OT: Tent ground pads

[AngryScientist]

i'm considering an outdoor typed air matress to go under the sleeping bags for some light camping trips, car camping typed stuff, nothing too demanding on space. is there anything specific i should consider?

while i love the outdoors, i'm really quite a camping novice, last time i spent the night in a tent, i had cardboard between me and the ground, a little gear upgrading is in order for me, cycling trip coming up and going do do the camping thing in conjunction....

any help or thoughts are appreciated.

[William]

Big Agnes was always good to me on camping trips.... ;)

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/SubCategory___40000000226_200368356

BA
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___27343




William

[christian]

The Serotta of sleeping pads are the down-filled inflatables like the Exped Down Mat 7.

The Trek of sleeping pads are the Thermarest ProLite 4.

The Rivendell of sleeping pads is a closed-cell foam pad from Walmart.

I have used all three and for most trips, the last is just fine, very lightweight, and no risk of puncture. I save the Thermarest and Exped mats for winter camping on snow where I layer (one of) them on top of a closed-cell foam pad for extra ground insulation.

[AngryScientist]

Big Agnes was always good to me on camping trips.... ;)

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/SubCategory___40000000226_200368356

BA
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___27343




William

good tip, i'll look into them. i also have the benefit of a huge campmor retail store about 8 miles from me, they carry all this stuff in-store, and the sales people are real cool adventure types who usually give good advice.

[dave thompson]

Got an REI nearby to you? They offer a variety of self-inflating sleeping pads. http://www.rei.com/category/4500026

[cp43]

I got an Exped down filled mattress last year, best sleeping pad I've ever used. Much better than the 3/4 length therm-a-rests I had been using.

I got this (http://www.rei.com/product/780365/exped-downmat-9-sleeping-pad-with-pump) one. It's a bit of a pain to pump up, but worth the effort. They also make a slightly thinner/lighter version, which probably won't feel any different.

Chris

[AngryScientist]

i do, REI is 2 miles from Campmor!

the other factor is that the wife has agreed to join me for this trip, she is not, repeat: IS NOT the outdoorsy type. she wants to know where the nearest 5 star restaurant is...

the comfort in the tent for her first actual camping experience is going to make or break her doing this again, so i need something that is going to be pretty comfortable.

thanks for the tips all.

[christian]

Under that criteria, you should get the Exped. It's like a Hästens, basically. (That said, 200 clams for a freaking air mattress is insane.)

[Karin Kirk]

My best tip for a comfy camping experience is to do some excellent cooking. Bring quality beer, your favorite coffee + french press, gourmet snacks, etc. And a tablecloth for the picnic table is a must. It makes a difference. Some of my best memories of camping are all about eating a great meal in a beautiful spot.

An air mattress is a good thought. If you are car camping you can bring regular pillows and heck, why not a down comforter? Instead of two single matts, which you are guaranteed to slide off of, consider a double or queen sized matt. If you are not carrying the stuff on your back then focus on comfort. Have fun!

[christian]

Karin makes a great point. I only have backpacking equipment and (short of one car camping trip with my toddler) backpacking experience. With that comes the focus on light weights and the attendant high prices.

If you're car camping, why not go buy one of those foam mattresses from IKEA in Paramus. They're like $100 for a queen sized one. Perfect! And then you can use it for (unwelcome) house guests in the future.

[EDS]

If you are only car camping get your wife the extra thick thermarest and she should be fine.

Heck, if you are car camping and your tent is large enough you could just use a traditional air mattresses, but that would be the camping equivalent of riding a hybrid.

[gdw]

Pads/air mattresses should provide both comfort and insulation. What temperatures do you expect to encounter in the evenings?

This is a general article which might be useful.
http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/right+sleeping+pad.html

[1happygirl]

REI series of tents-Half Dome and Quarter-Dome series. Muliple award winners. Rented Half Dome 3 (just to give myself room) for a bike weekend.

They are on sale now. Gonna redesign in the fall, but nothing major. Therma rest okay, but the Exped (never heard b4) looks great, albeit heavy. Since you are only car camping, this would be great.

See if your local REI rents the stuff to try out first. Mine DID (past tense) but stopped 'cuz it was a money loser to repair, wash, etc all the equipment after rentals.
Some other stores rent too I think. Check it out. $200 here/there would make me wanna be sure especially on a seldom used item that it is the one for me.

