Air mattress alternatives?

cowman

cowman

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Looking for something that would work when staying at other people's houses, camping, etc that can easily be broken down and stored or carried in a car/small aircraft easily.

Thing is I hate air mattresses, I have a hard time sleeping on them especially with my wife because of how they shift around, tend to leak, etc. Last one apparently got punctured by my dog's claws.

I wouldn't rule out a better air mattress that solves these issues but in general I hate them.
 
I am generally with ya on air mattress but I have a high end Aerobed and the thing is amazing. More like a SleepNumber mattress than an air mattress. So much so I went and bought a battery powered camping version for my tent and I had been using pads for years after many failed air matresses. I house sat for a friend for a week once and the guest bed was so bad I went home and got my Aerobed and slept on that for the week. Currently use it as a spare guest bed and most everyone loves it.

The new ones have a head rest and lower chamber so it sits higher like a real bed rather then feeling like you are sleeping on the floor...all roll up into a relatively small bag.
 
I'm gonna have to find a camping/outdoors store nearby and try out one of these self-inflating pads. Looks like it could be a solution... I'm a picky sleeper though so I want to try before buying.
 
Staying at someone's house and camping would be different things for me.

At a house, if they don't mind someone crashing on the couch, I don't really even need anything else at all. Can even do a chair or the floor. No big deal.

Camping, I'd want a high quality lightweight sleeping bag before a Thermarest. And something to put down under it (tarp) to keep water at bay.

Thermarest or air mattress is third or fourth down my list on must haves for camping.

You did mention "with your wife" which complicates it a bit. Or not. Two sleeping bags works. ;)
 
timwinters said:
Therm-a-rests are amazingly comfortable for camping/backpacking

http://www.cascadedesigns.com/Therm-a-Rest
Click to expand...
+1
I had given up on camping until circumstances demanded an overnight and I tried a thermarest (or, pedantically, the REI equivalent). Love it. Unless you are going to backpack it, get one at least 2.5 inches thick. Best bet: go to the store, have the salesperson inflate it properly and lay on your side. If your hip bone touches the floor, try the next size thicker. Once your hip no longer touches, you are good to go, there is very limited advantage to going any thicker.
 
I just got myself a cot that weighs about 2 lbs. Trying it out at Oshkosh, unless i get an earlier opportunity.
 
i have the REI Camp Bed 2.5. One of my neighbors was going Boy Scout camping with his son, I offered it to him, he said he already had something. It turns out that something was a yoga mat and he got no sleep at all. The next time he did take the Camp Bed, when he got back he returned it, said thank you very much, and went to REI and bought a Camp Bed 3.5.

If you've never used one of these, you basically unroll it and open the air valves, and let it self inflate, then close the valves. If you;re a bigger guy, you'll want to puff a little bit of air into one of the valves. I'm 160 lbs and it's pretty much perfect for me without doing any extra inflating. For cool weather camping it's better than an air mattress because it has some insulation value and you don't get as chilled.
 
steingar said:
I just got myself a cot that weighs about 2 lbs. Trying it out at Oshkosh, unless i get an earlier opportunity.
Click to expand...
If I'm packing in, that'd be awesome. If I'm trucking in, I've got a cot that weighs a lot more than 2lbs that works really well.
 
There's quite a range of sizes and thicknesses for self-inflating cushions. What I carry up a mountain on my back is different than what I use in my snowgo trailer to camp. Choose what works for your requirements. In any case you'll never compress one as small is it was in the store packaging!
 
When we do our BBQ contests, I use a camp cot. Others use whatever is handy.

2011_Lenexa 066.jpg 2011_Lenexa 065.jpg 2011_Lenexa 006.jpg
 
We switched from air beds at Oshkosh to folding cots topped with the self inflating pads. Much more comfortable and my wife can tweak the legs to give her an incline for her reflux. Since we leave the camping gear in a storage locker just off the field, weight isn't much of a problem, but the things fold up nicely into a carrying bag which wouldn't be hard to carry.
 
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