what is best sleeping system to avoid lower back problems

[tenting seniors]

Re: what is best sleeping system to avoid lower back problems

The concept looks good, however, I think it is best suited for a perfectly level floor. It maybe a bit heavy and take up more space than other options I'm looking at.

I camp in rental cars (personal fav is the Honda Element w/ the backseats left at home) and pack for 3 adults, 1 child in general. One more adult and I need to upgrade to a mini van. Last year, I took my 80+ y/o mother and her sister camping and they really enjoyed sleeping in cots altho were I a really "good child", I'd of given them the sueded top Coleman queen size mattress and Cabela stand. But welllllllllllll I'm not so there :D.
We use down comforters as well as sheets and pillows from home. The man needs a special pillow for his lower back and we drag that along to camp with. Some of the best sleep we've had.

The Cabela setup looks like this and stores the air mattress, sheets and some of the pillows ( I use down L/R sized pillows but everyone else uses
full size) :

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabel...h-All+Products

You can buy it stand only or with an air mattress included. We opted for the stand alone as we already had a perfectly good air mattress.

HTH!

[tenting seniors]

Re: what is best sleeping system to avoid lower back problems

What model of Coleman mattress are you using and for how long? Camping at any age is possible, just be prepared, be careful and plan, plan, plan. We won't be climbing up and down steep hills or grades and we will avoid unsafe footing. I mentioned before we will choose camp sites that have some basic amenities and we know we can handle the Coleman Sundome5 tent easily. Both of us are in reasonably good health for our age and if you want to do things like camping, do it, because maybe next year a health issue will come up and that will be the end of it

I've always used an air matttress by Coleman. I've tried the thermarest type pads and just didn't do well on it. I camp when it's not freezing so the hypothermia hyp doesn't worry me. Good luck with your choice. I hope I'm still able to tent when I get to my 70's.

[tplife]

Re: what is best sleeping system to avoid lower back problems

tenting seniors, not if you're using a sleeping bag. You can insulate yourself from the draft of the air (convection cooling) by creating a barrier with your sleeping bag, but laying on a cot or air mattress, you're always fighting the heat sink effect which robs you of comfortable sleep since the air inside the mattress (or under the cot) will get colder until it's the same temp as the outside air, so, if you're laying on it, it's sucking the warmth away from you, robbing you of a good (or a better) nights' sleep at best, and inviting hypothermia at worst. You do sound like a good candidate for a ThermaRest DreamTime!
Frank: most hypothermia occurs at temperatures between 30 and 50-degrees F., so you are placing yourself at risk. This is why the US military and the Boy Scouts of America recommend against using cots or air mattresses, except in heated enclosures like RDF's Mr.-Buddy-heated McMansion Tent! :cool:

[GlitterHiker]

Re: what is best sleeping system to avoid lower back problems

Someone told me there wasn't enough room in the car. My come back was, there are hikers who can pack everything they need in a back pack for camping on a hike so I think it is reasonable to assume everything we "need" for 2 people can be packed in the trunk and back seat of our car.

LOL!

When I started camping (car/tent camping), my car practically overflowed with stuff. Since I didn't know enough yet, I packed everything I thought I "might" need. Then I thought the same thing you did, and quickly pared down.

I'm heading out this weekend; will try to take pics of the car at some point.

[surmisez]

Re: what is best sleeping system to avoid lower back problems

I've always used an air matttress by Coleman. I've tried the thermarest type pads and just didn't do well on it. I camp when it's not freezing so the hypothermia hyp doesn't worry me. Good luck with your choice. I hope I'm still able to tent when I get to my 70's.

I'm with you. My husband and I tent camp in summer and love the elevated air mattress we sleep on. We use summer weight sleeping bags -- zipped together to make a double bag -- along with the 15 lb furnace called Solomon, we sleep great! :D

[shawnbebout]

Re: what is best sleeping system to avoid lower back problems

what ever you decide to sleep on, try it out at home first. If you wake up sore the next morning, find something else. Also a "shakedown" camping trip isn't a bad idea either.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: what is best sleeping system to avoid lower back problems

Thank you for your prompt response. We will be sure to checkout the ThermaRest sleeping pad as it is vital to our comfort. The younger folk have bodies that can stand a little discomfort and get up raring to go the next morning. However, we older folk already have a few kinks and stiffness in our muscles and bones so we need to take good care of ourselves. We have chosen a 10 x 10 Coleman Sundome 5 Tent and a Coleman PerfectFlow Instastart Grill with two 10,000 btu burners (1 for grilling and 1 for heating pots etc) and our vehicle is a new 2011 Focus 4dr sedan. Last year our grandson and his wife took an across Canada trip in a 19 year old VW Jetta 4dr sedan (the only repair for the whole trip was a rear wheel bearing and a headlight) from Pemberton BC up to Alaska then down and across to Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and returned using the same stove but a slightly smaller (3 person) tent. When they visited us in Ontario we were impressed by the ease of putting up and taking down their tent and its compactness the one we are looking at is a 5-6 person and weighs only 18lbs with the fly and is also very compact.