I rented the tent and thermarest last year. Now all they do is packs and kayaks I think at my store.

[zennmotion]

i do, REI is 2 miles from Campmor!

the other factor is that the wife has agreed to join me for this trip, she is not, repeat: IS NOT the outdoorsy type. she wants to know where the nearest 5 star restaurant is...

the comfort in the tent for her first actual camping experience is going to make or break her doing this again, so i need something that is going to be pretty comfortable.

thanks for the tips all.

Campmor is the Nashbar of camping gear outlets- good stuff mixed with cheap stuff that's not worth buying, but you need to know what you don't know to avoid it. REI's stuff is better screened by their buyers, and their people (at least my experience in the local stores in the DC/VA area know the products and have used them. I've gone in full of internet research on backpacks, tents and boots only to have a great conversation with their sales people that results in a better, and often less expensive choice as a result. Plus, I've bought a LOT of their house branded stuff, all good quality and less expensive than comparable name brand products. But here's the main thing about REI- they take stuff back no questions asked. You don't like it, you take it back even if it's a little used. The returns they can't re-sell as new goes to their annual barn sales (which are amazing BTW , watch for them). Camping and hiking stuff is as complicated as buying a bike for a newbie, you don't really know until you've used it how well it fits your needs. Like how warm a bag is, or how well that tent works in a hard summer thunderstorm (let alone horizontal sleet while pitched in a puddle), or the cookware that can only burn your eggs, or the stove you can't light in the wind... If you're new to this stuff, check out campmor but buy any larger ticket items from REI, let them help you and you can return it even months later, even if they no longer stock it- they'll give you store credit if you can't remember which credit card you used and lost the paper receipt. It looks like a big box store, but it's a buyers' cooperative, which makes a difference behind the shelves.
Regarding the mattress, here's another forum thread that might be useful

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=19592

[old_fat_and_slow]

the other factor is that the wife has agreed to join me for this trip, she is not, repeat: IS NOT the outdoorsy type. she wants to know where the nearest 5 star restaurant is...



Make sure and tell the wife how much spiders, ants, and crickets love to crawl in the sleeping back with you. She'll get "into the camping thang" in no time.

Also tell her how much black bears luv "people food". If yer lucky, maybe one o' the little fellers will come raid your ice chest or food stash during the night. (Always exciting when that happens.)

Also tell her that coyotes are very inquisitive little fellows. If'n yah hears 'em singin' at night, they also might wannah come check out yer campsite before dawn.

Oh yeah, raccoons luv tah raid tha food stash at night too!

Have a blast, and make sure and report back to us how it went.

[Ozz]

The Thermarest self inflating mattresses are great for backpacking, but as long as you are car camping...the standard Colman air mattress (single) works great...just get the battery powered inflator.

They end up about 6" thick and are quite comfy. The doubles move too much when your partner rolls over.

$30 to $40 for the mattress....$25 or so for the pump.

FWIW - my wife was definitely NOT a camper, but got on board once she knew she would have a comfy bed to sleep on.

Other tips....get the Colman propane stove, and bring real pots and pans from your kitchen. You spend most your time preparing food and cleaning up after eating. Weight is not a problem, so bring the good utensils.

If you have kids, get a 5 gallon collapsible water jug and set up a handwashing station. Put a bar of soap into an old nylon and tie it to the jug. Saves lots of trips to the bathroom or water spigot for quick hand washing. make sure it is down hill from your camp if there is a slope.

[merlinmurph]

My wife and I car camp a fair amount and we have a simple, double-size air mattress we got at a dept store for ~$50. It is wonderful, I have had some of my snoozes on that thing. Of course, it depends on how big you tent is - I think ours is 7x8, so the mattress takes up almost all of it, but there's room on the sides for other stuff. Oh yeah, don't forget the pump when you go....been there... :eek:

Fot the first trip with the wife, I highly recommend a campground with a shower, or at least one very close by. Worth it's weight in gold. :)

As others have mentioned, food is important, as well as the alcoholic beverage(s) of her choice.

