rolande replied:

Self inflating any day - the thicker the better.

Captains type chairs with a side table - $25 fromm Bunnings. Don't fold as small as the others but much more comfortable for the price.

chairs

Rolande

Member - Crazie (VIC) replied:

Hi Warndu

We have a drifter self inflating mattress, it has a foam core and is excellent to sleep on. We have a queen size. Rolls up and deflates as you roll and has straps to secure it in a roll. Also on the chairs, we use the caribee delux chairs, has a stubbie holder and all. Very comphy
cheers
Crazie

Member - W.Wallace replied:

Therm-a-rest self inflating mattresses are good.
re: fat b - you can always blow a bit more air into a self inflating if you need too.

Lone Wolf replied:

Well, this is gonna sound corny, but hey, it's from the Wolf!

Tracy & I have amassed a LOT of camping gear over the years, and I mean a LOT!!!

When we want the BEST nights sleep, say after skiing on the Murray, we are buggered.

Solution......

2 El cheapo Air Mattresses, with 2 crappy foam mattresses placed on top.

We just 1/2 inflate, the air jobs. Pure bliss.......

Wolfie

Jim-Bob replied:

G'day Warndu
We use a self inflating(Great outdoors brand I think) mattress and if need be just blow a little air into it.
As for the chairs I have stuffed two in the last 18 months(Caribee brand), I don't know if it's got anything to do with it but i'm 6'2'' and only 118 kgs, they just don't make e'm like they used too.
Safe travells
Jim-Bob.

ianmc replied:

Only 118kgs Jim-Bob, no wonder theres two of U! Keep working on it mate!
I used an el cheapo inflateable on trip to FNQ over 2 months & it was quite good at about $10- however the rolled edge seemed to sag & I tended to roll off it.
Air beds are cold in winter too. Still having said that I still have a couple of old Euro made ones about 30+ years old which are still ok.
Also have used thin selfinflatables which are a bit too thin & ones slides off as they are covered in shiny nylon so something with a good edge helps in this.

warndu replied:

Thanks
I have had the roll of the edge experience too, (hence the what's the best question) I have had many years sleeping in swags with next to no padding but I think what I drank before sleep was padding enough Now I'm older wiser and married with child I need comfort that doesent give a hangover,

Member - Russell B (SA) replied:

Not being a normal runt than can sleep comfortably on skinny inflatable mattresses, I bought a Coleman inflatable with 12v inflator.

When I've got more room I throw the folding wire frame bed in and leave the inflator home.

Far as I'm concerned leave the inflatable mattresse in the shop.

I wouldn't buy any cheap chairs from bunnings only, read the loading label and sit on sumthing designed for your weight.

Regards
Russell

Mike-TS replied:

Been through every make on the market. The best ones are Great Outdoors 60 mm self inflating (long blue ones). They are really good.

However, that said. IF you are moving every day it's a pain to keep rolling them up so I would recommend kingsize folding colman stretcher.

The Coleman folding metal chairs are the best I've found. Metal frame with plastic arm rests. Not the high back as they sort of keep your head forward!

Hope this helps.

Member - Smocky (NSW) replied:

G'day Warndu,

Went through this excercise a while back. I've got a friend who is about 150kg's. I'm not that big, but big enough. Anyway, his wife is around 65kg's. He steered me onto a Sevylor airbed that has 5 different air pockets. He said that he (at 150KG's) could get into bed and not wake up his wife (nor punt her out of the tent like on the beer add.)

Anyway, we bought one and it is outstanding. Has a Boston valve for the main chamber which you blow up nice and hard then adjust the comfort tops to suit. We put a cheap underlay on then fitted sheet and she's just like home. Packs away small too. Went camping in Jan for 2 weeks and once inflated, never put another breath into it. Got a little 12v inflater that pumps it up in about 20 seconds.

I reckon it is absolutely the ducks guts.

Good luck with whatever you get anyway. Think hard though. I reckon there's nothing worse than waking up in the morning with a sore back, or worse, waking up at 2am to put air in the deflated airbed. Been through the cheapies and never will again.

Cheers,

Smocky.

Member - Chrispy (NSW) replied:

Like anything, there are "self-inflating" mattresses and there are "self-inflating" mattresses.

We have had a lot over the years, and find that (if you go down this route) that only the better-quality ones (usually American) perform. We have found that the Therm-a-Rest are usually the best for three reasons:

1) They actually self-inflate to full (at least for a few years of use). Be aware that if you have to actually blow into an air mattress (especially during a cold-winter camp) you get a lot of moisture form your breath into the mattress, and this condenses to a liquid - even in small amounts. Given this, you eventually get internal mould - and other nasty growths. The high-quality mattresses suck their own air in without help and stay nice and dry - and clean.

