RobRed
Explorer
How does it attach to one another? Zipper? velcro?
queen sized sleeping pad?
- Thread starter silvElise
- Start date
How does it attach to one another? Zipper? velcro?
Cat Jockey
Observer
My take on pads ... your mileage may vary.
I have spent days on end camping off of a raft and spent 6 weeks living out of a tent at 11,000' in the middle of winter. I have slept on thermarest, foam/inflatable (paco pad) , air, fleece jackets, etc.
Air mattress. Hands down. My current air mattress has probably 70 nights on it. I bought it for $12.00 to try out air mattresses camping. For a full rig. I'll buy a nice one. Coleman makes them. Don't worry about durability, you can buy one of much better quality than mine and worse case scenario, 5 minutes and you fix a leak. But I never have had a puncture. Mine does lose a little air overnight, but no biggie, and it is a cheap one.
An air mattress feels like a real bed, can be adjustable depending on how firm or soft you want it and no pad, inflatable 3.5" foam pad, etc. will compare for comfort. I have taken plenty of people down the river who have never slept in a tent before or only do it rarely. They have difficulties sleeping comfortably on pads, wake up multiple times per night, etc.
Overall, there is no comparison for comfort, especially if camping on uneven ground. On top of that, packing is a big difference. Things like Paco Pads do not fold up, compress easily. They are much bulkier to store and take up much more space when not in use.
It boils down to how comfortable a bed you want.
I have spent days on end camping off of a raft and spent 6 weeks living out of a tent at 11,000' in the middle of winter. I have slept on thermarest, foam/inflatable (paco pad) , air, fleece jackets, etc.
Air mattress. Hands down. My current air mattress has probably 70 nights on it. I bought it for $12.00 to try out air mattresses camping. For a full rig. I'll buy a nice one. Coleman makes them. Don't worry about durability, you can buy one of much better quality than mine and worse case scenario, 5 minutes and you fix a leak. But I never have had a puncture. Mine does lose a little air overnight, but no biggie, and it is a cheap one.
An air mattress feels like a real bed, can be adjustable depending on how firm or soft you want it and no pad, inflatable 3.5" foam pad, etc. will compare for comfort. I have taken plenty of people down the river who have never slept in a tent before or only do it rarely. They have difficulties sleeping comfortably on pads, wake up multiple times per night, etc.
Overall, there is no comparison for comfort, especially if camping on uneven ground. On top of that, packing is a big difference. Things like Paco Pads do not fold up, compress easily. They are much bulkier to store and take up much more space when not in use.
It boils down to how comfortable a bed you want.
silvElise
Adventurer
JamesDowning
Explorer
That may be true for a rocky ground, or uneven ground. However if you're sleeping on a deck in the truck, or something else that is flat and not irregular, do you think you'd come to the same conclusion? Would the blow up mattress be worth the hassle?
I'm asking because I've been camping on my blowup mattress for the past three years. I hate how long it takes to blow up and tear down - takes away from my time enjoying the campsite. Plus, it may be comfortable at the beginning of the night, but by 4am, it loses enough air to turn into a hammock, which is terrible for us side sleepers and always seems to wake me up. Plus, there's no real insulation on your back side against the cold because you're compressing the sleeping bag with your weight.
I don't know, I haven't tried a pad yet, but am seriously beginning to look into one for the above reasons.
cshontz
Supporting Sponsor
I have a gigantic Coleman air mattress. It's extremely excessive for me, but it is fairly comfortable and the Mrs digs it. I've been following this thread because I really want to get away from it.
Set up and tear down is an annoyance. If you put it away properly, it can be very compact, which is nice. But that's not always easy to achieve, especially in the winter when it's cold.
It barely fits in the doors of our tents, and it'll effectively reduce the capacity of a 4 man tent, down to a 2 man tent. So it demands a reasonably large tent.
Furthermore, as the air dissipates, you and your partner tend to get sucked into the center together. While that might be helpful at times, it's not when you're trying to get some proper sleep.
The hassle of the thing outweighs its comfiness very slightly.
Set up and tear down is an annoyance. If you put it away properly, it can be very compact, which is nice. But that's not always easy to achieve, especially in the winter when it's cold.
It barely fits in the doors of our tents, and it'll effectively reduce the capacity of a 4 man tent, down to a 2 man tent. So it demands a reasonably large tent.
Furthermore, as the air dissipates, you and your partner tend to get sucked into the center together. While that might be helpful at times, it's not when you're trying to get some proper sleep.
The hassle of the thing outweighs its comfiness very slightly.
HenryJ
Expedition Leader
We have a Trail-Gear double wide self inflating sleeping pad that we picked up long ago. It resembles the Kelty pad linked above. It really did work very well. The price at the time was excellent. Since that time we have moved to a RTT and the sleeping pad has gone to truck bed use or for guests.
