SIM

[MirandaMarple]

Your BEST recommendations please. Ready to pay and invest.

Have plenty of space in the tent but not in the car. Used to two double air beds.

Thank you.

What's the question?

Ooh I'm interested too. We have air beds, but see SIM being recommended frequently. The ones I have found online have had mixed reviews 🤔

I've just gone for thermarest luxury map. Not slept on them yet but they seem comfy. I looked at the Vango shangri-la but even the new 7.5 looked massive.

The thermarest have lifetime warranty and are made in Ireland, I'm on a mission to buy from UK / Europe as much as possible.

Vango shangri-la. We have the 15cm which are ENORMOUS. But worth it. If you have electrical hookup you can suck out the air with a handheld hoover or a deflating part of a powered pump.

The children have vango comfort 10. Which also does the job and if we hadn't had the 15cm ones we probably wouldn't know the difference!

@MrsFin

What's the question?

Recommendations for the best SIM.

Thank you for the replies. Think I might have to compromise some space.

Are SIMs better than airbeds would you say? We've already got airbeds but would think about getting SIMs if they are comfier/ warmer.

@MrsFin

What's the question?

I'm assuming self inflating mattress. But it could be best sadomasochistic campsites. Acronyms in thread titles annoy me

Had to google SIM, not seen them referred to as that before.

We use Thermarest DreamTime, they are SO COMFY. They have a classic themrasrest inside, then a layer of memory foam, all zipped up in a waterproof cover with a fleecy top. They can be used singly, or linked together to make a double bed.

They are so much more comfortable than airbeds - none of that wobbly feeling, or waking the other person up everytime you move.

They are also incredibly warm (we use them on polar expeditions), unlike airbeds, which are freezing.

They are pricey, but we have used the same ones for years.

www.facewest.co.uk/thermarest-dreamtime.html

Oh, and space wise, they roll up to be about 1 foot wide, diameter about 8 inches.

@rbe78 thank you.

I thought everybody referred the them as SIM?! It's all anybody talks about on the FB camping groups. I had to google. Oh wait...it's Mumsnet 💤

www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15979404/berghaus-double-self-inflating-mat-15979404
This one gets good reviews on a FB camping forum and is currently on sale, they also have singles.

@Milliways thank you - I bought those on Friday! I had a nap on one yesterday afternoon. So comfy, bye bye air beds.

Thanks, that’s good to hear

Are deep SIMs significantly better than airbeds? We used to use thin Thermarest ones years ago when we cycling in Europe and had to carry all our stuff on our backs/in paniers, but I was 20 then and could have slept on cardboard and barely noticed! Now I'm a lot more nesh/moany 😁

At the moment we have cheap Millets airbeds and they're pretty rubbish, I can't lie 😳

@Laquila

I don't think you necessarily need the deepest one for it to be the comfiest. It's nothing like an air bed.

No re-inflating, pumping up, noise etc takes all the faff away too.

I can sleep on our 5cm one, but 15cm with a fleece top sounds like heaven!

Thank you Miranda and Ragz! We have a trip booked in a week or two and will be passing a Decathlon before then...I might see if I can test one or two out...

@Laquila

Are deep SIMs significantly better than airbeds? We used to use thin Thermarest ones years ago when we cycling in Europe and had to carry all our stuff on our backs/in paniers, but I was 20 then and could have slept on cardboard and barely noticed! Now I'm a lot more nesh/moany 😁

At the moment we have cheap Millets airbeds and they're pretty rubbish, I can't lie 😳

So much better! I think so anyway. Airbeds take so much inflating, and then I find them really uncomfy, especially double ones - everytime one person moves it wakes up the other person. They are also really chilly, as you are sleeping on a cell of cold night time air - with a thermarest-type mattress you are sleeping on insulation essentially.

Noting. Ds1 needs one.

I am happy on a 7.5 Cm SIM.

A lot of people rate the Decathlon Inflatable camp bed with a SIM on top, which may enable you to use a slimmer SIM and avoid the massive bulk of the thick ones.

Kids being lighter really do not need the very thick expensive SIMs.

We went away last week with a Vango 100 Comfort Double and it was great! The kids still had an airbed and they were fine, but it needed pumping up every night and whenever I had to lie on it I was grateful for the SIM...

They've certainly changed since the 1cm thick Thermarests we used for cycle camping years ago. I also saw v cheap ones in Aldi the other day but they did look thin.

I have a 7.5cm vango sim that I use on top of an outwell posadas campbed. Combined with my home pillows and duvet it's very comfy and I get a great night's sleep.