self inflating mattresses

[alexw]

so, which is the best in terms of comfort and warmth?? I love and am very comfortable on my blow up, but it's sooo hassly having to blow it up and it takes up lots of space. Please help!!

We have a couple of Fat Airics - not too expensive (about £37.50 each or a bit cheaper for a pair) and 7cm thick so very comfortable . Still quite bulky to carry though. Alpkit who make them also make a range of thinner ones.

We have Thermarest base camps.

We used them camping in Oz (essential for comfort as much of the time on hard stoney ground). After a fiasco last year on a blow up airbed, I spent an eternity price checking on the net and bought 4.

Tried them out for real over the w/e, brilliant. SO comfy (I can lie on my side no probs, no hips digging in). Lovely and warm to lie on.

We are happy campers on them

Thanks everyone

I have been weighing up Thermarests for a while - are they really super duper, no achey hip comfy, Farb?

Those Fat Airics look good too...and £10 if you buy two...

oooh, I'm hopeless at decisions. Would like to try them out but nowhere round here sells them.

Soren, they really are super dooper non achey hip comfy.

I wish now I had pushed the boat out even further (thus increasing DH's chunnering over credit card bill) and got the wider ones for DH amd me. The ones we have are absolutely perfect for sleeping bag sleeping but are rather austere on the spread & lollability factor.

Tis Farb btw....I'm in a disatisfied name changing idiom atm

I fancy the wider ones too...well, if I'm absolutely honest, I fancy the Thermarest Dreamtimes but at @ £120 a pop I think not, sadly. We bought some cheap self-inflating mats from Aldi which are awful (well, the kids seem fine on them but I could hardly move after a night on one) and I loathe airbeds so I am very tempted. I'm not a happy camper if I haven't slept well

I think there are 3 absolute set in gold essentials for a successful camping trip:

1. Comfort at night

1. Tent that doesn't leak

1. Extremely good alcoholic beverages

In order to acieve 1 & 2 I think you need to buy the best that you can afford.

In order to achieve no 3 you should spend more than you can afford because even if you have fucked up 1 and 2 at least you are pissed on excellent quality alcohol.

imvho

Well, I've got 2 and 3 covered...I think it's time I attended to 1