Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Camping

Our UK Camping forum has all the information you need on finding the right equipment for your tent or caravan.

Original poster

A comfy night's sleep? Does it exist?!

25 replies

INeedtoDrinkLess · 03/05/2013 19:25

OK, so I have had airbeds and thermorests and still I wake up every 20 minutes.

I love camping, have been doing it since I was small, and still love it, but it is now a family (not very funny) joke that I can still love it even though I have never, once, had a decent night's sleep under canvas.

At the moment we have a great airbed (says my DH) but I get a dead leg (sleep on my side) and so have to wake up and move every 20mins to stop the pain.

Thermorests do the same.

What is wrong with me? Or is it my kit?

Please help as we can't afford caravan/hotel/a 'proper' holiday etc...

OP posts:
Crikeyblimey · 03/05/2013 19:28

E have camp beds and put carrymats on them for added softness and warmth. The only discomfort I suffer is when I roll over and my knee touches the hard side of the camp bed.

Maybe your air bed is overinflated or not inflated enough. Perhaps you could experiment with less/more air??

HorraceTheOtter · 03/05/2013 19:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
INeedtoDrinkLess · 03/05/2013 19:49

Sorry, dealing with child who won't go to sleep...

yes i agree, your own air bed is better than one to share. and I always take pillows too. But doesn't say much for togetherness and now we have DS, if we all have a single mattress we don't end up with much room.

Horrace, what do you mean by proper blow up ones??

OP posts:
hz · 03/05/2013 20:37

I think you ask a very fair question. Despite now having campervan with 'proper bed' I still find it almost impossible to have a proper full nights rest. It is very frustrating, I find putting something over my face helps (t-shirt or something similar) and now I am going to try a face mask. I think good pillowage is also essential. Having said that I haven't cracked it yet so what do I know! The final resort is the right to have a nap during the day!

Original poster
INeedtoDrinkLess · 03/05/2013 20:43

Yes, well I haven't even started on what a light sleeper I am! But that's an ear plugs conversation rather than a bed one!

Surely, surely, somebody has invented a comfortable, portable (and not enormous when in the car or in the tent) version of a bed by now? FGS, they have people on the moon and doing all sorts of amazing stuff...

OP posts:
unebagpipe · 03/05/2013 20:46

This is exactly why I have never been camping!! I am such a rubbish sleeper that I need a decent bed! If someone has good suggestions I'm all ears- as in ever other respect I'd be a great camper!

Original poster
INeedtoDrinkLess · 03/05/2013 20:49

Someone on here is going to suggest we drink more unebagpipe and that's going to help - but as you can see from my name that's not a very good idea!

And anyway, then you just have to get up for a wee every 20mins...

OP posts:
Original poster
INeedtoDrinkLess · 03/05/2013 20:51

Anyway, I'm going to my lovely comfy indoor bed now (likely to be woken at a time when it's still dark with a '5' in it) and will dream I'm in a tent.

The rest of you - come up with some good ideas please please please!!

OP posts:
tyaca · 03/05/2013 20:54

fisherman bed chair? a lot of people on ukcampsite recommend them. they have a big pack space though i think. good ones can cost a fortune, but there always seem to be a few knocking around on ebay/ gumtree.

randomfennel · 03/05/2013 20:55

Maybe it's the light?

Or do you have a soft bed normally.

I often sleep really well on a hard floor (like a thermarest or karrimat), better than on a soft bed or airbed, but I sleep on a futon at home anyway so I think I just like hard surfaces. But my experience of airbeds or campbeds is that they're all dire. Worse than just being on the floor.

These days I take a proper pillow, as a concession to being a bit older.

And occasionally we take a proper duvet, that's quite good compared to a sleeping bag.

bigTillyMint · 03/05/2013 20:56

I have always slept really well on a double airbed in a double sleeping bag with a radiator DH!

bigTillyMint · 03/05/2013 20:56

And re the light, I have a lovely soft eye-mask which works really well.

hz · 03/05/2013 20:59

Well, there is the Thermarest Dreamtime, very thick SIM with memory foam www.outdoorgearlab.com/Camping-Mattress-Reviews/Therm-a-Rest-DreamTime, sadly they seem to be out of stock most places - must be a good sign!

andadietcoke · 03/05/2013 21:06

We have one of these from decathlon. Slept on it for two weeks in a tent after years of air beds deflating over time. We have extra pillows and blankets depending on the temperature, and it's useful to have in the house as an extra bed for emergencies.

www.decathlon.co.uk/sleepinbed-camp-comfort-2-person-sleeping-bag-with-separated-built-in-mattresses-grey-id_8171529.html

Rhienne · 03/05/2013 21:40

i never sleep really well when camping - no camp mattress is that comfortable, and add in the light, temperature, sound differences from what youre used to...