You might even consider this, depending on where you end up going. Sometimes my wife and I do very simple camping, especially for just one night. We'll just bring a tent and sleeping bags - that's it. Find a good breakfast place, a place for dinner, and you're set. Bring a cooler for drinks, snacks and lunch.

Good luck,
Murph

[Ozz]

...
Fot the first trip with the wife, I highly recommend a campground with a shower, or at least one very close by. Worth it's weight in gold. :)

As others have mentioned, food is important, as well as the alcoholic beverage(s) of her choice.
...
+100

A good shower and a proper cocktail hour brings civility to camping... :beer:

[zennmotion]

+100

A good shower and a proper cocktail hour brings civility to camping... :beer:

To bring this back to bikes, my wife once gave me a 5 gallon solar shower bag ($25 from REI of course!) that we use occasionally for camping when the shower facilities are non-existant (eg state parks "primative" areas) or just too gross to contemplate. The bag Heats up well, sometimes too well on the front seat or car hood if the sun is out.

And did anybody notice, cyclocross season is around the corner! Your race is over and you're cold and wet. Nothing like a bit of a warm shower to rinse off the cold mud before you get back in the car. Fill it with hot water from home, stays warm for quite a few hours wrapped in your towel, or kept in a small insulated chest. 5 gallons will rinse off 4-5 stinky riders in my experience, you friends will love you even more and your sig. other will appreciate your car not smelling like farm animals on Monday mornings. Plus it can rinse off your bike (hint-squeeze it under your arm for a little pressure). You're welcome.

http://www.rei.com/product/752797/seattle-sports-camp-shower-5-gallon

[russ46]

When we were in our camping phase, we had 2 sets of pads. Full length 2" Therm-a-Rests for car camping & a thinner 3/4 length for backpacking. We had tried many other pads but Therm-a-Rest ended up being the best. The 2" Therm-a-Rest is as close to a bed as you can get.

Personally I would stay away from air mattresses if you'll camp in the fall or spring. They can get pretty cold.

[AngryScientist]

thanks for the tips folks, i'm getting pretty excited about the trip, even though it will be a short one.

i'm heading up to VT to ride out to Harpoon Brewery, which is just a great place in the spring/fall. i'll be sure to bring back lots of pictures. i think the weather will still be fairly warm, so between a good ground protection and decent sleeping bags, we should be all set.

:beer:

[csm]

I second (and thirds?) everything Mrs Kirk said. I am a fan of the thermarests as well.

[MadRocketSci]

2" thermarest. You want to make it more comfy? Blow it up by mouth - the instructions say to just let it self inflate, but whatever...add the extra cush and screw whatever your hot wet breath does to the inside foam...

[William]

Whoa!! Wrong thread!! :crap: Need coffee!!!





William

[christian]

2" thermarest. You want to make it more comfy? Blow it up by mouth - the instructions say to just let it self inflate, but whatever...add the extra cush and screw whatever your hot wet breath does to the inside foam...
I have an old Thermarest I got in 1991 and have been doing this to every usage since. It appears unaffected. I am not terribly concerned about the foam at this point...

[verticaldoug]

I'll be devil's advocate here since my wife is also a non-camper. Instead of going out and spending a bunch of money on new gear, coffee maker, etc, ask your wife if she rather stay in a small bed n breakfast. You still get to ride, hike, etc and your wife doesn't have to deal with the stress of camping. She'll probably be more appreciative.

The people in Vermont can use the business although I do hear some places are full up with construction crews.

Luckily, the weather forecast is to be clear, but the mornings will also be a bit nippy. I hope your wife enjoys the chill.

[MadRocketSci]

I have an old Thermarest I got in 1991 and have been doing this to every usage since. It appears unaffected. I am not terribly concerned about the foam at this point...

i think the only negative effect is that the thermarest won't self inflate very well, like keeping it stored all rolled up and squished down. For me it doesn't matter i'm going to blow it up anyway. Big diff in comfort.

[Chad Engle]

I second the inexpensive solar heated shower bags. I brought one with me to Iraq, could have made millions renting it out. Simple, takes up very little space and very effective compared to washing up in a bucket.

I don't like the self inflating sleeping pads, mine always ended up with holes in them and failed to "self-inflate". The closed cell foam pads get my recommendation, a little bigger but always do their thing.

