Camping mat- self inflating with no pump

[Twilightstarbright]

DS has been camping with cubs and has a school Camping trip coming up so happy to investment in a decent inflatable mat THAT DOESN'T NEED A PUMP (he’s 8, and realistically can’t take one on school trips nor will they inflate it for him).

There is one on Amazon with a built in foot pump, are these any good?

TIA

We got a Vango Trek pro 3 for dd and it has lasted through Duke of Edinburgh (small and light enough to carry). We also got her an self-inflatable pillow which she appreciates.

Can you find out if they do mean a proper mattress? They are big and bulky.

We've got self inflating mats but it's still a faff the next day to take the air out and roll away back into the bag. Not something I think an 8 year old would want to bother with. Surely at that age they all just take roll mats?

I have a camping mat with a built in foot pump. It's not the most comfortable sleep if my life but I prefer it to the bigger airbeds that invariably deflate in the night.

DS8 sleeps well on it, I think kids are lighter so what doesn't seem comfortable to adults is perfectly fine for them. It's always his job to pump them up. Had to show him the first time as he was trying to pump it up with the deflate plug open! But he manages just fine now.

Some of the places cubs camp won’t allow the ones with foot pumps, I think it’s to do with the extra space they take up.
we’ve got a couple of roll mats (like yoga ones but marginally bigger) and a vango self inflating one. DCs pick depending on what they are using / needing it for. They’ve seen them both through beavers, cubs, scouts, DofE and now young leadering.

OP:
There is a difference between a SIM (self inflating mat) and a blow up bed with built in pump.

SIMS have a layer of memory foam inside and when you unroll them and open the valve the foam puffs up and draws in air. They are comfy because they have both air and foam and crucially, for winter camping, the foam creates insulation from the ground.

Blow up air beds, however inflated, offer no insulation.

Roll mats are good insulators, easy to roll up, and all mine managed scouts and DoE with a good roll mat

Thank you all- can you tell I’m utterly clueless? A SIM sounds like what would be good for DS.

Or www.decathlon.co.uk/p/trekking-folding-foam-mattress-mt500-insulating-195-x-55-cm-1-person/_/R-p-306340

We have padded mats (like thick yoga ones) then on top a sim, they are easy so just unroll and leave cap off ( it’s attached) a couple of good puffs once it’s done most of the work and then cap on. To pack away cap off and roll sleeping bag, sim and mat together. We use those stretchy belts to pull nice and tight. A knee on either side good pull and it gets the last of the air out. I always worry about bunged cords pinging and someone losing an eye.

Remember they will be expected to carry their own stuff, so ones that can be tied easily to the bottom of a rucksack are ideal.

Must have been a casualty episode with this. I have the same fear!

We have sims from decathlon. There are 2 little plug things on the back. You open one to inflate and the other to deflate. Easy enough. But..rolling it up, squishing out excess air and fitting it back into the bag is probably not something an 8 year old could do without struggling anyway. A simple roll mat would be much better.

We have SIMs and I agree. I struggle to roll them up and I am not a weakling. You need to squeeze the air out as you roll and it is quite tricky. I cannot see that an 8 year old would be able to manage. My 11 year old wouldn’t. For her school trip she took a foam yoga mat that she could just roll up easily.