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Foam or Inflatable?

6K views 19 replies 18 participants last post by  lowteckredneck 
#1 ·
Trying to decide on a sleeping pad. Which is best in terms of weight, durability, and comfort, an inflatable air mattress (eg thermarest) or a foam pad? Before anyone asks, I've considered a hammock system, but I live in Canada, with all the associated snow and cold. I'll need a place to stow my gear, and I'd like to be able to support a couple of people, so a tent is more or less mandatory.
 
#3 ·
Def the foam. The problem we found with the air mattress, in addition to having to watch out for pointy objects, is that when it's cold outside the air inside the mattress is too. You'll have to carry enough blankets to put under you as well as on top, or else wake up at 1 am with your teeth chattering. I guess if you are inside a sleeping bag then it's ok, but we usually pile the blankets on top and then lie right on the foam... easier to get out to go pee at 2 am in the dark if I'm not groping for a zipper or trying to figure out which side I can get out of.
 
#4 ·
A combination of both works well for me.

thin foam mat on the outside of the bag which is easily available throughout the day to sit on it and which will make the base layer.

Some thin ultralight inflatable mattress for comfort and extra insulation when sleeping. If it gets punctured (which us unlikely using the foam mat as a base layer) you have at least the foam pad. Not nice but better than nothing.

Overall weight is not higher than a durable thicker inflatable mat and size is not bigger than a slightly thicker foam mat (which would give much less comfort).

It's more expensive though.

Example for winter use:

TLS Evazote 7 mm cut to 190x60cm = ca. 240g

Exped Synmat UL 7 = 460g

Makes 700g together and you have the best of both worlds.
 
#15 ·
Well our air mattress did not get that memo. We use a pump that ran off of our truck's 12v system. Crap if I tried to blow up a queen size mattress that was 18" thick I'd pass out about 2 minutes into it.

It was cold outside, and cold on that mattress, and four pairs of pants, two jackets, and my lap robe between us and it later it was STILL cold.
 
#6 ·
If you are sleeping on snow/frozen ground you need both.

The self inflating mattress will trap body heat, while the closed cell foam pad will cut down on the loss of the body heat into the ground below you.

The Exped Synmat is a great choice, and the closed cell mats available at Gossamer Gear are top notch. Having both is not much weight at all, and in many cases is less than bargain brand self inflating mattresses.
 
#8 ·
Inflatables have never lasted long for me. Even though manufacturers have always replaced mine for free, it's a real downer when I'm in the middle of a trip and the mattress won't make it through the night. Now I use a closed cell foam thermarest with a reflective coating. When packing it, I wrap it around my tent and then slide both into a compression sack. Makes for one less thing strapped to my pack. In the winter, I use my extra clothing as a second layer between the pad and the floor of the tent. Warmer if I use the folded clothes on top the pad, but then they're prone to shifting as I move during the night.
 
#9 ·
There is an expiriment I want to do.
My son works for a restrant and as with most they buy milk and other products in bulk.
The plastic bag that is inside the box milk comes in is a double wall and a threaded cap
. of course these are thrown away after they are emptied which make great water containers ,I wash out and refilled with treated water and found boxes that they fit in well and they are stacked in my storage .
an expiriment I failed to do first was to build an air bed using them.
Simply sewing a bag to house them, and filling them with air and laying on it .
Now originally, I was thinking of using zip loc bags IF I could find a commercial grade type . this for several reasons .
1. if you are in close proximity to water it is another way to store water in camp.
2. one could dedicate those that face into the room with clothing in the bag in stead of water , still using air to make up the difference .
3. They can effectively add floatation if one had to do a river or lake crossing .
4.they would take less space and be repositionable at any time during the event should one fail.
5 They would do for water bed and mattersses in one's BOL
6. One could combine them with any other configuration
7. In freezing tempretures , One cold fill a bag with snow and put it in the tent to melt on it's own. Long as the tent is above freezing the snow will melt. DO NOT USE YOUR BODY TO MELT,nor do you eat SNOW IN AN EMERGENCY, YOU WOULD BE BRINGING DOWN YOUR CORE TEMPRETURE JEPORDIZING YOUR SELF.
Obviously this is not something that will last indefintely, but getting sufficient sleep while building you new BOL, if that is the case , would be important .
 
#10 ·
I also use the combo, and it really doesnt take up much more space than just a foam pad itself. I use a closed cell pad and a thermarest that I roll up together. On cold ground, I DO NOT blow additional air into the mattress, because the additional air circulating under you will make you colder. It also isnt as big a deal in the winter because I use a thick sleeping bag. In the summer when I am just using a tin layer, I will add some air to the themarest mattress.
Like I said earlier, the two of them roll up into a managable size, and are tied onto my pack. Regardless of what I am carrying, I always have the goal of eating well, and sleeping well. These two in combination always give me a great night's sleep, even in cold weather.
 
#14 ·
The only thing I would add about Air Mattreses is the additional weight vs foam pads. I use air mattresses all the time but I generally haul them around in my truck vs backpacking with one. So the weight doesn't effet me much. If I had to hike very far, I would probably use a foam pad.
 
#17 ·
I buy the pool lounger inflatable floats. They are typically a less than $3 at a discount store or clearance at Wal-Mart. I put a float on top of a surplus sleeping pad.

In a real pinch I could float down a slow moving river or turn it into a good cover with a few cuts.
 
#20 ·
i like the air mat if i have the truck in the summer. In the winter if i have the truck its 3 foam pads , on foot just two is ok. i can fold the top one in half for more hip/shoulder support. If you camp in the snow, look where you laid when you pick up your gear. If you see ice crystals or melted snow you were loosing body heat through the ground, straw grass or evergreen bows are great to use if u have acess.
 
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