Sleeping mats and insulation from the ground?

[domonic]

Ok, no doubt this isn't a new issue but I'm looking to take a lightweight and compact sleeping mat overseas with me.
I have a light airbed sleeping pad to sleep on and want to somehow insulate it from the ground so it will keep me warm in the cold nights.

What are people's experiences with air beds in cold weather. Until now I've always used a Thermarest style pad, but they're too heavy for what I want now. I don't mind sleeping on a harder surface as long as I don't freeze. That ground can get cold, even if your feet are touching it through your boots.

Is there a way to insulate an air mat to resolve this problem ---Could I wrap a space blanked around it, would that work?
Is there a very light weight Thermarest style mat any of your recommend?
Can somebody recommend a way to make a decent and compact air-mattress or sleeping pad which will be light and small to carry?

Thanks

[roysta]

Ok, no doubt this isn't a new issue but I'm looking to take a lightweight and compact sleeping mat overseas with me.
I have a light airbed sleeping pad to sleep on and want to somehow insulate it from the ground so it will keep me warm in the cold nights.

What are people's experiences with air beds in cold weather. Until now I've always used a Thermarest style pad, but they're too heavy for what I want now. I don't mind sleeping on a harder surface as long as I don't freeze. That ground can get cold, even if your feet are touching it through your boots.

Is there a way to insulate an air mat to resolve this problem?
Is there a very light weight Thermarest style mat any of your recommend?
Can somebody recommend a way to make a decent and compact air-mattress or sleeping pad which will be light and small to carry?

Thanks

My Thermarest Neo Air Xtherm with a R 5.7 is perfect on cold ground


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[RonK]

You get an insulated mat. Available in a range of R values.

For example: Sleeping Mats

[domonic]

es I know, but they're stupidly expensive. An insulated mat is either costly or cheap and large.

I was thinking of wrapping something like this around an air mattress.
Would this work to keep me from the cool ground?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/213-91cm-Foil-Thermal-Space-First-Aid-Emergency-Survival-Sleeping-Bag-Blanket-/142265381194?epid=857819107&hash=item211fad714a:g:wKgAAOSwZQRYfgjg

[skibug]

Roysta wrote:

"Is there a way to insulate an air mat to resolve this problem?
Is there a very light weight Thermarest style mat any of your recommend?
Can somebody recommend a way to make a decent and compact air-mattress or sleeping pad which will be light and small to carry?"

I think you'd find a foil blanket will provide minimal insulation, as although it will reflect infra-red, it will not insulate from conductive heat loss.

You can either buy an insuated air pad, such as the thermarest xtherm (light, small, but expensive), or use a closed cell pad between your sleeping bag and the air mat (not under the air mat). As R values are additive, and the foam pads only provide around 1 - 1.5, this is at best a compromise solution. I've also found that the foam pad will not stay in place directly under your body, so you will need to affix it in place (I've used shock cord to locate its position).

Skibug

[crollsurf]

These Highlander pads are cheap and light but take up a bit of space. Don't know if they will be good enough but they do work
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/INSULATED-REFLECTIVE-SLEEPING-MAT-camp-camping-bed-roll-foil-foam-backing-/362070268812?epid=1505478104&hash=item544d11db8c:g:QNUAAOSw-CpX~32T

[RonK]

es I know, but they're stupidly expensive. An insulated mat is either costly or cheap and large.

The Sea to Summit example is neither costly or heavy or bulky. The Ultralight Insulated has an R value of 3.3 and in size regular weighs only 480gm and rolls up to just 10x23cm - about the size of a Nalgene bottle. Currently offered by local stores for as little as $135 with free shipping.

Last edited by RonK on Tue 05 Sep, 2017 9:37 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Franco]

Domonic,
what Thermarest mat do you have now ?
I should have asked "what specific Thermarest type" have you used ?
That is because those mats can vary from R1.5 to close to R6 , so hard to suggest how to improve on an unknown start.
(R 2 is twice the insulation of R1. R4 is 4x and so on. Two R2 mats are close enough to an R4 (you lose a bit on the side))

Last edited by Franco on Fri 08 Sep, 2017 1:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[davidf]

3/4 foam mat, use pack for legs

[Strider]

Cheap. Warm. Light. Pick two.

What about a Ridgerest?

https://www.wildearth.com.au/buy/therma ... S229-02148

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[Moondog55]

I am a real tight-arse, I hate spending unnecessary money on gear but mattresses are the one area on which I am willing to spend.
Sleeping comfort is too important to skimp on

[sambar358]

I am a real tight-arse, I hate spending unnecessary money on gear but mattresses are the one area on which I am willing to spend.
Sleeping comfort is too important to skimp on

Totally agree Ted (not about you being a tight-arse).....the "sleeping comfort is too important to skimp on" bit. I think with the big 3 : tent, bag & mat.....the best way to go is down the "buy once, cry once" path....especially if cold and wet conditions are likely and anyway we should always be prepared for the worst while hoping for the best. Can't beat being in a strong weather-proof tent snuggled down in a good 20 below bag on a comfy-warm insulated mat while Mother Nature does her best to give you a flogging !

But be ill-prepared and get that flogging and you'll soon appreciate that the "investment" in a good quality kit that'll handle the conditions is money well-spent....but I'll hasten to add that most of my backpacking is done in the winter hunting deer in the Vic mountains so I make no compromises with my tent (NZ Minaret) bag (Macpac Sanctuary 900XP) and mat (Exped Downmat 9). But each to their own I guess. Cheers

s358

[Moondog55]

Put the cost of the best insulated air filled mattress I am familiar with in context and the cost per bednite is very reasonable
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Sea-to-Summi ... SwIWZZfpVG
If I was traveling using hostels or cheap rooming it would get used every night because most cheap hostels and pensionnes have very thin and lumpy mattresses
Assuming you would be away for 3 months it's cheap comfort at $3- a night
I always protect mine with a cheap CCF pad underneath

[Moondog55]

Those cheap windscreen sun protectors made from foiled bubble wrap actually work OK in conjunction with an airmat when it is above freezing

[Gadgetgeek]

If the ground is that cold, then a straight air mat will act like a heat-sink, pulling heat from you, and shedding it to the ground and air. In fact you may find that they are worse than nothing. What you could do is insulate yourself from the air-mat, but by the time you overcome it as a heat-loss vector, I'd suspect you'd have a pretty decent mattress.
Get a good insulated mat, like a Neo-air four season, or any of the comparable mats outdoorgearlab has a great breakdown.

Depending on where you are going, it may be worth getting one there, or it may not. Is bulk or cost your biggest factor?

[crollsurf]

Anything over R value 2.0 for an air-mat is adequate in conditions other than snow/ice/permafrost. The key is you want the mat deflated enough to provide contouring but at the same time, ensure your (hip for side sleepers) bum doesn't touch the ground. At that point, the insulation fails and your hip/bum gets cold. When the ground is colder, pump up the volume and be happy you are warm, even though the mat is firm. In summer, when hip/bum can touch the ground, a quality air-mat is comparable to the your bed at home.

[Moondog55]

I just picked up a cheap Maccapacka mat
It's short and only 25mm thick but it only weights 500 grams, I thought that I could use it to boost the comfort of my summer mat if I had sore hips
I paid $20- because the valve was leaking, fixed now until the next time it gets dirt in it, so that could be another strategy to use.