Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Gear Forum :: Sleeping pad or air bed?
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nctry |
Takeya: "RMinMN: "Tekeya: "I see nothing wrong with your plan. One advantage of air beds is they usually have more depth than camping pads which helps keep you high and dry should the tent floor accumulate water. The best way to keep dirt and stuff away from your bag is not to bring it in in the first place. I have some air beds I’ve used on the road. I could not imagine dragging one across canoe country. I recommend a good pad be it exped, thermarest, big Agnes, or whatever. My thermarests roll up extremely small. Air beds? I’d worry about them failing a lot faster then something made for this kind of use. A good “mat” outside your tent can make entering a much cleaner, dryer experience. I’ve seen rugs, pads, you name it. |
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Bronco |
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ExFS |
twistertail: "What about the therma rest ultra light cots, anyone use those?" Cots are the cat’s meow. We have a couple of helinox lite cots. Payed $175 for each on sale, which isn’t much more than a good sleeping pad. They weigh under 3 pds. |
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deepdish71 |
We like that they are insulated to r-9.5 and are well, mega. We take 2 of these and still can single portage if we are careful with excess gear. They are luxurious |
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Tomcat |
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twistertail |
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00168ZJWY/ref=sxts_kp_lp_3?pf_rd_p=8778bc68-27e7-403f-8460-de48b6e788fb&pd_rd_wg=UojSw&pf_rd_r=08RSF7J93WFPD83D0XCR&pd_rd_i=B00168ZJWY&pd_rd_w=Axrxc&pd_rd_r=86ed6014-75ae-4e46-bc96-5c32bd68c68f&ie=UTF8&qid=1548952141&sr=3 We'll do some test runs in the back yard this spring and see what works best. |
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A1t2o |
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Bannock |
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twistertail |
I know the self-inflating pads would be quicker set up and with the air beds I'd be carrying an extra piece of equipment with the pump, I'm just not sure which way to go. Kind of leaning towards the air beds, I've slept on them plenty of times and I think are more comfortable than any self inflating pads I've ever used, but any self-inflating pads I've used have been smaller ones at 1 or 1.5 inches thick and not very comfortable at all. Just looking for some opinions and pros and cons of each. Thanks for any help. |
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Savage Voyageur |
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butthead |
Tomcat: "twistertail: "Ok please forgive my ignorance but whats the difference between the backpacking air mattresses and the cheap twin size I already have from Walmart that the kids use for backyard camping at home? Of course the size and weight I know but what else? I doing a trip with my 14 year old daughter and will only have a few short portages between the number lakes so I'm not too concerned with some extra weight if it means being more comfortable. " Kind of hard to explain to someone who has not used an air inflated insulated backpack mattress. A large leap up in comfort over a self inflating, with added weight savings and pack size. You asked, those are the differences. Tomcat didn't mention the existing down filled inflated mattresses from Exped, some will work well below 0 while still a manageable backpacking mattress. butthead |
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A1t2o |
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twistertail |
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twistertail |
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RMinMN |
Tekeya: "I see nothing wrong with your plan. One advantage of air beds is they usually have more depth than camping pads which helps keep you high and dry should the tent floor accumulate water. If your tent leaks badly in a big storm they also will double as a swimming pool as your body pushes down an area where water will collect. It's best to plan ahead and let theis happen when the weather is really warm. BTDT |
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mike2019 |
R value 3.2 2 1/2 inch thick, about 16 oz if I remember right. Pricey but so worth it to me The large size was perfect for me. The 25" width is generous. But, my number one choice is to hammock, which I will do in the BW. I have a warbonnet blackbird with a double bottom that allows me to insert the NeoAir and becomes my bottom insulation. |
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Tomcat |
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A1t2o |
twistertail: " So you fold the mat in half before you roll it up? I thought that might rip it. I wanted to get everything in a pack so if we get rain or tip everything would still be dry and i couldnt find any packs that were 30" tall, but if i fold them in half and then roll that might work. Thanks. Try rolling it up once to push all the air out, then unroll, fold, and roll it up again while it is flat. You can open the valve again on the reroll if you have more air to push out. |
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em8260 |
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Tomcat |
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A1t2o |
