Denni2
Indiana
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Joined: 05/10/2011
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It took me 20 years to convince my husband to go camping. Right after we bought all the gear my hubby started having problems with his back. We bought a regular air mattress and both of us woke with sore backs. Then we read a blog about thermarest and decided to try them. We have a z lite that we put on the bottom, we put our sleeping bags on the z lite with a trail pro inside our sleeping bags, as suggested in the blog. I thought it was a little much but we sleep great! My husband also uses this system when his back acts up. We love these sleeping pads. Another plus is the take up less room in the tent.
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tplife
SoCal
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Joined: 09/17/2007
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Denni2 that's a very interesting approach. If you still have the blog link, it would be an interesting read. The proof is clear at breakfast!
People's Republik of Kalifornia
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Bo-man
Boise
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Joined: 01/11/2011
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Though we have 5th wheel I like sleeping outside, weather permitting and depending where we are camping. I too bought the 18" high air mattress from Walmart, still using it 2 years later, less than $30, great deal!!
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Ursula09
Kentucky
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Joined: 05/24/2011
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I used to go camping in my minivan as well as tent before the van, and i found that having a cot, was a pain in my rear, because every-time i turned around while sleeping I fell off the cot and onto the hard ground. I had a floor in my tent so I could not anchor the cot. The cots from wal mart are cheap and way 2 small even for a skinny person like me. The best solution to the Tent sleeping i found is to use a couple of thicker Lounge chair pads...they are somewhat lighter to move and are bulkier. This would probably be no problem if you drive to the campsite and set up for a few nights. I now live in my bus full time and when i pitch my tent i will pull out my thinner futon mattress to sleep on...it is mighty comfortable but again heavy. I also have tried using the thin memory foams and found if u get a larger size than u need and fold it in half, it will keep you snug and warm as well and somewhat off of the hard ground, but they are not very moving friendly. They tend to rip and are still a little on the heavy side. I have also taken 2 baby bed mattresses -laid end to end- and made a cover with zipper out of a twin size sheet and slid the mattresses in it to keep them from sliding apart during the night. I worked good, but again a little on the bulky side. I sure hope u find your solution.
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chelleb1974
Massachusetts
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Joined: 06/01/2010
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I have used the flock-topped air mattresses (that Nycgirl? mentioned) and find them quite comfortable. I got mine at Walmart, fairly inexpensive, and they have lasted years tent camping. I probably get out about 20nts a year to camp. I fill them as much as I can (I have the pump that plugs into the car), seal it up, then add more by mouth until it's pretty firm. I sleep better camping than I do at home (on my Sleep Number bed).
~Chelle
http://agirlandhertent.blogspot.com/
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tplife
SoCal
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Joined: 09/17/2007
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Lounge chair pads and foam mattresses are tons better than cots or air mattresses, unless you either never camp outside of summer or like being colder at night than you need to be. They're not constructed with hollow air chambers or open air space underneath them.
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weedpatch
Elizabeth, Co
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Joined: 05/16/2011
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SuzieQ92 wrote:Y'all are always so helpful on this forum, so I know you can help me. EVERY time we camp out, we wake up feeling like we've been hit by a truck. Is it normal to not get good rest when camping out? It is the only thing we know. 
What can we sleep on -other than the very hard ground- that would make tent camping more comfortable? We've tried self-inflating pads because we heard they were comfortable. They might be comfortable for children, but we haven't found that to be the case. We tried air mattresses. I have never found an air mattress that lasted more than a dozen nights. Most of the time we end up on the ground.
We've thought about cots, but my husband thinks the metal bars would be uncomfortable in his back.
Help!!!
We tent camped with 2 kids and a dog for years and always used air mattress for all of us. You have to be really clean inside the tent, no dirt or weeds to poke holes. Shoes off at the door. Had many adventures in our tent and loved it. Bones are too old now we have graduated to a 5th wheel.
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crosscheck
Coldstream, BC
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Joined: 12/14/2010
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SuzieQ92 wrote:Y'all are always so helpful on this forum, so I know you can help me. EVERY time we camp out, we wake up feeling like we've been hit by a truck. Is it normal to not get good rest when camping out? It is the only thing we know.
What can we sleep on -other than the very hard ground- that would make tent camping more comfortable? We've tried self-inflating pads because we heard they were comfortable. They might be comfortable for children, but we haven't found that to be the case. We tried air mattresses. I have never found an air mattress that lasted more than a dozen nights. Most of the time we end up on the ground.
We've thought about cots, but my husband thinks the metal bars would be uncomfortable in his back.
Help!!!
What was the make and model/type of your self inflated pad that you found uncomfortable?
We have been tenting for years and are usually a bit stiff in the morning when we get up. My wife has a sore back so I bought her a thicker version of the pad that I have and it helped her sleep better and she was less sore in the morning.
Dave
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islandpaddler
St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
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Joined: 09/27/2003
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Just to add my two cents. We're still tent camping at 65 and 68, and since we live in the Caribbean we have to fly or ship our stuff to where we're going. That means we have to keep the weight down. I sleep better in my tent with the air mattress than I do in my bed at home.
We just came back from three weeks in California, where we got there just about the start of the next ice age. Only kidding, of course, but we are never cold at night using an air mattress with a sueded top. On top of that we put a fiberfill sleeping bag opened up flat with a sheet over that. On top of us, we had the queen-size down comforter with its cover and a down mummy bag opened flat. I sleep in a hat to keep my head warm.
In was really chilly in the Sierra Nevada and there was still snow on the hills, but the night sky was gorgeous and we weren't the least bit cold at night. Getting up in the morning was another matter, but that's why you have heat in the car. Actually, it was really chilly everywhere, though it warmed up the week after we left.
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fill
Lancaster, Ca. USA
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Joined: 08/19/2003
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HI
I just go to Wal-Mart and pick up an air mattress. They’re relatively cheap so I can change them out each season. Also have a battery powered (4D’S) inflator that I use (Wal-Mart ~$10).
Fill
’97 Ford F-250 HD 460ci, Banks Power Pak, Redi-Kamp Tow Conversion
’97 Roll-A-Home
Good Sam (+ERS), Escapees, Thousand Trails, NACO, PassPort America, GWRRA GL1500SE pulling an Eagle trailer or the Roll-A-Home
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