Self Inflating Camping Mats

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Camerabag

Well-Known Member
Location
Yorkshire
Quick query - we already have a couple of self inflating camping mats which are heaven - but huge! Fine in the boot, bit OTT on a bike.

Looking online, but they tend to be displayed inflated and flat - I wonder if anyone has any recommendations for ones that pack up small? Many thanks.
 

Milkfloat

An Peanut
Location
Midlands
This is mine

https://www.alpkit.com/products/cloud-base

cloudbase-pack-web_1200_803auto.jpg
 

hoopdriver

Guru
Location
East Sussex
As you say, expensive but they do look comfortable

My concern as someone who has camped extensively in thorny desert scrub is how puncture resistant they are? I have always gone with the old fashioned dense foam mat (Ridgerest) for just this reason - they are bulkier, to be sure, but light, cheap and impervious to thorns.
 

snorri

Legendary Member
My concern as someone who has camped extensively in thorny desert scrub is how puncture resistant they are? I have always gone with the old fashioned dense foam mat (Ridgerest) for just this reason - they are bulkier, to be sure, but light, cheap and impervious to thorns.
I found the foam mats satisfactory for comfort but the insulation qualities lacking a bit in colder climes.
The exped had advantage for comfort, insulation and small storage space in pannier. I have not had any punctures with the Exped mats, but my tent has a built in ground sheet and I usually lay a mini tarp under the groundsheet.
I never got around to buying a pump, and just blew it up buy mouth, although I seem to remember reading about a risk of fungal growth (or something) inside the mat caused by mouth inflation.
 

EatSleepRideRepeat

AKA Martin from Wales
Location
West Wales
The Alpkit Cloud Base (out of stock) is pretty much the same as the Robens Vapour, (available, but more expensive). It isn't self inflating, (neither are the self inflating ones in reality) but the Vapour inflates pretty easily. I also had one of Alpkit's self inflating mats, and found it to be very comfy and easy to use and pack away, though the item is pretty bulky. Mats with foam filling tend to be a bit tougher than the inflated types, I would never leave the puncture repair at home:pump:
 

Bodhbh

Guru
they're not exactly self-inflating, but 30 seconds hand pumping (:ohmy:) and they're ready for use. Packing them after use is also a 30 second job.

I've just got one. It's early days, but not altogether sold on it yet. I've got the 'snozzle' for inflating - it seems a bit of a faff, but there's probably a knack to it. Is the Exped hand pump any better? (or whatever you're using?). It does seem alot more delicate than my old Thermorest self-inflater as well. It's less comforable too, but I still need to play around with the inflation pressure a bit. The pluses are obvious - it's like the size of a tin of beer and weighs nada.
 
I've just got one. It's early days, but not altogether sold on it yet. I've got the 'snozzle' for inflating - it seems a bit of a faff, but there's probably a knack to it. Is the Exped hand pump any better? (or whatever you're using?). It does seem alot more delicate than my old Thermorest self-inflater as well. It's less comforable too, but I still need to play around with the inflation pressure a bit. The pluses are obvious - it's like the size of a tin of beer and weighs nada.

Easy peasy! :smile:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpa9qNictSs
 

simongt

Guru
Location
Norwich
Inflating Exped mats. Cor, what a faff - ! I'll stick with my twenty year old Thermarest mat. Supposedly self inflating, but like all mats of the type, it needs a bit of puff. But I can still have inflated mat & fleabag set up in less than three minutes - ! :rofl:
 

andrew_s

Legendary Member
Location
Gloucester
Self-Inflating mats are made lighter and smaller-packing by both making the mat itself smaller, and by cutting perforations in the foam inside. The resulting mats (Thermarest Prolite and similar) fold in half lengthways before you roll them up.
A short (shoulder to knee) mat rolls up to about 11"X4" dia, and a regular length mat rolls up to 11"x5" dia, approximately.
The downsides compared to what you are using now are that they are only 1" thick, and the perforations in the foam means it's not as warm as the unperforated mats (OK down to something like 0° to 5°, depending on how you sleep).

The alternative is to use an air bed of some sort, as suggested above.
These are thicker and more comfortable on rough ground, but they do need blowing up.
Your options are
a) uninsulated, of various brands. Likely to be too cold outside of the summer.
b) Insulated (Exped Downmat or Synmat, or similar). These are warm, but blowing up by mouth will get dampness inside, which isn't good for the insulation, especially down.
c) Baffled (Thermarest Neoair or similar). These have the inside of bed divided into small compartments with heat reflective material. Similarly warm to insulated mats, but not as sensitive to the dampness in your breath if you don't use a pump.

All air mats, including self-inflating, are prone to failure, with either the shell of a self-inflating mat separating from the foam core (delaminating), or the baffles that hold an air bed in shape failing.
 

robing

Über Member
After a false economy of buying 2 cheaper self inflating mattresses I splashed out on a Thermarest. Very pleased with it so far. I always use a cheap foam mat underneath to protect against sharp rocks etc.
 
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