twistertail: "So i'm thinking air mattress with some type of insulating pad and a good sleeping bag will do the trick. " Is that a bag and a pad or a bag, mattress and a pad? You really want the mattress/pad to be one item. If you are still looking at using a twin air mattress like you mentioned earlier, I would encourage you to reconsider. If you try to lay a insulating pad down first then an air mattress, then you are heating the entire mattress with your body heat. The 2 issues with that are that it takes time to warm it up, and you lose a lot of heat on all exposed surfaces of the mattress. If you put the mattress down then the pad, you will be warmer, but you also lose the comfort of the air mattress. You really want the mattress and the pad to be the same item so it can provide comfort and warmth at the same time throughout the sleeping pad. The thermarest pads you mentioned would do the job nicely. |
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Tomcat |
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RMinMN |
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nlong |
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keth0601 |
1) heavy 2) cold 3) fragile I think the one I hear the most complaints about is the fact that they get very cold. That big open air chamber is a recipe for heat loss from convection. Backpacking mats not list as "air mats" either have a baffle pattern to interrupt air flow, insulation, or some combination of the two which helps prevent conduction and convection. Some like the neo air series also use reflective elements to prevent heat lost through radiation. This coupled with the fact that they're generally made to be tougher and lighter is what makes them overall worth the extra $$ over an air mattress. |
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twistertail |
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SourisMan |
butthead: "Tomcat: "twistertail: "Ok please forgive my ignorance but whats the difference between the backpacking air mattresses and the cheap twin size I already have from Walmart that the kids use for backyard camping at home? Of course the size and weight I know but what else? I doing a trip with my 14 year old daughter and will only have a few short portages between the number lakes so I'm not too concerned with some extra weight if it means being more comfortable. " I agree, the comfort of an air inflated mattress is head and shoulders above the self inflating kind. At least that's the case for my 66 year old body. Someone else mentioned problems with cold air. I don't know for sure that this is a good idea, but I put my non-insulated air mattress on top of a space blanket. On a November trip, with below freezing temps, I felt no cold at all coming up into my 20 degree bag. |
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Tekeya |
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butthead |
A few to start with. Exped Thermarest Big Agnes Nemo Klymit Sea To Summit butthead |
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A1t2o |
For comfort, you can try messing with the amount of air in the Thermarest. You can blow into it to add more air and make it firmer or let some out to soften it. I find that those adjustments are necessary on pretty much all sleeping pads. |
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Tomcat |
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twistertail |
I feel there is nothing wrong with using the air bed if you like the idea better than the luxury map. However if fitting it in you pack is a factor I posted photos of my 30x77x2 thermarest on my pack with a tent and bugout shelter for size comparison. My wife and I place the thermarest in the bottom of packs with no issues. The luxury map is one inch thicker than our camp rest but has larger air gaps in the foam liner so that it should roll to the same or similar size, about 15in x 8in when folded in half and rolled-up. It takes me about 3 minutes to roll my mattress. So you fold the mat in half before you roll it up? I thought that might rip it. I wanted to get everything in a pack so if we get rain or tip everything would still be dry and i couldnt find any packs that were 30" tall, but if i fold them in half and then roll that might work. Thanks. |
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24kGold |
Everything has it's pros and cons but after using the cot for over 10 years, it's still going strong with no rips or serious wear. There's room underneath for small gear and for stuffing dirty clothes or jackets. Okay, I'm getting carried away but I really do love my Thermarest cot. It's certainly my choice. Terry |
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Takeya |
RMinMN: "Tekeya: "I see nothing wrong with your plan. One advantage of air beds is they usually have more depth than camping pads which helps keep you high and dry should the tent floor accumulate water. There are pros and cons to equipment but not always right or wrong, more often just personal choice. There is no reason an air bed could not be used successfully in BWCA. I have spent multiple days tent camping in rain and in the process of packing/pitching the tent, and entering and exiting the tent, dirt and water collect on the tent floor. Having a tall sleeping pad can help to keep the dirt and water away from your sleeping bag. |
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twistertail |
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