Are Alpkit 'Dozer' SIMS worth it?

[LordFlasheart]

Hovering over the 'buy' button ATM. We go away next Thurs so really need to order NOW!

Airbeds are a pain in the arse, all that bouncing. I like a firmer bed- however, am fattish and oldish and sleep on my side, will a dozer (7cm) be comfy enough? What about Gelert adventure XL- even thicker (10cm) but a lot cheaper- or will I be sorry and end up buying Dozers next year?

Do 2 stay together? Can I do summat clever with velcro to make one big bed?

Thanks! Any help would be v v v gratefully recieved!

Can you fit them in to your car with everything else though? I know you are not asking this but we have had a variety of different sleeping surfaces - the old Alpkit Fat Airics (very comfortable by the way, so as the Dozers are the same thickness, I would recommend), and more recently, a double SIM (Adventure XL or summat from Gelert or Vango). Also 7cm (I see from your post they do 10cm now) and quite comfortable. However, packing two FAs or one double SIM just became impossible and we ended up reverting to an airbed. We went for a superking (US King - 180cm) in the end from INTEX and haven't regretted it so far - the extra space avoids the roll together we used to suffer with.

If you are keen to stick with a SIM though, then from a packing perspective, two singles will probably be better than one double. Our double really took up a lot of room and they are pretty much unsquashable once they are rolled. Some people do gaffer tape two SIMs together and this seems like a good compromise.

I love SIM's and would never go back to an airbed now. Especially with a soft blanket or duvet slung over them, they are sooooo comfy. Have heard about people gaffer-taping two together but never tried it myself. I have an older version of the Dozer and it is fab. I wouldn't go for the Gelerts TBH. Alpkit customer service is also awesome; my regular SIM from them had a dodgy valve and I posted it back to them, they repaired it and sent it back pretty quickly, even though it had been a year or so since purchase. (I had bee using the thicker one in the meantime) Nice people. :)

GentleLentilWeaver, can I ask why you advise against the gelert? I'm rather tempted by their 10cm XL.

Simply cos they are a low end-ish brand and if you're getting a SIM anyway, it makes sense to get the best you can afford. Same philosophy as tent buying I guess. But I'm sure they are fine and more comfortable than, say, a foam roll mat or chilly airbed.

Oh I see. I'm surprised that you consider Gelert low-end, but ive not bought any of their stuff before. I definitely share your philosophy on tent buying, but from what I can see from the various websites, there's not much difference between the various brands - apart from the fact that the Gelert XL is 2.5cm deeper and slightly wider which appeals to my - ahem- wide hips

It's really frustrating that I cannot find anywhere remotely near us that stocks any SIMs - I've never tried one and would really like to do so before buying online