/produc...167/c/2421/pc/2178.uts?selectedColorCode=3001

I caught ours on clearance at a big box sports/outdoor store for $69.00. Ours is a queen size. It stays in our camper.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/camp...ng-pads/_/N-1100678/Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_104484780

http://www.cabelas.com/product/camp...ng-pads/_/N-1100678/Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_104484780

http://www.cabelas.com/product/camp...ng-pads/_/N-1100678/Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_104484780

http://www.cabelas.com/product/camp...ng-pads/_/N-1100678/Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_104484780

http://www.cabelas.com/product/camp...ng-pads/_/N-1100678/Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_104484780

 

[C-Fish]

We have transitioned to a custom cut 4" foam topper (2" memory/2" base) on the sleeping platform. Works great, more room above and much warmer. I still bottom out sometimes on my hips and elbows when turning over. We're adding some cheap eggcrate camp pads we had for our trip next week to see if it helps...

We will have a local upholstery shop make a custom cover for it in the coming weeks.

Much better than an air mattress!