Time to rethink the sleeping mat?

Thanks Florence! I was beginning to feel lonely as the only enthusiast.
No air mat in the world could compare - and besides, I like buying kit that will outlast me ! Its quality!
 
Yep, the best thing about the cot is it gets you up off the ground so it doesn't matter if it's rocky, stoney or fecking rock hard your up and off the deck. Expensive bit of kit but super light and packs really small.......the best!
 
stuartw said:
Or Helinox cot?

Reassuringly expensive .... but worth every penny.
I'd never go back to easily punctured mats.....
Click to expand...

Tut tut StuartW.

Helinox cots do look da bomb, and I might yet invest, and they may well be worth the price, but that notion that expensive always and automatically equates to quality is - respectfully - folly.
 
I'll have a chat with my friendly Cotswolds store in Shrewsbury to get these options in. I definitely want to try before I buy! Ukgser gets a 15% discount too, which is great as my membership of the British Mountaineering council for the last 15 years only gives 10% :blast
 
stuartw said:
Thanks Florence! I was beginning to feel lonely as the only enthusiast.
No air mat in the world could compare - and besides, I like buying kit that will outlast me ! Its quality!
Click to expand...

If you still have a Nammatj and are 9" off the ground, I can only assume you are 4'11" for your feet to miss the slope on the back of the tent.
 
MattW said:
Exped synmat for me.
Click to expand...

+1 for the synmat, couldn't bring myself to pay the downbeat prices, but they are good. The other thing about the Exped mats is that they don't just insulate, but are positively warm, can't understand how the cot would give the same warmth... what am I missing here?
 
Orinoco said:
. The other thing about the Exped mats is that they don't just insulate, but are positively warm, can't understand how the cot would give the same warmth... what am I missing here?
Click to expand...

Yep, and the main reason I stopped using a cot bed! The insulation provided by your sleeping bag tends to be reduced where your body weight compresses the bag I.e. The bit you're lying on! A mat still keeps you warm on the lower side with the insulation layer below you. A cot bed keeps you up off the ground. and can be very comfortable, but if you camp in colder climates the air below the bed can be very cold and this can mean you lose heat from underneath.

So IMHO a cot bed can be great in warmer situations, but a good mat like the exped will serve you well when it gets cold!
 
+1 for the Exped downmat; I bought the 9dlx version and it's been excellent; inflation without the bag pump is a 'bit of a chore' but one that I can live with.
 
may be a wimp but just picked up a cot and will use the exped synmat on top of it at the elephant
 
ogri-nic said:
may be a wimp but just picked up a cot and will use the exped synmat on top of it at the elephant
Click to expand...

The best thing to keep you warm at the Elefant rally is straw under your tent. Get there as early as possible and make buying a bale a priority :thumb2
 
Bounce said:
+1 for the Exped downmat; I bought the 9dlx version and it's been excellent; inflation without the bag pump is a 'bit of a chore' but one that I can live with.
Click to expand...
What Bounce said ^^^
Me too!
We've got 2 9dlx's, an Exped DreamWalker Duo 400 Plus duvet and fitted sheet. I love camping and that setup is one of the best investments I've ever made. Incredibly warm yet super lightweight and compact for on the bike.
 
ogri-nic said:
may be a wimp but just picked up a cot and will use the exped synmat on top of it at the elephant
Click to expand...

nic,
this is the same setup I use.
Thermarest cot
Exped 9DLX
Down thermarest blanket

When really cold I put a reflective blanket underneath the cot

Neil
 
I have been reading the features and reviews of the Thermarest and Helinox camp cot beds in excess of £150 and those of the Chinese made items at £50.
You get what you paid for it seems. The Chinese cots quote a 200kg max weight limit but, reviewers of less than 100kg say the poles get bent easily.

For the quality cots although still probably made in China; fair better.

I am 110kgs in the nuddy so, first need to try out in the store (with clothes on).
 
Reggie P said:
Or Helinox cot?

Reassuringly expensive .... but worth every penny.
I'd never go back to easily punctured mats.....


Click to expand...

Hmm been thinking about getting an exped mat as Ive been using an airbed but its friggin baltic lyin on it cos there isnt any insulation just air.. Im thinking one of those cots would just be as cold as the air would be under it ??
 
Exped downmat or synmat (or another insulated inflatable mat) will be warmer than a cot bed. You're going to be squashing the insulation on the bottom of your sleeping bag, so insulation in the mat does make it noticeably warmer.

I have a Synmat, uninsulated mattresses, many sleeping bags and also use a quilt in warmer conditions. Warm weather (and ultralighting) its an uninsulated mat and a quilt, as the weather gets cooler i use a warmer mat first, before i swap to a warmer sleeping bag.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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