Air Matress Recommendations

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Byrdman

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Going to purchase an air matress for use in the cockpit of my CD18 Angler, in my Excursion, and other boat... Went down and saw many differant sizes and types.... I "think" I want one with the "on board" blower for blowing the thing up rather than having a seperate unit of somekind to keep up with/store.

Have both AC/DC power available due to a Honda 2000 gen set and DC systems on boats/vehicle.

Any of my C-Brat family use these things and have some "get this one :thup :thup ...do not get that one :thdown :thdown " talk for me please.

Thanks.

Byrdman
 
Byrdman,

I have used all types of air mattresses throughout the years. The one I prefer, by far, is one of the foam filled ones that require no blower to inflate. You simply open the valve and the foam inside the mattress simply expands and pulls in air. If you need more air a couple of puffs will do the job. when the air is right just close the valve.

To me these are also much more comfortable as you don't tend to roll around as a regular air mattress encourages. Another great advantage is that the foam insulates you from cold ground (or deck) whereas air passes the cold right to your backside.

Thermarest is probably the best known brand. They make mattresses in a variety of thicknesses, widths and lengths. For the boat I would recommend the biggest they make. You can find them at any outdoor vendor. Campmor (www.campmor.com) has them readily available as does REI.
 
We bought a Coleman air mattress, which came with a external pump. We found that the pump is battery driven, and we had no batteries on board. However the old inflatable pump came to the rescue.

The queen size filled the cockpit on the C-25. That certainly kept people from moving around. also, I sank to the bottom, and couldn't move all night. that foam filled do-hickey has got to be better.

We trashed the air mattress. Foam pads are the future.

Boris
 
I'm not sure if the ThermaRest fills your needs, but I'd certainly give it my recommendation. When we were dirt poor students my wife bought me one of the first ones when they came out - about 1974-75? It was about $30-$35 at the time, and I was on a $3,600 stipend as a graduate student, so that was a lot of money! (That's $3,600 per YEAR . . . ; with two kids, living in student housing.) It cushions amazingly well, and is warm. I felt guilty at her extravagance, but used it backpacking all over the NW for 15 years, and MC touring for the last 20.

About 5 years ago the valve finally fell apart. I took it to REI to find a replacement, and they reminded me that ThermaRest had a lifetime guarantee. They sent it back to Seattle for repair, and about two weeks later I received a new one in the mail! Granted, it was a 2nd, with a minor cosmetic issue, but fully functional. This was about 26 years after we bought it! We've now had it for 31 years, so at about $1.20 per year I guess it was a good value after all.

You open the valve, and the memory foam material expands and inflates the mattress over several minutes. You might want to blow it up a few breaths, but I usually find I overdo it and have to let some air back out.

iggy
 
Thermarests are really good, but a little pricey. Take a look at Aerobed. They are highly rated. The built in pump inflates them in less than 2 minutes, and they have a huge valve at the foot that is a very positive seal but will allow instant deflation. They are pretty tall and segmented so pressure will remain equal across the mattress. We bought one for camping and it has been great. They also have a quilted cover that works really well. I have a 250 watt inverter that I clip onto the battery and that powers the 110 volt pump very well. These are the cadillac of inflatable mattresses, but are available at Target.
 
Hi Patrick,

I just want to add my vote for a Thermarest or something similar. I took my 30 year old version out on Prince William Sound for a few days last week and it was as comfortable for my old overweight carcass then as it was when I was packing it around in the Cascades chasing mountain trout way back when.

We have one of those nice 4 inch think inflatable queen size matresses for extra visitors at home, but it isn't as easy to sleep on as the old Thermarest.

Pat
 
Although a bit heavy, You can buy those Micro-Foam mattress covers at Alco, Target and Wal-Mart that are sinfully comfortable. 2 inches of microfoam feels like a 10 inch goose down mattress.

john
 
Byrdman, If you are thinking of going the Thermarest route, be sure to check out "Big Agnes". (tee hee) I bought one for when I go kayaking, because if deflates to a package the size of a liter water bottle, but...it is so much more comfortable than any Thermarest that I have owned. Big Agnes now makes larger mattresses, so if you are going to go this route, see if you can find a store that sells both T and BA. Give them both a try.

REI or Eastern Mountain Sports sells them both. Robbi

http://www.bigagnes.com/store.php
 
Robbi -

Can you comment on the pros and cons of the various Big Agnes (tee hee) styles? Which do you have? One that I looked at rolls to about 5" x 20 ", which would be about the same size as my Thermarest. Is yours any smaller than that?

iggy
 
iggy, Mine must be the Insulated Aircore. It packs down to 4" by 8". It is 20"/72"/2.5" when blown up. When I bought mine, it was the only style that they sold. Now they sell many styles, plus tents etc........I bought it for the packed size,(kayaking, every inch counts) but once I used it, I never went back to my old Thermarest. To be fair, I think that Thermarest and other companies that make "air" sleeping pads, have really improved their products in the last few years.

Robbi
 
I could not find a "tee hee" on the Big Agnes site. :shock: Seriously.

Warren
 
We have been using the Therma Rest pads for years. They have some pretty cushy ones out now, which I believe are called Camp Rest. Good dimensions, thick, and they will insulate you from the hull.... I like things that are simple and don't malfunction. These fit the bill.

Steve
 
I use BA when camping primarily because the no bottom fill design of the bag keeps the mattress under me. I just picked up one of their new memory foam mattress toppers, really comfortable, but I don't think useful for backpacking. I think the absolute best, bullet-proof outdoor inflatable mattress (and most expensive) is Jack's Plastic Welding. I've had a silverback for almost 10 yrs. Cascade outfitters in Boise, SID sports in SLC and most whitewater rafting stores sellem.

P McC
 
Those touting Thermarest are right on. We always carry three on board and when it's only Ruth Ann and Babe we stager them in the v berth on top of the factory mattress. We use the largest one at the entrance the next smaller one in the middle and the shortest one up against the anchor locker. It is a vast improvement in sleeping comfort AND if we have company we always have a pad for them.
Mike
 
Thanks to all for your input. I have some study to do. Have printed much to study on my flight to Peru. My how times have changed since the mid 70 during my "camping" days around the lake. We used Mad-Dog 20-20 for a sleeping bag...sorta. This does look much more comfortable.

Thanks Gang!

Byrdman
 
Ooh! Mad Dog! Goes great over ice cream. Much better than ripple or strawberry hill. But I thought you were more of a cabernet sort of guy. Your history is starting to show.
 
Byrd -

You're right about how things have change over the years. We have often thought about this -- compared with Scout camping in the mid 60's, we take literally nothing with us that we had then. Our backpacks were wooden Trapper Nelsons. Sleeping bags were canvas, flannel, and kapok, and weighed about 10 lbs. Air mattresses were plastic blow-up (on those rare occasions when they didn't leak). "Tents" were lean-to's made of black plastic sheeting. We had small individual cook kits, but the pots were #10 tin cans with coat-hanger hangers. No such thing as Gore-Tex, so hiking in the rain we got just about as wet whether or not we wore rain gear. Stoves used white gas, although we usually collected downed wood and cooked over open fires. One of our greatest items was our folding $2 REI candle lantern -- aluminum frame and (literally) windows of quartz sheets! I've still got this gem.

Oh, for the good old days!

My son is training to climb Mt. Rainier, and he his giving me a hard time because I'm still using an external aluminum frame pack, compared with his new internal frame. And I thought I had all the latest and greatest . . .
 
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