UKC

Remove if not suitable. Cheers!

My son has expressed a desire to try camping, so I’m in the process of acquiring all the gear, whilst having very little idea!

I operate on the opinion of buying quality. Partly because if you have good equipment, and a reasonable nights sleep, you’re more likely to continue doing it. And partly because if you don’t enjoy it, good kit holds its value for resale.

My experience of camping is that it’s cold, miserable and you’re in for a horrible nights sleep. My Mrs shares that opinion. So we’re not exactly off to a great start.

However. I don’t believe either of us have tried to camp well.

I’ve spent the last few days lost in an air/self inflating mat rabbit hole.

I’ve learnt that the Exped MegaMat is pretty much the key to unlocking camping and rectifying my Mrs and I’s qualms. I’ve also learnt you need to sell a leg to get one.

What I’m struggling with here is the difference between Air Mattresses and SIM’s. From what I can see, Air Mattresses are really really expensive airbeds, lightweight and small but ultimately still an airbed, no?

And SIMs contain foam which means chunky/heavy, but a comfy nights sleep? And… in theory should be tricky to get leaks and problems?

We’ll be very seldom campers. 1/2 nights here and there, maybe 3/4 times a year if that. We’ll be car next to the tent campers too, so lugging equipment shouldn’t be a concern. Though fitting it in the car is! We’ll be ‘straight on the ground’ too, so rocks/bumps/sharps concern me around air mattresses.

My heads in a pickle. Yesterday I was close to just Exped’ing. Then it was ‘start cheap’ with Trekology UL80, then it was Vango ShangriLa, then it was Naturehike from AliExpress.

My heads saying consider the middle ground. Goto Decathlon and try their £90 ultra comfort pads. And try their air beds…

Help!

My wife has a bad back and is not really keen on camping - the exped megaduo (or whatever) has transformed the experience for her.

id expect other broadly similar things are broadly as good.

FWIW the exped does double duty as a spare bed at home when we have lots of folk around, so has been a pretty handy buy.

My first bit of advice is to go look on Facebook Marketplace for anyone selling camping gear near you

Lots of people seem to buy it, use it a few times and then give up on the idea, so you should be able to pick up all you need cheap. I picked up a virtually unused Thermarest LuxuryMap for £20 last year.

Regarding air bed -v- SIMs.

I have got a Vango Comfort Double SIM, which is the 5cm one. It's very comfortable and nice and insulates you well from the ground, so should be warmer in the cold than a plain air bed. The downside is that it's a fight to get it back in the bag (although the newer Cyclone valves make this a lot easier) and it takes up a lot of room in the car boot. They do work well if you and your partner are very different weights.

The Shangri-La is MASSIVE packed!

We now use a couple of Outwell "Reel" double air beds, which are 10cm thick, much easier to pack and take up far less boot space (2 of them take up less room than the Vango). The extra thickness irons out lumpy ground. They do need a pump, though - inflating by mouth is hard work!

https://www.outwell.com/en-gb/ecommerce/sleeping/airbeds

If you are very different weights, I have seen some double ones that are duel-chamber.

Don't over-inflate either of them.

Note that some airbeds now have insulation in them, either a bit of fill and/or some reflective layer.

Only issue I've had with leaks is just around the valves and easily fixed with a bit of sealant. Make sure you use a tent footprint and take shoes off before going into the inner, to keep sand/thorns/etc away from the mats.

We've stopped bothering with sleeping bags, as my wife doesn't like them - we take a fitted sheet and the duvet off the bed. Kids are still in sleeping bags, though.

Thanks for your replies.

I’ve picked up most of our kit on marketplace/ebay, and have been all over that for the last few weeks.

I feel as though the sleeping situation is the last bit to sort. I just don’t see how you can get £15 air beds and £200 air beds, which is why I feel like the SIMs are probably more for me.

especially given we’ll be camping with the car, not hiking and setting up. So size/weight isn’t a concern… yet!

Today I’ve ordered a pair of Nortent Torv 7, and a Shangri La II 15 Grande. The idea being sleep test and keep the best.

Taking the duvet was part of the plan 👍

We throw a cheap memory foam slab in the back of the van. Cheaper than camping mats/beds and as warm and comfortable as the bed at home.

A few points to consider.

1 in the main you get what you pay for but unless you are planning on lots of camping I wouldn't shell out a fortune.

I have used the Eurohike from Go Outdoors a few times

https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15987854/eurohike-camper-self-inflating-mat-15...

However the two I had, while good, succumbed to leaky valves after a few uses.

Currently I like the Therm-a-rest SIM's which come in various thicknesses.

2 If comfort is your thing I would tend to go with thick mattresses and for easy of use self-inflating over others.

3 does it make a noise when you lie on it? crunchy mattresses (and sleeping bags) will keep you awake all night.

4 single mattresses are more versitile than double but each to their own.

5 always test before you buy. It's an expensive business buying something you are not comfortable on

6 I find that i need extra pillows when sleeping on a carry mat than on a bed. Worth considering.

7 small pack size and weight is only an issue for me if backpacking or if you have lack of boot space in the car. These days comfort comes top

A few points to consider.

1 in the main you get what you pay for but unless you are planning on lots of camping I wouldn't shell out a fortune.

I have used the Eurohike from Go Outdoors a few times

https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15987854/eurohike-camper-self-inflating-mat-15...

However the two I had, while good, succumbed to leaky valves after a few uses.

Currently I like the Therm-a-rest SIM's which come in various thicknesses.

2 If comfort is your thing I would tend to go with thick mattresses and for easy of use self-inflating over others.

3 does it make a noise when you lie on it? crunchy mattresses (and sleeping bags) will keep you awake all night.

4 single mattresses are more versitile than double but each to their own.

5 always test before you buy. It's an expensive business buying something you are not comfortable on

6 I find that i need extra pillows when sleeping on a carry mat than on a bed. Worth considering.

7 small pack size and weight is only an issue for me if backpacking or if you have lack of boot space in the car. These days comfort comes top

A comfort tip for you: Beds are comfortable because you sink into them and the hollow/dent you create then supports most of your body. A thin mat feels hard because it's very flat and only touches you in a few places.

You can make a thin mat much more comfortable by tucking spare clothes, towel, stuff sacks, tent bag, even rucksacks around the edges, especially at the hips and shoulders, to create an artificial hollow for your body. Ten minutes spent fiddling around to get said hollow just right is a good investment and can make for a much better nights sleep.

The same logic is why you don't want to over-inflate a thicker mat.