Air mattress insulation
- Thread starter C-Fish
- Start date
dont know about a air mattress for cold but ive found that a harbor freight moving blanket does a lot for a lot of things besides moving. tossing one over my air mattress makes it less air mattress like. (im from socalif so dont know about sub freezing temps) toss one on the tent floor helps my old feet in the morning waking up and not stepping on a rock or root i missed when setting up a tent. if i end up doing repair or recovery on a muddy road (ok from socalif again, so that dont happen often either, but it could) i can toss it down on the ground before getting down there myself too.
best part is if it gets too ugly/dirty. i only spent 5 bucks on it and in the dumpster it goes.
best part is if it gets too ugly/dirty. i only spent 5 bucks on it and in the dumpster it goes.
take a look at some of the light weight backpacking pads. Amazing r value. Some of the higher end ones have down blown inbetween the cells.
Another option you can use is to get a cheap closed cell pad and put it under the air mat. When I am camping out of the back of my truck I lay one of these down then the thermarest goes on top. I also use this for winter camping when it is well below zero. The standard air mat that is thick and puffy is not really designed for warmth but more so for mild weather and comfort. It is a near impossible ammount of air for your body to heat. Compared to a camping bad that has a thinner layer of air but is just as comfertable. You body heats this air and it is used as a buffer and warm layer as well as supporting your body
check out the exped mats if you have the coin, the thermarests and BigA pads a great mid line option, and the REI pads are a good budger option
Another option you can use is to get a cheap closed cell pad and put it under the air mat. When I am camping out of the back of my truck I lay one of these down then the thermarest goes on top. I also use this for winter camping when it is well below zero. The standard air mat that is thick and puffy is not really designed for warmth but more so for mild weather and comfort. It is a near impossible ammount of air for your body to heat. Compared to a camping bad that has a thinner layer of air but is just as comfertable. You body heats this air and it is used as a buffer and warm layer as well as supporting your body
check out the exped mats if you have the coin, the thermarests and BigA pads a great mid line option, and the REI pads are a good budger option
C-Fish
Adventurer
Thanks for the info.
I've looked into the Exped mats, I wish they made one that was the size of a twin mattress.
I went to HF yesterday and picked up a moving blanket and a will put it to the test.
I washed it last night as it had the dreaded HF plastic smell to it though...
We'll see.
I've looked into the Exped mats, I wish they made one that was the size of a twin mattress.
I went to HF yesterday and picked up a moving blanket and a will put it to the test.
I washed it last night as it had the dreaded HF plastic smell to it though...
We'll see.
verdesardog
Explorer
wool blankets, two is about all you need between you and your air mattress
jeep-N-montero
Expedition Leader
We bought pads with a decent R-value, pricey but worth it. And there are some great threads discussing the topic.
We use a rectangular sleeping bag under the bottom sheet to insulate us from the air bed. Right now we are using some very old sleeping bags (1 under the bottom sheet and 2 on top of the top sheet) in freezing weather. The current sleeping bags are ok for down to about 26F, but I am looking to replace the 3 bags with 2 new 0 degree bags for sub-freezing weather. We just used this setup over thanksgiving in the Yosemite area (outside the park and down at about 1400 feet) and it was freezing all 3 nights we were there, but we stayed warm. I'm glad we did not try to get a campsite in the park, as it was down to 10F there! It also helps to have a small propane heater to warm up the space before bed and in the morning.
jerdog53
Explorer
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.
justbecause
perpetually lost
how do you pack/transport that mattress?
Stumpalump
Expedition Leader
Fill the mattress with argon gas from your welder.
toyotech
Expedition Leader
I cut it into 3 parts and stack them at the front of the trucks bed.
justbecause
perpetually lost
that is an awesome idea... I have a memory foam topper begging to be repurposed.