Air bed or SIM?

[HJ40]

We've only ever had cheapo air beds which are fine, but they don't last and I think we can do better!

I'll be honest, though, I don't really know what a SIM is.

We're only likely to be camping for a few nights at a time and going in the car, so whilst we don't want excessive bulk and weight, we don't need ultra light or ultra small.

Any suggestions? Or is my best bet just to stick with Tesco air beds?

The SIM, however posh, is still not much better than a roll mat, in my opinion. Stick with an airbed. I'm still looking for a better camping sleeping solution.

100% get a SIM and a bed base from decathlon. Not a cheapo SIM though. You need a 10-15cm one. The vango shangrila is the best one but doesn’t come cheap.
We gave up air beds years ago and have the best nights sleep on these. 100% worth the investment and totally not anything like a roll mat

Air beds are awful. Cold, rustly and deflate overnight!
SIMs are generally better. Definitely smaller and easier to inflate. I have a couple that are thinner but if space and cost is no object go for a thicker one..I have an XL thermorest one which is 10cm deep. That plus a double sleeping bag (just for me) is blissful.
Put something underneath, like a thin foam mat or a blanket to reduce the cold too. A sheepskin is particularly good if you have one.

We have 10 cm dim on a bed base, take normal bedding, ''tis bliss!

We have an Outwell dreamboat, 12 cm. It's a SIM but also has some foam inside. I use it at home when we have guests too. Seriously I have a very comfy bed at home and it's pretty much the closest I have got to my own bed.

For me camping cannot happen with little sleep, it's a big deal breaker as I really struggle with poor sleep. These are amazing! You can get them less deep so smaller. My kids have the dream catcher, a regular SIM but surprisingly comfy. I hate air beds, wobble all over the place and I like a firmer mattress. And they get so cold. These help keep the warmth in. But they're not cheap, for me worth it though.

I agree with gymmum. We have the decathlon bases with SIMs on top and it's really comfortable.

If you’ve got electric hook up, look at the beds in go outdoors that top themselves up. We got one recently and it’s brilliant!

Personally I hate air beds and am very comfortable on a 7.5 Cm SIM.

Which if you puff in a bit extra once they have fully inflated are very different from a foam roll out mat!

The foam in a SIM insulates them from the ground, it’s foam so only the bit you are squashing gives way, rather than air beds where the whole bed dips towards the middle and gives me back ache.

But it is personal preference. Some people like a SIM on a camp bed.

Following with interest.

We usually camp with a good airbed (with blanket underneath for insulation), but it only pumps with with electricity (no opening for a pump - it's not designed for camping, it's a 'proper' spare bed). But sometimes we want to camp without EHU, so I want a decent-ish SIM. I've been looking at some with a built-in footpump, and proper valve for deflation. When I've borrowed SIMs before, rolling and deflating can be a PITA, and they are very bulky.

Does anyone have one (or know of a good one) that meets those criteria? I'm looking at 10cm thickness really, and definitely won't be buying a camp bed too.

Thick SIMs for us. Air beds were cold and deflated in the night

Sorry, OP, to answer your q about what a SIM (self inflating mattress) is, it is a mat of memory foam encased in an outer layer. When you open the valve air rushes in as the foam puffs up. Once it is fully puffed up you close the valve so that the air is trapped in with the foam. You can blow in extra air before closing the valve to make it extra firm.

To pack away you open the valve and roll it up squeezing all the air out before re-closing the valve.

Double SIMS are horrible to roll up IMO. For 2 people buy 2 SIMs.

I’ve just bought one of the decathlon camp air bed bases mentioned above, with a 12cm SIM from gooutdoors, not used it yet (can report back after this weekend!) but from lying on it in my lounge it feels pretty good!

I always use a HIGH air bed. Yes, it does deflate slightly (and needs replacing every few years) but is more comfortable than my mattress at home, IMHO. I'm completely boggled by the idea of an airbed that doesn't have a top up valve - this was my fear before I bought one with a built in pump, but mine definately DOES, and you can check on the photos and spec before you buy. Mind is simlar to this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/391466581699?hash=item5b2539fec3:g:o-EAAOSwBdZkuSGF (one of the photos shows very clearly that there is a top up point, and I top up using a rechargeable electric pump).

For full disclosure - I do virtually 4 season camping. Yes I have woken up to snow on the tent. I have the airbed, then a very old SIM-like thing which is used NOT for the softness, but for the fact it has a reflective layer built in. With my setup I could probably use a horribly rustling reflective blanket... as the next layer is a double duvet folded double. Then me, then another double duvet. And I take two HWB for extreme conditions.

A high air bed (in a stand up tent) transforms the experience for me - easy to roll out of bed in the morning, and you can sit on the bed in a normal way to put socks on, etc. It just feels like a proper, real, bedroom!

For clarity...

'With my setup I could probably use a horribly rustling reflective blanket INSTEAD...'

I've had both airbeds and SIMS and have sort of gone back to an airbed - exped synmat duo. It's designed to be used with a manual airbag pump thing it comes with. The one I have is 7.5cm thick, is comfier than a 10cm sim and is a doddle to pack up.

you’re
looking at crap sims if you think this… they’re not all made the same.

https://alpkit.com/products/double-dozer?variant=31071921930345

We get a good nights sleep every time with the above alpkit sim. You can’t feel the other person moving Abe even when deleted it is squishy and warm enough to sleep on.

A beast when packed away though

I've just been away for another few days and still maintain that a high air bed is a gift from the camping gods. It somehow changes the whole ambiance of a (stand up) tent into a comfy bedroom, it's FAR more of a motivation to get out of bed in the morning (no heaving yourself off the floor) - and you can sit on it to put your socks on!

Neither. Get a decent camp bed. So much more comfortable.

I am waiting for my new 10Cm SIM to be delivered....

It's all such a personal choice, what we find comofrtable.