Pads, Mattress
I’ve tried both and both have their pros and cons. The pads are of course smaller and lighter but aren’t terribly comfortable. For the record, I’ve used the 1.5 inch Thermarest. A 1.5 or 2.0 inch pad will squeeze in most any space on most kayaks. I had looked at purchased a 3" model but it was significantly bulkier and would have been harder to store. I’ve tried a couple of different air mattresses and they are pretty comfortable but are 3 to 4 times the weight. If you work with them you can fold or roll them in such a way as to make them fit where you need them to. Of course, there the issue of needing a pump…the battery powered ones are fine but, again, heavy. I’ve seen some foot pumps that fold flat (maybe 1.5 to 2 " thick), are about 6" in diamter and weigh a pound or less. Every time I buy a new piece of gear, I do a practice boat packing at home to make sure it will work and pack well with my old gear before I take it to the field. I don’t want to be on the side of the river about to shove off and suddenly realize I can’t squeeze everything in I need.
Big Agnes
I sleep on the ground 6 to 9 months a year and have used and worn out just about every self inflating pad out there and nothing comes close to a big agnes air matress. get the air core model for warmth. rolls down to the size of a waterbottle. Blows thermarest away as far as comfort!
Get the big agnes dual core
it has primaloft insulation and has kept me warm in them mountains where temps have dropped under 10 degrees. I have not become cold on my backside. They are designed to keep you warm down to 15 degrees. I have also used them in the summer when the low was high 70’s and it worked fine. The nice thing is they are 2.5" loft. They pack down to the size of a nalgene bottle and take about 90 seconds to inflate.
Thermarest can’t touch this pad as far as I am concerned. BTW, I have 2 thermarest pads and they only get used when I take the kids. It is also lighter than a prolite thermarest and cost $60. It really is the bet pad on the market for backpacking and yakpacking.
If you need to go wide go get an exped mattress but they aren’t cheap.
A good night sleep makes a world of difference when camping for me.
made a believer of me
You really have to try one to feel the difference, and you lose nothing in terms of portability.
Big Agnes Pads
Just want to be sure that the distinction is understood between the air-core and the dual-core pads. They are very similar and pack to about the same size, but the dual-core is, supposedly, considerably warmer, with more insulation. If warmth is not an issue, the air-core is a little cheaper. The REI website is pretty much devoid of dual-core mattresses right now, since they deplete and restock their camping inventory about this time. Check their website in a month or two, or contact them via their website for information on sleeping pads. Once they have their full inventory of camping equipment back up, you will be able to read customer reviews of these products, which is very helpful. You can also go directly to the Big Agnes website for information on their pads.
Big Agnes
I have the insulated Big Agnes inflatable. It’s good down to 15 degrees, inflates in 2 minutes, packs down a little larger than a regular sized nalgene bottle, and it is very very very comfortable.
Chair
That brings up a good point Capri. My back feels much better with some support. I had looked for packable chair and seen the Thermarest chair conversion or kit or what ever it is called. That could be a deciding factor for me!
I have looked and not see a camp chair that looked like it would fit in a kayak. Or it was just to pricey.
Volume matters
The self-inflating mattress is good because it packs small.
But if you’re not satisfied with the one you have, there are some solutions besides using a noninflating pad instead:
- ADD a compact noninflating pad; use both pads together. The advantage is that even though their combined bulk is as much as one thicker pad or mattress, you can pack each one separately. And that is the name of the game in kayak packing: Divide and Conquer. Another advantage is that you now have a backup pad in case one fails.
- Get a DIFFERENT self-inflating pad. ThermaRest alone has umpteen zillion variations of thickness, width, length, and foam types. I’ve owned several of their products (both self-inflating and noninflating), and they are quite different from each other. Which is good. One thing I found is that the 3/4 length pads don’t cut it for me. My legs do not like being lower in elevation and on the ground with only a tent floor and sleeping bag to shield them. I can use the 3/4 self-inflating pad combined with a full-length thin pad such as the Z-Rest Ultralite or whatever the heck its name is these days.
