Best Glamping Mat

[Honu]

yes they pack down that size pad and foam and the compression strap on it once rolled up then you slide into the bag
the nice thing is that it packs back in the bag quite easy unlike some that you can never seem to get back in the bag !

cold ? cant say coldest is 30-40 we have been in any lower we turn on our heater our dog and kids etc.. not sure if the kids will stay in the bag and such
also we are on cots so the cold is beneath us and I think the pad adds enough R value even though Nemo does not declare R value saw a supposed reply from them that put the non insulated nemo with pad about in the middle of their lineup for warmth
I think if I was going to be on super cold ground I would get a insulated pad and use the pillow top
we also tried some pads that had vertical tubes and can say its not nearly as comfy as the horizontal style tubes on the nemo
the one other pad that looked kinda cool was the big agnes pad that had the sides a bit thicker than the middle to cradle you a bit more also has a quilted pattern so no ribs wanted to get that for the kids to stop them from rolling as much but got the nemo pads instead and the cots are pretty good at keeping them in

 

[robert]

I've been using one of the Cabela's Alaskan Guide padsin the back of my Tacoma- first one got a leak between the chambers but they replaced it. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Camping/Cots-Pads-Beds/Sleeping-Pads|/pc/104795280/c/104712480/sc/104484780/Cabelas-Alaskan-Guide174-Sleeping-Pads/1317748.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse.cmd%3FN%3D1100678%26WTz_l%3DSBC%253BBRprd732379&WTz_l=SBC%3BBRprd732379%3Bcat104484780

if this one develops a problem I'll probably go with the Deluxe Camp Pad but the Alaskan Guide does roll up nice. The first one came with strap on it, this one they're separate. Both came with patch kits.

 

[ab1985]

Thanks for all the advice, Expo. Feel free to keep this thread alive for discussion purposes. The Nemo pad I ordered arrived today, and I'm excited to test it out. My preliminary assessment is below.

The box was large, but the packed dimensions along with the 3lb weight of the mattress make me very happy:

Questions were asked about the R-value. Apparently the 3" mattress is rated to 30F with the 1" pillow top adding another 25F of warmth for a combined rating of 5F. Not bad for my use:

The package unrolled includes the air mattress and pillow top housed in a micro-fiber case, a stuff sack, and a repair kit with patches:

5 minutes and 41 seconds later I had the pad inflated using the built in foot pump (nice not to have to blow, but wow did that take a long time):

There's a neat valve near the headrest that allows for easy adjustment of the air pressure (same as the Fillo you see on the above pic). This mattress is plush. The 76" length includes a built in foot pump which I left exposed on the below pic, but this tucks neatly into the micro fiber cover:

 

[ab1985]

I'll post back with real world feedback after I've had a chance to test it in the outdoors.

 

[nwoods]

I'll post back with real world feedback after I've had a chance to test it in the outdoors.

Thanks for posting the photos!

 

[Ramjet]

Ordering one now. Thanks. Just what I need.

 

[Honu]

that seems a bit long ? dont think ours take that long to inflate ? sure the other flap valve thing was not open near the upper corner area ? I think thats where it is

might have to take mine out and try it

 

[targa88]

I'll post back with real world feedback after I've had a chance to test it in the outdoors.

Thanks for the pix = really puts perspective on it.

Unfortunately it is out of stock....at the moment

Would be interested in your comments about having to inflate(with the foot pump) inside a vehicle = rather than on the floor inside...

 

[Honu]

Thanks for the pix = really puts perspective on it.

Unfortunately it is out of stock....at the moment

Would be interested in your comments about having to inflate(with the foot pump) inside a vehicle = rather than on the floor inside...

not in a vehicle ? but you can also just use your hands and press down on it both hands since its meant for a foot I have pumped it up like that before

 

[ab1985]

I slept comfortably under the stars last night in the mid 30's. I can't wait to redo my storage/sleeping platform to use this mattress in my truck. :camping:

The inflation time is a little ridiculous but not nearly to the point of warranting buyer's remorse. If anything, there are other benefits that outweigh that negative. For my vehicle dependent adventures this mat will typically only be inflated once which is a good thing. Pumping by hand with the mat in my truck would likely be a PITA to the point I would use a battery powered pump.

 

[Crom]

I found this thread to be very helpful. For six years now I've been very happy with my Thermarest Pro-lite 4 backpacking sleeping pad. It has been on many mountain tops and desert floors. However, now that we are car camping / back country vehicle camping it's always nice to have more comfort if one can afford it and has the space to transport it. That said, I took the family to REI to test out the EXPED Mega Mat. I have to say it's quite impressive. We'll probably pick up two, but I'd like to wait until the 20% off coupon sale happens. My whole family liked it. My two year old thought the pad was for jumping, and she got upset when we would lay down on it to test it for comfort.:sombrero:

As a side note, I don't know if EXPED redesigned the exhaust vent but air comes out plenty fast when we opened it to decrease the firmness. We did not actually deflate the whole thing though.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in on this thread.

 

[hungwin jza80]

I guess it depends on the nozzle size/configuration on the mattress, but would it be possible to use an air pump http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-2000001075-12-Volt-DC-QuickPump/dp/B0009PUQEG/ref=sr_1_3?s=sporting-goods to blow it up rather than the foot or hand pumps?

 

[ab1985]

I've used the nemo mat now a few times. The trick is not waiting for the foot pump to decompress (refill with air) completely between each pump. Quantity over quality with respect to number of pumps cuts the time to inflate substantially.

 

[Xrunner]

Has anyone compaired the (older?) Therm-a-Rest DreamTime to the (newer?) Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Dream or the Nemo CosmoAir ab1985 posted pictures of?

On the Nemo can you snap two of them together to use with your significant other?

EDIT: found another thread on sleeping pads here too.

 

[Honu]

I had a older dream time and the mega mat and the nemo air cosmo pillow top all at one time the new one was not out

not sure if it was in this post or the other did a quick write up
ended up with the nemo air pillow top it was more comfortable than the dream time and packed smaller the mega mat if you are going to sleep on the ground is the most comfortable pad I have ever tried !
the huge thing for me was the pack size !
plus Amazon had the nemo pillow tops for $119

the new dream time one looks closer to the nemo though but still larger ?
also since its air now I imagine its going to be closer to comfort of the nemo

one huge bonus thing about the mega mat is with its square sides when you clip them together (has clips built in) there is no dip in the middle to slide into or feel in the middle cause of the square edge ! if you plan on using it this way something to think about if pack size is not a issue !
also when you are near the edge it does not feel like you are near the edge ! unlike regular pads where you tend to feel that 1 inch or so edge roll
we tried our nemos together and you can feel the dip or middle

if you are doing a double bed get the mega mat is my vote

we were going to get 4 mega mat and just lash them together so we had this huge bed surface to sleep on with the kids all in our own bags and no pads to slip off from
but again ended up going a dif route with new bags and such

we had all in our house and did a inside camping trip with the kids in the living room to sleep on them for a couple nights to find the ones we liked ! I kinda have this belief you need to sleep for a night on a pad or sit a few hours a few days in a row in a chair to see what its really like etc..