I think If I were looking today, I would look closely at the Big Agnes sleeping pads. The Hinman double 50"x78"x2.5" would be on the top of the list for consideration.
BTW, a rubber bed mat can really smooth out the corrugations on the bed floor and help a sleeping pad not only stay in place, but also improves the comfort.
I think If I were looking today, I would look closely at the Big Agnes sleeping pads. The Hinman double 50"x78"x2.5" would be on the top of the list for consideration.
BTW, a rubber bed mat can really smooth out the corrugations on the bed floor and help a sleeping pad not only stay in place, but also improves the comfort.
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My wife and I camped for 40 consecutive days this past summer. We used a 20" thick Ozark trail air mattress, which cost $80 but was very poor quality. It was very comfortable for the first part of the night, however it always leaked air and we awoke to our rears on the ground. I definitely think an air mattress is the most comfortable solution. I am currently searching for a well made one that does not leak. If any one has some suggestions, I am all ears. Seems as though there is a market for rugged, high quality air mattresses.
dblosch
Adventurer
I've mulled the queen sized sleeping pad over in my head for a long time. Let's just say the GF is "less than enthusiastic" about camping, and every creature comfort I can add is a plus. Knowing that common air mattresses are prone to leaking, I've steered clear of them. I expect my gear to last a long time. I did consider the "expedition" version by truck-bedz, but decided I didn't want to NEED to inflate a mattress at all.
I also looked at the double hinman from Big Agnes, and it seems to be a quality product. The only issue with it for me goes back to keeping the Mrs. comfortable. It is, after all, no thicker than your average thermarest type pad. So, since I already had 1 of these - Thermarest Luxury Camp - I decided to buy a matching one, and a set of these - Pad couplers
This has allowed me to use a single pad when she isn't coming, or use the pair when she is. It will also give me the chance to pick up a pair of these - Memory Foam Sleeves - when we are REALLY going for comfort. Those don't come big enough for the double hinman, and Big Agnes has said they won't be making one in that size. It should also be mentioned that the only big agnes sleeping bag that will accept a double hinman is the dream island. I recently picked one up, and will provide a review of that in the future.
Having the pair also seems like it would allow for a more flexible packing arrangement than the double hinman, but I have no basis for comparison.
Sorry for the long post, but I tend to "sweat the details," and it seems to pay off. :sombrero:
Dan
I also looked at the double hinman from Big Agnes, and it seems to be a quality product. The only issue with it for me goes back to keeping the Mrs. comfortable. It is, after all, no thicker than your average thermarest type pad. So, since I already had 1 of these - Thermarest Luxury Camp - I decided to buy a matching one, and a set of these - Pad couplers
This has allowed me to use a single pad when she isn't coming, or use the pair when she is. It will also give me the chance to pick up a pair of these - Memory Foam Sleeves - when we are REALLY going for comfort. Those don't come big enough for the double hinman, and Big Agnes has said they won't be making one in that size. It should also be mentioned that the only big agnes sleeping bag that will accept a double hinman is the dream island. I recently picked one up, and will provide a review of that in the future.
Having the pair also seems like it would allow for a more flexible packing arrangement than the double hinman, but I have no basis for comparison.
Sorry for the long post, but I tend to "sweat the details," and it seems to pay off. :sombrero:
Dan
RusherRacing
Adventurer
I spend on average of 20 nights a summer on an air mattress. I never have had an issues with it leaking. Take care of it, make sure its clean when you put it away etc.
It isn't one of the big thick ones as those take up to much room. Its just a good quality 6" or so air mattress.
I keep patches in the camping gear if I need to fix it but so far I never have. I never have to add air once I get it set up and it just works..
Those sleeping pads even at 50" is to narrow for the wife and i - we like room to ourselves when we sleep. We are used to a king bed at home and going down to a queen for camping is about as close as we get.
It isn't one of the big thick ones as those take up to much room. Its just a good quality 6" or so air mattress.
I keep patches in the camping gear if I need to fix it but so far I never have. I never have to add air once I get it set up and it just works..
Those sleeping pads even at 50" is to narrow for the wife and i - we like room to ourselves when we sleep. We are used to a king bed at home and going down to a queen for camping is about as close as we get.
dirty Bakers
Conservative
The Wife and I started out with foam pads but they were too soft and too thin, so we switched to an air matress, after we moved on to our second air matress (the first one died shortly after being used as a river raft on a scout campout) we decided that we liked the foam pads more. Our local furniture upohstry supply shop sells the foam already cut out for camping pads. The new foam is thicker and more dense. We really enjoy the foam pads but they are bulky space waisters.
Semper Paratus
Observer
Antichrist
Expedition Leader
I have one of the queen size. The main drawback is there is no way I've found to get it to stow in as small a space as it ships, which is a big PITA.