Bloody camping!

[CampingCaroline]

We go camping every summer. I am so fed up with having to buy new airbeds every year! This year I gave the Tesco £7 ones a miss and bought £30 ones and they still deflated overnight and 2/4 got a puncture.

In a shop I tried one of those nylon camp beds with fabric stretched across a metal frame and it felt so uncomfortable.

Short of hiring a van, and taking our actual beds from home, does a non-inflatable, comfortable way to sleep in a tent actually exist, that will last a few years?

Our backs have now reached their limit on sleeping on the ground for more than a couple of nights so we use a camp bed with a self-inflating mattress on top. Best of both worlds.

I still have a thermarest old enough to have a serial number on it. Cost about £50 20 years ago, but it was built to last! DH's only died after an unfortunate encounter with a nail sticking out of a wardrobe.

You want SIMS (self inflating mattress)
Air beds are shit. A SIM on top of a camp bed is even better. I’m not a fan of camping but my OH is and a decent SIM on top of a camp bed is the only way I’ve managed to get any sleep at all. Ours have survived multiple uses but we did invest in a fairly expensive one to start with. You can get cheaper SIMS though which I still think would be significantly more comfortable than an air bed.

We have had the same issue so went for camp beds and a sim on top this year it’s so much warmer and more comfortable plus we can store our clothes under the beds so the tent seems much tidier. We got the camp bunk beds for the kids as well and they love them.

I agree with previous posters, a camp bad so I'm raised off the floor with a SIM for comfort means I get a good nights sleep.

But aren't they prone to punctures as well just like airbeds?

They can puncture but are less likely to because they are not all air if that makes sense? They are made of thicker material and have a foam layer as well with just a thin layer of air on top.

My airbeds seem to last 5-6 uses. but Thermarest is 18 years old and still fine

Depending on how much space you have to transport them, I bought futon mattresses from the futon company and they're really comfortable but bulky to pack. I think I've had mine about 4 years and they get used as spare beds if I have overnight guests.

What are you doing to end up with punctures?

I’ve got rubberised cotton airbeds which are great but I have to be careful about how much I inflate them otherwise they’re too hard.

Like previous posters I use a camp bed (outwell posadas) with a vango 7.5cm SIM on top. Really comfortable. I've had the SIM for about five years and it's been used on four or five trips a year and it still hasn't punctured or deflated.

I wish I knew Iggly

I brought a sim this summer, best nights sleep I've ever had whilst camping

Thanks everyone I will check out SIMs

We bought 2 of these exped mats some years ago. They are self inflating and are SO comfortable. We have used them for both camping for 2 weeks and also for guests. They were expensive but a great investment. They don’t pack up very small though!
www.outdoorgb.com/p/Exped_Mega_Mat_10LXW/?s=10334&tc=7488&sc=7989

We have futons, they are a million times warmer and more comfy that airbeds. They are a bit larger to pack, but totally worth it.

I quite fancy one of these these

We use SIMs but I don't find them that comfy to be honest. We only go for a few nights at a time though. For longer I recommend glamping

My dh bought me a decathalon inflatable bed thing this year, it’s inflatable like tent struts round the side with plastic slats across the top. That with a decathalon SIM and i’m so comfy. Going to buy a second one next year as the bed bit clips together and the SIM zips together so we can have a nice double bed.
The bed is also great for storing stuff under.

@Iggly that’s what i’m talking about, had a photo link fail though. It is great, struggled with my hips previously on a SIM but managed 11 nights out of 12 camping on one of those with no issues

I bought my Thermarest in 1992. It’s been in use pretty often ever since. DS had it at Scout camp last weekend. They are much tougher than airbeds.

We found a those flock-topped once only lasted one night. I have an old single that is 20 years d and still going strong however. It's one of the blue and red ones. Used to sell them everywhere, including Argos and now they are practically impossible to find. They are the rubberised ones, I think they are called. Got a double one of those and it's been brilliant for a good few trips now.

This type

So many typos. Cracked screen! You get the drift.

I've been using those red&blue rubberised cotton ones for years. Two died off this summer, one with a myriad of tiny punctures - probably old age - the other went at the valve. They lasted about 15 years. Two more still running!

You can get them off Amazon, "10T air bed".

Try airgo cirro SIMs from GO. 10cm SIM. I had my first full night sleep this summer on one of these after years of camping. We've tried airbeds, campbeds, campbeds with thinner SIMs on top but these are WAY better. No need to use campbeds with them either.