check this out, makinwaves:
http://www.rei.com/OM/style/691242?cm_mmc=cse_froogle--datafeed--product-_-na&mr:trackingCode=A826AA65-1EBE-DC11-BE2A-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA
You can see it’s almost double the thickness of a thermarest. I can guarantee you a big air mattress will not fit in your hatch with any room left over. But this will.
Thermarest
With kayak camping gotta consider the volume something takes up, and the shape(can it go in the ends? does it have to be close to the rear hatch?).
I go with a generic foamie if i go light, or a Thermarest Pro Lite 4 if i want comfy.If i feel like it, i also bring a .5cm yellow evazote foamie that protects the thermarest,plus gives extra comfort and in case i manage to put a hole in the thermarest gives me some insulation. All n all, i found my comfort sleeping when camping depends more on protection from mosquitos and not eating right before sleep. I think i’ve had the most awesome sleeps on the cheapest foamie money can buy and some miserable sleeps on my 100$ thermarest,it’s all the other factors that make the difference.
What brand and link?
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Capri: You are not telling much.
big agnes
love thermarest, but if you get a big agnes bag and pad, you save a bunch of space as the bag and the pad are mated so that the pad is essentially the bottom of the bag. very comfortable–that’s what i use these days.
I paddle a solo canoe and have lots
– Last Updated: Jan-09-08 11:22 PM EST –
of room for comfort items such as coolers with cold sodas, fresh food and beers, my paddlin dog and a folding table and chair. I would be in a sea worthy kayak if I lived on the coast or great lakes and suffer the limitations of no room for stuff. But here in the midwest, on the rivers I paddle, a thermarest along with the proper sleeping bag to address the temps works for me. I use a cot in a big tent when car camping. I sleep on rocks, sand or dirt when on the river. I use the same 1 1/2" thick thermarest pad if it's hot or cold, on a cot or not. Works for me! I'd get it in a kayak, if I was so fortunate to still have one. Whoever invented the thermarest should have won a Nobel Prize.
A good compromise
A good compromise for me when I can’t use my hammoc(which is always my prefered option) is a 3/4length x 2 1/2" thermarest with a 1/4" full length ensolite pad on top.I don’t miss the padding in my legs and it is warm in all but mid winter.The weight and bulk a low.If you try to use more than one thermorest you will have to do something to keep them from sliding on each other.I had a miserable night sleeping on that combonation once!Always try out new ideas before you go,ever if you have to do it sleeping on the floor.
Turtle
Thermarest and cot for base camping
It’s the bees knees
Say no more … nudge, nudge
Ditto on Thermarest
Excellent rest.
Amen!!
I, too, have a Big Agnes Insulated Air Core. It is a 20 x 72 x 2.5 Primaloft. This air mattress is about the size of a qt. Nalgene bottle when deflated. It is very light as well. Takes 2 minutes to blow up by mouth. I get just the best sleep on it! Great performer. It’s one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.
Nearly identical to it is the Pacific Outdoor Equipment (POE) InsulMat. I have this one, too, and can’t tell it apart from the Big Agnes. Actually, its pack size may be a bit smaller than the BA.
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.