Normal thermarests are too hard and I get sore shoulder, hip. Normal airmattresses generally tip me off the sides, or I sink in too much. And wake up every time DH moves.

That said, the best I have found is a really thick self-inflating - like a thermarest but REALLY thick. I think ours are 10 cm and were made by Exped. Not that light or small to pack, but ok for anywhere you travel by car. We have two singles that velcro together in the middle, so you don't get waterbed ripple effect when your partner moves, but they also don't slide apart.

Quenelle · 03/05/2013 22:12

I slept well on a dual chamber air bed last year, with a duvet and real pillows. But we are looking for some decent but affordable sims to try this year.

4yoniD · 03/05/2013 22:28

Last night I (madly) slept on a campbed with a 7cm SIM on top. It was not comfortable enough.

I am now contemplating my SIM (self inflating mat) with a memory foam topper on it, but have no idea how many cm's of foam to buy, or whether I would be wasting my money. Any suggestions?

Blu · 04/05/2013 00:23

When the packing space is available I sleep on a double SIM with a single SIM on top. And take an extra pillow to put down the Ned and rest your top knee on, if you sleep in your side. A huge cotton lined envelope sleeping bag, too.

Kahlua4me · 04/05/2013 07:10

I have found the best sleeping arrangement for me is a Costco sim with a duvet on top. I then sleep on that in a cotton sleeping bag with a pillow from my bed at home.
Finally I sleep right through when camping!

SalomeD · 04/05/2013 09:31

Last nights slumbertime solution in the garden camp (me plus 2 x DS and the dog sleeping together in the Pyramid's inner) was:

12 Thin rubber mats (got from Aldi last year, the ones with holes are great in the doorway too) - these covered the whole floor
4 SIMs (also from Aldi) - two fit side by side in a duvet cover and stop sliding around that way
2 3-season sleeping bags opened flat and laid on the SIMs
Kingsize thin cotton quilt spread out over the top as the icing on the cake

Hot water bottles to warm up the bottom layer before bed time

And on top, a down-filled duvet for each of us.

Heaven!

More comfy than my own bed, for us it makes a real difference if the bottom layer is really warm & snug

Original poster
INeedtoDrinkLess · 04/05/2013 11:21

oh my goodness, thank you to everyone for your suggestions, I am now completely bamboozled.

We have spent a fortune on different types of camping bedding over the years, we sleep on a futon mattress at home so we are used to hard(ish) beds. I agree about that extra pillow to rest your top knee on if you sleep on your side, like me. Think that makes a difference.

We have lots of old SIMs knocking around, perhaps putting those under our airbed in a duvet cover to stop them sliding about (good idea!) would help.

But perhaps 2 separate SIMs is a good idea, then when DH wriggles (all night after too much beer) I can ignore him more easily.

Light doesn't really bother me, noise does and so do flapping walls! But think I could cope with all of that if I was at least comfortable.

Anyway, it's the next bank hol weekend we are going to be in a tent, will take on board some of these suggestions, many thanks everyone.

OP posts:
badger21 · 04/05/2013 16:50

Oh goodness needtodrinkless, if it's flapping walls that are the problem then what you really need is a different (canvas) tent. But do you really want to open that can of worms? We have an all-season polyester Cabanon biscaya - absolutely no flapping and feels completely bombproof.

Seriously though, I wouldn't swap my exped downmat 10dlx for anything, but it's an expensive solution, and does need to be well wrapped to stop sliding away from DH.

Friends of ours have exped SIM mats which velcro together and are really comfy, but take up more space in the packing.

fishandlilacs · 04/05/2013 16:54

friends of ours have these www.campingwithsoul.co.uk/hand_made_cotton_mattresses

they come highly recommended. I want one but haven't been able to afford it yet but they are supposed to be the bee knees.

Original poster
INeedtoDrinkLess · 04/05/2013 17:44

don't get me started on a new tent! that really would mean that I am heading for divorce - you should have seen my DH roll his eyes just now when I told him I had started a thread about camping bedding!

will check out your bed badger21 (IYSWIM) and fishandlilacs, thanks. As far as cost goes, I don't really care as it will be worth it's weight in gold if it works! (And will still be cheaper than a hotel!)

OP posts:
bubbles1231 · 04/05/2013 17:47

Double sleeping bag, or some makes have the option of a right or left zip. We discovered by chance that ours zip together!

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread