Beds - what do you travellers use?

[Bodhbh]

Fairly meat and potatoes setup of a thermarest prolite and a mid/low range 3-season synthetic sleeping back from Millets (plus silk liner). Warm even in winter, but overkill for summer. Combined they take up 2/3rd of a rear pannier and I know there's lighter options than the thermarest, but if I needed to upgrade I'd probably replace the sleepbag first. Only doing the odd weekend trip right now tho, so can't really justify it.

tried a foam mat early on but wasn't really impressed with the bulk or insulation. Mind that was probably a cheap Millets job as well, maybe there's form mats and there's form mats.

 

[Twowheelxtc]

Thermarest NeoAir. By far the most comfortable but a little expensive. Blowing up by mouth makes me dizzy but they sell a stuff sack that acts as an inflator and makes easy work of it.

 

[Ticktockmy]

Thermarest self inflating mattress have had couple over the years, They roll up fairly small, if you take time to ensure they are fully deflated and are light enough for a cycle tourist.

 

[jay clock]

+1 for Exped Synmat Ultralite 7. Amazing piece of kit.

 

[stuee147]

I have a thermal self inflating sleep mat but I prefer to use my hammock can't get more comfy only problem is I need to find 2 trees roughly the right distance apart

 

[Recycle]

Thermarest NeoAir Xlite works for me. Compact and light but a bit pricey.

 

[Sea of vapours]

If you're camping/bivvying in really warm weather, then 'making the ground soft' is the primary consideration. If it's cooler, then insulating yourself from the ground is more important than insulating yourself from the air. i.e. the sleeping mat is more important than the sleeping bag/quilt and you can get away with a lighter/smaller bag if you have a warmer sleeping mat. That is a) pretty much received wisdom, b) from experience of sleeping outside a lot, generally up mountains. As a result, I mostly use a Thermarest XTherm, which is an inflatable mat with reflective, insulating layers inside; remarkably warm and it means I can carry a much lighter, more compact sleeping bag or quilt.

I can happily sleep directly on rock, provided it's warm, so the XTherm is largely for warmth, not 'making the ground soft'. In other words, consider what you want the mat to do and in what conditions and err on the 'more insulated' side with the mat to save on the bag/quilt.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

Ummmm - none at all, for me. Just a sleeping bag. Odd - but the hardness of the ground makes me deliberately and consciously relax each and every muscle, almost one at a time ....... and I sleep GOOOOOOOD!

On a recent camping trip, I stayed over, but kept everyone else's gear with me in the car. I got talking to a guy on site that was into wild camping in all weathers and he'd been up in the night with the cold. He couldn't understand how I could sleep like a log in just a pair of shorts with a cheap single season sleeping bag and laid directly on the ground sheet.

He was a really nice bloke and offered me some of his gear to borrow. He was gobsmacked when I showed him the other stuff in the car and preferred not to use.

He psyched me out a bit, so I put some socks on the following night just to be safe.

I do need to sort a decent pillow though. A stuff sack with my washing can get a bit pongy.

 

[ScotiaLass]

I bought a Thermarest self inflating mattress. TBH it's better than other self inflaters I have tried, but even at the extra cost it's still not great. I ended up having to buy one of those roll up foam padding things from Decathlon to supplement it. Even at that, give me a proper bed any time! Camping = IMHO; I haven't even considered it yet this "summer" thanks to the weather. I can just about suffer the discomfort and humphing all that extra weight around in good weather, but otherwise I'd rather stay at home.

I've never been a camping person. Don't mind caravanning, as long as it's a big static one (oooh errr!)
I'd rather B&B my way round....I am planning a long weekend tour next year, as I think I may be more fit for it then

 

[andym]

On a recent camping trip, I stayed over, but kept everyone else's gear with me in the car. I got talking to a guy on site that was into wild camping in all weathers and he'd been up in the night with the cold. He couldn't understand how I could sleep like a log in just a pair of shorts with a cheap single season sleeping bag and laid directly on the ground sheet.

Some people are 'warm sleepers' (ie they like need to wrap up warm) while other people are the other way round.

Too much information on the dirty washing front BTW.

 

[drummerbod]

I'm a cool sleeper - hate being warm so go au naturel [passes vomit bag].

 

[F70100]

+1 for Exped Synmat Ultralite 7. Try facewest.co.uk for the full range of sizes.

I have only had light use from this item this year and have found it to be excellent but I have seen feedback in another place from folks who have had them delaminating, and growing some mould inside when they have been inflated by exhaled breath. I think I'm going to try and make an inflator with a champagne cork and tyre valve so I can use my pump. I will report back here but it you might have to wait a bit!

I was in Halfords and asked them if they had an inner tube they were throwing away - they did so I drilled the cork, stuck the valve in and started pumping. It sort of worked; my Topeak Race Rocket didn't pump enough volume quickly enough to say it was effective. A bigger capacity pump would do the trick though.

 

[MontyVeda]

View attachment 100623

I was in Halfords and asked them if they had an inner tube they were throwing away - they did so I drilled the cork, stuck the valve in and started pumping. It sort of worked; my Topeak Race Rocket didn't pump enough volume quickly enough to say it was effective. A bigger capacity pump would do the trick though.

My exped mat uses it's bag as a pump. I think the pump bags are available separately... and they are efficient.

 

[F70100]

My exped mat uses it's bag as a pump. I think the pump bags are available separately... and they are efficient.

And they're 25 quid!


But, yes, the best tool for the job.

 

[MontyVeda]

And they're 25 quid!


But, yes, the best tool for the job.

I had a feeling they'd be pricey, but I reckon a man of your skills could fettle one... out of a cheap drybag maybe.