UKC

This month, the UKC/UKH Team have mostly been testing camping mats. Everyone was looking for something different: Alan wanted a super comfy mat so he could enjoy two weeks of family camping in France despite a bad back; Jack wanted something more luxurious for climbing trips that didn't demand a fast and light ethic; Sarah wanted to test a warm and versatile female-specific mat - specifically female-specific not just a 'pink female colourway'; Mick wanted something superlight and innovative to take on a mountain marathon; and Dan was off bivvying under a tarp and the stars. Here follows what we came up with...

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=3628

In reply to UKC Gear: Sorry to be a nerd but..... the photo of the mat being tested in the back of the van?? on a full pull out bed?? surely thats not a fair test?
You could lay down a sheet of cling film and think it was really comfy if it was on top of a mattress!

In reply to UKC Gear:
I notice you don't include this one:
http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/special_buys3_19225.htm

got one last year - well comfy £12.99 or £60-95, no contest

In reply to UKC Gear: I've bought a Klymit X-Frame - they look like fantastic bits of kit!

In reply to UKC Gear:
Why did no-one think to test one of these?
http://www.balloonbed.com/

In reply to Nick Smith - UKC: Where did you get it? I got bored following links to try to work out who had it.

In reply to Toreador:


The Balloon Bed is the way to go for mountain marathons - 100g and £20.
A third the weight and quarter the price of the Klymit Frame mat.

In reply to chuffer: List of UKC retailers who have it at the bottom of the product news page:
- http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/news.php?id=3704

Cheers

In reply to UKC Gear:

Also worth considering is this:

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/hi-gear-ultralite-3-4-style-lightweight-sleepin...

Three-quarter size mat, quite thick and comfortable (it has to be for me, I have back problems!), £21, and only 520g. Plus it packs small

Good bit of kit at the price!

Good god! £90 for a camping mat? The world's gone mad.

In reply to UKC Gear: This is great as I'm looking for a new mat for my C2C in July.

One thought about the Kymit: surely that only works if you sleep on your back? At least with a flat mat you can roll over and sleep on your side like most people generally do (I assume!)

In reply to Nigel R:

In the review I say:

I spent two nights on the mat camping in the Duddon Valley last weekend. Did I have comfortable nights? Yes I did. This mat is incredibly comfortable. Using the hand pump you get a solid bouncy base that feels thicker than it actually is, about 4cm's. I start my nights on my back but like most people I will toss and turn. When on my side, in the recovery position, my hip, shoulder and legs were comfortable. I slept well.

In reply to UKC Gear:

jack what make is your campervan

In reply to UKC Gear: Sorry, not checked but are these mats provided by UKC sponsored companies or a random pick of mats from a range of suppliers?

In reply to grumpybearpantsclimbinggoat:

4 of them are, one of them isn't.

It isn't a review of mats in one category, if you read Sarah's intro it is quite clear that this is a review of different types of mat, from lightweight to luxury.

We may, I am sure do a review of mats in different categories at a later date, including the ones from Aldi.

Mick

In reply to Mick Ryan - Senior Editor - UKC: cool, thanks for the info, just wondered how the mats in each category were identified to be reviewed in the first place.

In reply to grumpybearpantsclimbinggoat:

Does it matter?

I wouldn't welcome a review that was truly a random selection as you'd want a bit of thought put into it.

If UKC advertisers are willing to offer kit for test, whereas companies that don't advertise on UKC don't, is it any great loss? Unless, of course there is a suggestion that the advertisers are dealt with more lightly? But then non-advertisers might be dealt with lightly too, in order to persuade them to advertise?

In reply to winhill: Does it matter?

Well, depends how you take comments like "A great mat for car camping which gives the best comfort level you will find".

What the article doesn't identify is how the mats were chosen in preference to other mats i.e. whether;

1. the mats were willingly offered for kit test.

2. the mats were given with a request to review them.

3. some mat providers refused to take part.

4. some mat providers were not asked to take part.

5. the mats were selected from a range of equivalents, although the comment above does suggest to me (and I hasten to add, only me) that it has been ranked.

It made me ask myself "How was it ranked?" "What makes it stand out as the best?" "Is it the 'best comfort level you will find" in comparison to other UKC sponsored or in comparison to the industry range?"

Mick has helpfully answered my question so that's cool anyway.