I checked my reservation history and found that the first car I rented to go camping was a Mazda 3 Hatch. According to edmunds.com it has about 2 cubic feet less than the Ford Focus. Not sure how the back of your car is configured yet this info will help w/ the general knowledge, I should think. That year we hauled up the equipment for 4 adults and 1 toddler which was composed of:

a 15*12 tent (Eureka Copper Canyon)
ground cloth
3 air mattresses (1 Q; 2 twins)
bedding: sheets and down comforters
2 coolers (1 approx 40 qts; 1 approx 25 qts)
4 weekend bags which included toiletry bags
1-1/2 gal. water cooler
2 lanterns
1 fan
1 shopping bag with kitchen gear
white gas stove
picnic basket with service for 4
2 citronella pails
2 chairs in a bag
1 table in a bag

Everything fit in nicely although there was only space for 2 people in the car. Everyone else took a commuter train up. The trip lasted 4 days.

[MikeB]

Re: what is best sleeping system to avoid lower back problems


This queen size inflatable bed on an expanding frame is what I enjoy sleeping on. I bought 3 of them at Fred Meyer. It would fit in your tent and you can adjust the pressure to suit you. Kind of a Sleep Number Bed without the remote. Cost about $85. It is worth every penny!

[surmisez]

Re: what is best sleeping system to avoid lower back problems

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This queen size inflatable bed on an expanding frame is what I enjoy sleeping on. I bought 3 of them at Fred Meyer. It would fit in your tent and you can adjust the pressure to suit you. Kind of a Sleep Number Bed without the remote. Cost about $85. It is worth every penny!

We have the same thing that we purchased from Walmart for about $70 a couple of years ago for overnight guests. We decided to try it camping and are so glad we did. It’s perfect!

We have a rechargeable pump that we took on our first camping trip, but the charge didn’t last the week and the juice ran out when we were deflating the bed.

We purchased a Coleman pump (looks like a bike pump on steroids) that pumps on the downward and upward stoke. It’s lightweight and very easy to use. It pumps the bed up pretty quick. It has a separate connection port to deflate the bed quickly, too. If you like multi-use items, it also works great as a bellows to get our camp fires going. :D

[tenting seniors]

Re: what is best sleeping system to avoid lower back problems

Our plan is to have a local overnight "trial trip" to do a "shakedown". Further, the first few days of our holiday we will be on the highway during the day with our basic needs and we can stop in any shopping outlets along the way if we need to add any last minute things. On the fourth day we will be staying in a campground park for 5 - 7 days before we move on again. Our first choice of sleeping mat is the Therm-A-Rest DreamTime and I'll also have a look at the REI Camp Bed 3.5. The Therm-A-Rest is sold locally in Canada but I haven't seen and retail stores selling REI here.

what ever you decide to sleep on, try it out at home first. If you wake up sore the next morning, find something else. Also a "shakedown" camping trip isn't a bad idea either.

[tenting seniors]

Re: what is best sleeping system to avoid lower back problems

I think you'll agree that if we have a good quality ground sheet, tent floor, sleeping mat, sleeping bags we should be fine.

tenting seniors, not if you're using a sleeping bag. You can insulate yourself from the draft of the air (convection cooling) by creating a barrier with your sleeping bag, but laying on a cot or air mattress, you're always fighting the heat sink effect which robs you of comfortable sleep since the air inside the mattress (or under the cot) will get colder until it's the same temp as the outside air, so, if you're laying on it, it's sucking the warmth away from you, robbing you of a good (or a better) nights' sleep at best, and inviting hypothermia at worst. You do sound like a good candidate for a ThermaRest DreamTime!
Frank: most hypothermia occurs at temperatures between 30 and 50-degrees F., so you are placing yourself at risk. This is why the US military and the Boy Scouts of America recommend against using cots or air mattresses, except in heated enclosures like RDF's Mr.-Buddy-heated McMansion Tent! :cool:

[surmisez]

Re: what is best sleeping system to avoid lower back problems

By the way, MikeB, how big is that tent in your photo? It looks humongous! The height looks like it's 9 foot or more.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: what is best sleeping system to avoid lower back problems

Our plan is to have a local overnight "trial trip" to do a "shakedown". Further, the first few days of our holiday we will be on the highway during the day with our basic needs and we can stop in any shopping outlets along the way if we need to add any last minute things. On the fourth day we will be staying in a campground park for 5 - 7 days before we move on again. Our first choice of sleeping mat is the Therm-A-Rest DreamTime and I'll also have a look at the REI Camp Bed 3.5. The Therm-A-Rest is sold locally in Canada but I haven't seen and retail stores selling REI here.

Sounds like an excellent idea!

[MikeB]

Re: what is best sleeping system to avoid lower back problems

My tent has two rooms. The main room is 12 X 17 with a sewn in floor. I also have a cookshack addition that is 12 X 12 and it attaches to the front of the main tent. It is 9 feet to the peak of the roof. Good eye.

I would also suggest the coleman battery powered quick pump. 4 D cell batteries and it pumps up a queen mattress in 4 minutes with no elbow grease. I do take a hand pump just in case.
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colem...d=10060&brand=

[NYCgrrl]

Re: what is best sleeping system to avoid lower back problems

My tent has two rooms. The main room is 12 X 17 with a sewn in floor. I also have a cookshack addition that is 12 X 12 and it attaches to the front of the main tent. It is 9 feet to the peak of the roof. Good eye.

I would also suggest the coleman battery powered quick pump. 4 D cell batteries and it pumps up a queen mattress in 4 minutes with no elbow grease. I do take a hand pump just in case.
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colem...d=10060&brand=

Nice setup U have there!
I purchased the Coleman quick pump last year. Thing o beauty for sure.
I don't bother carrying the hand pump anymore as I can be supremely lazy when the mood hits and figgure I'd just buy another if needed.
In most of the NE a store is not that far away.