2) The cheaper units (like the blue and green ones from places like Great Outdoors) do not have the same internal construction and the more expensive units. In the better units, the actual foam layers are logitudinally bonded to the inside surface of the outer layer (the "bag"). This means that there is no "puffing up" of the mattress if you over-inflate just a little. We have taken our cheaper mattresses back after a single use because the outer and inners are independent and let the outer layer bag out with both of us sleeping - leading to a rolly-poly sleeping experience. It's easy enough to let a little air out to compensate, but it's then a case of the old shoulders-on-the-ground comfort problem. Stay with the better units and the inner and outer stay together, so no matter how much air is in them, they do not let more air down to the end of the bed that has no weight (you) on it.

3) The more expensive units roll up smaller - because they don't have to be so thick to begin with. We have our hiking Therm-a-Rests that are only 1" thich inflated (but are still very comfortable once your weight is distributed on them) and roll down to a tight roll that is only about 4" in diameter. Our cheaper ones only used to roll down to a foot in diameter - taking up half the rear seat.

Phew!....

Cheers
Chris

Member - Banjo (SA) replied:

We bought Thermarest (USA) - not cheap but very good. Comfort is suprising - they are only 1.5 inches thick but you get a good sleep on them - retailer told us that the 2" jobs are for sleeping on ice/snow. They were dearer and he said it was overkill. I think he was right.Re chairs.....I like to be quite comfortable when camping....we are there to have a good time of course...many chairs are too low in the back to relax properly....Coleman make a high backed beauty ... got mine from Snowies for $35 on special ....more like $55 normal.....khaki fabric...wooden arms.....big green printed box....khaki bag. Folds up longwise like those cheap crappy chairs you see everywhere, but its very long when folded. The compromise is good comfort but a long package.

Troopy Travellers (NSW) replied:

We have swapped from pump up to medium thickness thermarest self inflating (on sale) and find them much warmer and very comfortable. We then went one step furher and bought X stretchers. We have the room in the Troopy though normally prefer a double, we read all the info and advice previously in here and went for two singles. These are easier to roll up and store. They fit the Oztent perfectly and allow for storage underneath and walking space.

After many years of sitting all day in egometrically correct seating, I find normal camp chairs uncomfortable for any length of time. I purchased a Colemans Chair from Target on Sale which has a very upright back and is very stable. I am now waiting for them to get some more to buy another for the MOTH.

There is no need these days not to be comfortable, there are lots of sales once you decide what you want and keep a look out.

Happy Travelling

Carolyn

D-Jack replied:

My mattress cost a lot, but comes with a lot of extras. Is in between King and Queen size, does not need blowing up and always keeps your perfectly warm, as it is about 4 feet off the ground. It keeps the insects away, gives you a shelter to play cards under if its raining, and privacy if you need it. It is about 6 inches of high density foam with an eggshell further foam top. I have never woken up cold or uncomfortable. Even comes with a kitchen. THIS MATTRESS COST ME $8000 and is worth every cent. Yes, its a ............

CAMPER TRAILER!!!!!

Mike Harding replied:

100mm thick self inflating mattress - there are differing qualities, I have two both bought from Rays - they leak a bit, ie. leave them rolled up with the caps in place but no ties around them and they flatten out in a day or so. Nevertheless the are _extremely_ comfortable (probably more so than my bed!). On the queen size I cannot feel my partner turn over. Actually she says they're a little hard but I find them perfect. However they are quite large - but worth it. I have tried every form of camping mattress know to man and these are the best. Warm too, fine down to -4C, coldest I've had in Oz. I store them in an inflated condition - probably important.

Chairs? Spent a lot of time looking for these, have two veranda like chairs with reclining backs, not small although not too big either, about $70 each, again from Rays.

Mike Harding

Glenno replied:

We did 40 days straight on a Double size Caribee self inflating matress.

Its a prick to roll up in the morning if you are using a small 3man tent like we did, but apart from that they rock. Ours has a hole in the corner (is 3yrs old, prob over 120 nights of use so far), and i havent bothered to patch it up as the foam in the mattress is good enough as it is.

Ive seen (and heard) too many people pump their air mattress up in the middle of the night - stuff that.

Cheers,

Glenn.

Member - Melissa replied:

One thing to remember about air mattresses is they can be quite cold to sleep on because the air within them reflects the air temp. So, a cold night means cold air in your mattress. The trick is to insulate them by placing a rug, foam mattress or similar between yourselves and the mattress. You can even put something between the mattress and the ground. Self inflating mattresses don't suffer from the same problem because they have a foam core. We used thermarest self inflating mattresses for years and much prefer these over air beds. However, if your a big person you'd probably need a bit of extra padding. Even one of those cheap blue foam sleeping mats that backpackers tend to favour.

:o) Melissa