- IF you are relying on the “self-inflating” property, help it–blow some air into it to provide firmer cushioning and more insulation.
air pads
http://www.backcountry.com/store/POE0054/c3/s17/Pacific-Outdoor-Equipment-Ether-Thermo-9-Sleeping-Pad.html
Cheaper than Agnes. You inflate the old fashioned way-takes about 2 minutes or so.
I use an air mattress
whether sleeping in my tent or canoes due to spinal injuries and the surgeries that followed.
Stopped in at CampMor
on de way home fro' work an' low an' behold they had de 25" wide Big Agnes aar mattress. Fits Fat Elmo quite well so ah' shelled out some big wampum an' now gots me a new aar mattress. Thanks fer de lowdown on Big Agnes.
(Prepare for Warp Factor 12, Scottie! We're leavin' CampMor's parking lot)
FE
Army Issue.
I have had the good fortune to find US Army issue cold weather insulated air mattresses on 2 different occasions. Found 2 at a thrift shop and 1 at an antique shop. They are a good 2-1/2 or 3 inches thick, rubberized fabric, heavy duty rubber bite valve, felt insulated (inside), and very comfy. I have used it inside an unheated tent in 15 deg Wisconsin temps and slept very well on it. Patch them like an inner tube if needed.
ThermaRest plus Crazy Creek Chair
I use my 3/4 length ThermaRest with my XL Crazy Creek chair laid out flat underneath.
Having two separate pieces takes up some a little room, but the chair is super comfy for camp and adds a lot of comfort on rocky and gravel sites.
I’m definitely going to check out the Big Agnes though. Sounds luxurious.
Air Mattress ( army )
The military air mattresses have a big rubber bag attached. they do cost upwards of $120.00 but they don’t normally get punctured easily and are great in warm places. they also weigh about the same as my 3/4 size thermarest.
A mummy sleeping bag fits nicely on top of one.
They will all treat you well but no one else seems to have used this particular mattress.
It is not o be confused with the Wal-Mart Electro blow up China stuff. It packs down nicely.
I don’t use it in winter because of cold transfer and the snow makes for a comfy bed under a light thermarest.
I second the big agnes inflatable pads
The big agnes pads pack very small, which makes it very easy to stuff into kayak hatches. To me, the big agnes inflatable pads are just about as comfortable as an air mattress. Plus, it is built to provide insulation even when the temperatures dip. I used mine on a paddling trip and the temps got down to the low 20s and it worked just fine.
Jamie
We love the Sevylor model.
We bought two Sevylor singles cotton/rubber inflatables from Cabelas (#51-3723). Product gets 4.5 of 5 stars on customer reviews. Heavy for backpacking but for paddling not a problem. They were everything as advertised “soft, comfortable, airtight, and durable”.
swordfish
I have the Thermarest self inflatable pad and for the bigger full sized blow up mattress have tried Coleman and now have an Ozark Trail that’s holding up pretty good so far.
If you keep the box especially for the big beds, you can return the beds if they have a slow leak, even if you have it a year. It’s not that I punctured anything in my case. They just leak.
-Capri
Exped Downmat 9 Dlx
I have had a Thermorest standard long and a Mountain Hardware Trailhead 72. They were both great pads. But as a side sleeper I would find that an hour after I fell asleep, I would awaken to my arms having fallen asleep.
I bought an Exped Downmat 9 Dlx and I would buy another if something happened to this one. It is almost 3 inches thick and filled with 700 loft down. It blows up with the bag acting like a bellows. It takes a couple minutes, but I can sleep through the night on it. It is smaller than the Thermorest and the MH Trailhead and weighs almost the same.
It is pricey though, but I figure if it keeps me going to the woods and waterways for more years then it is worth it. Besides, if I work hard canoeing and portaging all day, I want to sleep well at night. Again, its pricey, but worth it. They make other versions without down etc, but in doing late fall and early spring camping and it going down into the 20s at night. It provides great insulation as well; R8 I think.
thermorest
4 season. packs down to a bit larger than a nalgene and is comfy enough. from -30 alpine camping to being stuffed in the boat, it’s so far insulated me well enough.
well…and there are really, really different sleeping bags involved.