Have fun!

[thinpin]

My best tip for a comfy camping experience is to do some excellent cooking. Bring quality beer, your favorite coffee + french press, gourmet snacks, etc. And a tablecloth for the picnic table is a must. It makes a difference. Some of my best memories of camping are all about eating a great meal in a beautiful spot.

An air mattress is a good thought. If you are car camping you can bring regular pillows and heck, why not a down comforter? Instead of two single matts, which you are guaranteed to slide off of, consider a double or queen sized matt. If you are not carrying the stuff on your back then focus on comfort. Have fun!
This^^
Any fool can be uncomfortable.
Using hiking stuff for car camping is a compromise. A roomy easy to pitch tent,mattress, a duvet and some pillows. A couple of folding chairs and table. Something descent to cook on. Cook nice but simple stuff. Ply her with good wine! Buy the best you can afford. Think of motel room savings to be had and it will soon pay for itself. Slowly push the seasons boundaries. One of my little tips is to bring a down jacket each for cool evening. Snug when sitting around. Be prepared to bail in the early days if the weather looks nasty.

[xjoex]

I highly recommend the Thermarest brand sleeping pads. I am still using a 20 year old Thermarest ultra light.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sP22KrF7Fis/TjX7cK2pElI/AAAAAAAADlA/S54mdpuGvEw/IMG_0541.JPG

If you are not car camping though, maybe bike-camping or backpacking do not bring the kitchen sink. Use a small bag, a nice tent and prepare your food ahead of time... Go light and you might be happier. I don't know at least I am ! YMMV.

-Joe

[victoryfactory]

The Thermarest self inflating mattresses are great for backpacking, but as long as you are car camping...the standard Colman air mattress (single) works great...just get the battery powered inflator.

They end up about 6" thick and are quite comfy. The doubles move too much when your partner rolls over.

$30 to $40 for the mattress....$25 or so for the pump.

FWIW - my wife was definitely NOT a camper, but got on board once she knew she would have a comfy bed to sleep on.

Other tips....get the Colman propane stove, and bring real pots and pans from your kitchen. You spend most your time preparing food and cleaning up after eating. Weight is not a problem, so bring the good utensils.

If you have kids, get a 5 gallon collapsible water jug and set up a handwashing station. Put a bar of soap into an old nylon and tie it to the jug. Saves lots of trips to the bathroom or water spigot for quick hand washing. make sure it is down hill from your camp if there is a slope.


Ozz is 100% correct on the mattress!
Forget the high tech stuff for car camping, go with the Coleman style with battery (4Dcell) inflator. Off brands can be had for ~$30. with pump.
If you bring along your favorite pillow, you will sleep great.
The beauty of car camping is you can bring all your stuff, the challenge of
car camping is selecting the right stuff, the perfection of car camping is a
never ending life's work. (for me, anyway)
Every time I go out there, I try to improve my kit and find that perfect campsite
that is easy to get to but not crowded. I'll be setting off in 3 weeks on my
yearly tour of the southwest. This year: Southeast Utah, Arizona Strip,
North Rim Grand Canyon (weather permitting)

Can't wait.

VF



Photo: Car Camping in Canyonlands

[William]

Car camping for me.....

http://www.cruiseroutfitters.com/content_images/ARBTentAwning/arbtentpic002.jpg

http://www.olympiafj60.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/arb-rooftop-tent.jpg

Fold out roof top tents. :cool:




William

[victoryfactory]

William;
That's a whole 'nother level...
They let you do that at Misquamicut?

VF

[William]

William;
That's a whole 'nother level...
They let you do that at Misquamicut?

VF

That's tough, I would have to constantly beat people away with a stick ...... or let Rhea Basset slime them.

East beach on the other hand is 4WD (with permit) self contained camping only. A barrier beach with the Atlantic on one side, Ninigret pond on the other.

http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=east+beach,Charlestown,RI&fb=1&gl=us&hq=east+beach,Charlestown,RI&hnear=east+beach,Charlestown,RI&cid=0,0,3567289517288682422&ei=swpqTtnOB-TG0AHF3vWDBQ&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&ved=0CAQQ_BI

Very secluded. No worrying about the throngs of touching beach towels and people sunning themselves there. :cool:




William