We used to use nothing but air mattress but got tired of filling it up in the middle of the night, rolling it back up to fit the bag blah, blah blah. Bought a 3/12" pad from REI, we'll never go back top the air mattress. Inflates in no time, easy to roll up and stow. Actually stays warmer (IMO) during those cold nights than the mattress, no leaks, oh yea and you don't wake up the spouse when nature calls.
I use a Thermarest Base Camp - self inflating. Works well, both in terms of comfort, R-value, rolls up tight and does not take a lot of place.
ALthough I don't have any experience with the Thermarest Dreamtine - some suggest that this is the ultimate for comfort.
I use a air mattress, I don't see the self inflating pads working to well on anything but very smooth ground, especially for a guy my size. With the air mattress it doesn't matter how uneven the ground is or if you missed a rock when setting up the tent its thick enough and you can make it firm enough to over come holes dips or rocks you missed. I just deal with the fact that its a pain in the but to put away.
__________________ "Because in the end it has almost nothing to do with the bike and everything to do with setting
out to accomplish something that is intimidating, that is unknown to you, something you know you
have a good chance of failing at but doing it anyways and slowly but surely proving yourself wrong." Mike Ambs
www.corva.org "Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine
I'll second the REI self inflating pads. A little less expensive than Thermarest, but just as good of quality, plus with REI you get a 100% lifetime guarantee.
I bought my 3.5" pad 3 years ago and just exchanged it tonight for the same model, only the new model has rebuildable valves on it (which is why I exchanged it).
By the way, REI has their self inflating pads on sale right now... $47 for the 2.5" and $59 for the 3.5". That is a fantastic deal for a great pad.
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Decidion (Jeff)
'08 Brick Red
Too many mods to list...but my latest is a BajaRack!
I got a new coleman air mattress for me and the wife this year and it is hands done one of the most comfortable ones I have ever used. And does not deflate in the middle of the night.. I also got a real inexpensive self inflating pad from Cabelas for Rubicon this year and it works well but it does tend to deflate during the middle of the night.. But like I said it was cheap and they do not carry it any more so I guess I got what I paid for..
As an old backpacker, I've always used Thermarest closed-foam self-inflating pads. I have a full body Thermarest for use in camp and a 1/2 body one for backpacking.
They offer the best combination of lightness, warmth, compactness, comfort and convenience of any camping mattress. Open foam is more "comfy" but is way too bulky to carry and air mattresses requires additional equipment and are too firm for my taste.
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Marty
2007 Titanium Metallic Toyota FJ Cruiser
2006 Mineral Gray Dodge Ram SRT10 Quad Cab
2006 Driftwood Pearl Toyota Prius Hybrid
2002 Absolutely Red Toyota MR2 Spyder
Boss
Linear Mode
