Sleeping pads

[harley79]

I have gotten alot of advice on here not to use an air mattress and use a sleeping pad instead. I just can't belive they are comfortable compared to an air mattress are they really comfortable?

Tammy

[renodesertfox]

Just my $0.02

Howdy H....for summer time camping(and there are folks who will disagree)...but that's okay cause it's a forum...there ain't nothing better that sleeping on a good air mattress. But finding one that is designed for camping is another matter. We like Aerobedshttp://areobeds.com. However, once the Aerobed is inflated we just don't throw a sleeping bag on top and forget it. We place a wool blanket down first, then a fitted sheet to hold the blanket in place, then finally our sleeping bag(queen size). We also carry and use a Mr. Heater "Big Buddy" propane tent heater with us. If the temp gets to 50f then the heater is there to protect us from hypothermia and then we un-zip a window to allow the cardon-monoxide to escape. Everyday, or when time allows I'll strip the bed and hang bag and blanket outside to dry and air-out! Sleeping bags have other names too, but then that is more info than I want to tell you about. Ha Ha!

For winter, autumn and fall use when not having a heated tent is the camping norm...like when it's huntin season and I'm campin' solo then it's a closed-cell foam pad for sure! Just my $0.02!

[Bigdog57]

Myself, I have used an inflatable air matress in mid-twenties temps with NO problem - just place a closed-cell pad under it to insulate from the ground.
A properly inflated air matress is more comfy than the bed at home.

[tplife]

Myself, I have used an inflatable air matress in mid-twenties temps with NO problem - just place a closed-cell pad under it to insulate from the ground.
A properly inflated air matress is more comfy than the bed at home.

The pad under you won't protect you from where the heat sink is: inside the air mattress chambers. The ground is only one of the areas where you're fighting the laws of physics. Sleeping pads are sold in a range of thicknesses from thin up to ridiculous, but they will insulate you from the ground and won't become colder inside while you sleep. Otherwise buy a Mr. Buddy and catch your zzzzzzzzzs....

[Bigdog57]

Obviously, different campers can have vastly different first-hand experiences and opinions.

I use what works for ME.

[tplife]

I like you all too much to give health or safety information based on my opinions or personal experience. As a science professional, it would be the equivalent of "cheating"...

From REI:
Conductive heat loss refers to objects of different temperatures that are in direct contact with each other. For the backcountry sleeper, this primarily refers to your body's contact with the cold ground. An insulating foam sleeping pad offers your best defense against conductive heat loss.

From the Boy Scouts:
Sleeping Pad. Any kind of pad will aid in stopping the CONDUCTION of cold from the ground into your bag and into you. Anything from a “Thermarest” to a piece of white 1” or 2” thick foam (found at army/navy stores and cloth stores) will work. Air mattresses are a bad choice because there is no insulating factor between you and the cold ground. Cots are also a bad idea because they raise you off the ground creating a cold dead air space below you. If you don’t have a mat, bring a spare wool or natural fiber blanket to use as a ground pad under your sleeping bag.

The Zeroeth Law of Thermodynamics:

If two thermodynamic systems are each in thermal equilibrium with a third, then they are in thermal equilibrium with each other.

When two systems, each in its own thermodynamic equilibrium, are put in purely thermal connection, radiative or material, with each other, there will be a net exchange of heat between them unless or until they are in thermal equilibrium. That is the state of having equal temperature.

Enjoy your air mattresses and cots in comfort, just don't fool yourselves into thinking that they will insulate you or that they are the best choice from a standpoint of safety in the outdoors. '

[fable]

So, do you think my wife, dog and I will be taking a risk, all bundled up on top of an air mattress where the lows will hit 47 degrees?

[nearlywild]

I like you all too much to give health or safety information based on my opinions or personal experience. As a science professional, it would be the equivalent of "cheating"...

Does placing the wool blanks under the sheet offer enough insulation? Those air mattresses do get cold. I could especially feel it when I would lay on my side and my hip bone went into the mattress. I bought an air mattress that has a memory foam built in and I use the blanket. That helped a lot. Plus I have a heater. I wanted to get a Thermarest but I was afraid it wouldn't be comfortable. My husband hates the Thermarests that they are issued. What about a Thermarest on top of an air mattress? One of the reasons we like an air mattress is because it's high up from the ground and easier to get up and down.

