Alternatives to airbeds when camping

[NigellasLoveBuns]

We go camping now and again and my main problem is lack of sleep due to airbeds deflating. Anyone tried any other sorts of beds/mattresses when camping?

You want a self inflating mat, one at least 7cm thick. Lovely.

But do you just sleep on the SIM? Because poor ancient DH has enough trouble manouvering himself up from the air bed, let alone a mattress a mere 7cm off the ground :o

This was why we progressed to a trailer tent and loved it... no more sleeping on the floor and she (an amputee) could once again sit on the edge of his bed to put on his leg in the morning.

We have some easy to assemble sleeping 'cots' that are about 15 to 20 cm off the floor. Dh sleeps on one when he takes dd camping.

SIM is the way ahead. In a way it is easier to get up off as you don't roll as you are trying to get up off it. Get a good thickness at least 7cm, ideally 10cm. Do yourself a favour and add some extra layers underneath, maybe an extra duvet. Sleep is the single most important element of a camping trip so I like to give sleeping equipment priority! With the above you should be comfy. Decent SIMS are relatively expensive but they will last a long time and give you a good nights sleep. Good luck

Its a SIM for us too. Not very thick but amazing. An Outwell double but about 5 years old now so the model will have changed I guess. Daughter has always fancied one of those camp beds but we never seem to get a totally flat pitch so figure she'd wobble off in the middle of the night!!

SIM on a camping bed! Aldi had some cheap SIMs in last week that are supposed to be very good value for money.

marking my place. i am looking at the Outwell or the Vango, interested to hear more views on SIMs and other alternatives.

we took a thin futon mattress last year. It was so so much better

I just bought a 3cm sim to put on top of existing roll mats. Excited to see what its like.

It was only £9.99 in home bargains so if its crap im not worried!

After arriving home with bruised hips after a weekend camping on a slightly leaky 10cm SIM and never getting on with my friends recommended SIM + airbed. I'm splashing the cash on some exped megamats after reading this www.mumsnet.com/Talk/camping/1165753-Ok-so-what-is-the-most-comfy-option-for-a-camp-bed-mattress-if-price-not-an-issue/AllOnOnePage. Every review of these I have seen is good with only a few failures-all seemingly resolved by very helpful exped customer services. 2 weeks camping in comfort fingers crossed Here I come!

1 inch sims here.
they are warmer than airbeds too.

Futon mattress here, I put it on a sim. Very comfy.