[harley79]

Hi Nearlywild,

What type of heater do you use in your tent...

[renodesertfox]

TP, sir...it is always nice to hear from a level-head on this subject. Depending on where a person chooses to camp and also the age card has something to do with it also, during the summer months an air mattress can mean extra comfort. One should always have a back-up plan. And like BD said, that he put down a sleeping pad first, well so do we and we sleep on a vinyl floor and underneath the tent are two separated ground cloths to protect my investment of the Canvas tent. I'm pushing 58 years and I like using an air-mattress(except camping solo when I do use a closed-cell foam pad). It is still great to read your words of wisdom with respect to the dangers of using said air-mattress, that's the chance I'm willing to take....with my age, except during huntin season when I allow myself only 4-5 hours of sleep, cause it's the hunt. TP, you well know how how to put everything in it's proper place! Thank you always for your input!

NW(nearlywild): We use Mr. Heater, the Big Buddy dual burner model, 18,000 BTUs per heater coil, which I run off of a 11 gallon fiberglass propane tank. However, it goes off when we sleep and I strike it on when I wake....the coldest camp to-date has been -05f at 4:30 AM. My head is like a bowling ball with a skirt on so it's a wool cap and the proper long-john underwear too. Then we're sleeping on closed cell foam pads! Our bags are rated to -30f in the winter. Summer bags are rated to +20f. Hope this helps!

[Bigdog57]

Tplife - we seem to be talking at cross-odds here.......

When I say I do indeed use an inflatable matress, I also use a good Closed Cell Foam Pad beneath it, NOT directly on the cold hard ground. Different situation entirely. Add a GI wool blanket on top of the matress - I am comfy and WARM in a measured 24 degree night. This old Dawg doesn't like getting cold, and I do take pains to NOT do that.

Works in a frigid Florida/Georgia winter for me. YMMV.

I did try an open-cell self-inflator - did not work for me.

[harley79]

This has helped me alot I love all the different advice I have learned so much..

Thank you everyone...Tammy

[nearlywild]

Hi Nearlywild,

What type of heater do you use in your tent...

I use the Mr. Heater too but the regular one. I didn't have it the first time I went camping when I could feel the coldness of the mattress. It was after that that I bought the heater and memory foam mattress.

[harley79]

I think I would be afraid of using the propane becuase of carbon monoxide and fires.. I will have to look these heaters up they must be real safe...
Hope I don't sound ridiculous..

Tammy

[tplife]

Does placing the wool blanks under the sheet offer enough insulation? Those air mattresses do get cold. I could especially feel it when I would lay on my side and my hip bone went into the mattress. I bought an air mattress that has a memory foam built in and I use the blanket. That helped a lot. Plus I have a heater. I wanted to get a Thermarest but I was afraid it wouldn't be comfortable. My husband hates the Thermarests that they are issued. What about a Thermarest on top of an air mattress? One of the reasons we like an air mattress is because it's high up from the ground and easier to get up and down.

No, it will not make a difference. You are reducing the rate of heat loss due to contact with the ground, however the air around your air mattress is unaffected by the ground blanket. It's this cold air around your air mattress that is becoming equal (equilibrating) with the temperature of the air inside your mattress. Water vapor in the air makes the transfer even faster, this is why your cooler stays colder longer when you drain off the water periodically. The ThermaRest pads your husband is talking about are like the shorter backpacker versions Cascade Designs makes - thinner and shorter, albeit less comfortable. ThermaRest offers everything from a blow-up style uberlight fanatic model to a ridiculously thick luxury model. Any air mattress that has hollow chambers will become the same temp as the air around it, regardless of how you cover it or try to insulate it. You may feel more comfortable because you're not contacting the cold surface of the mattress, but make no mistake, the air mattress is becoming as cold as the air around it, and if you're on it, it's absorbing the heat from you as you burn calories.