What Do People Sleep on these days

Hi John, we had a couple of 3inch mattresses made to fit in the back of our Troopy, which we also use in our tent.

We had them cut to size and covered by Clark Rubber about 4 years ago, out of high-density foam. We've spent about a 300 nights on them and there still firm - next time I'll have them made out of medium density foam.
They make for a great night sleep. If you have the room to cart them around I'd recommend it.

Cheers
Alex

Hi John I use a 4" medium density foam mattress with a soft layer called egg shell foam this I have found to be very worm in winter and cool in summer , foam is the way to go as air mattress have no insulation to stop the cold air coming from the ground . I have hade this cut to fit my swag it makes it a bit bigger to roll and store but a good nights sleep is well worth it . I found that camp strechers are to narrow , more junk to store and can be cold if not fitted with a good mattress hope this helps . if it is really cold try heating the lid of your camp oven for a couple of minutes by the fire and them rap it in an old towel it makes a great bed wormer untill the sleeping bag worms up99 GU Patrol 4.2 TD
Peter York 4x4

Hi - we have two King Single Carribee self-inflating mattresses which can be either single or made into queen sized bed if we like each other to fit into our pyramid tent with side poles not centre pole. They do take up a bit of room when rolled up but as we have back problems we find them really comfortable. They were expensive too, about $179 each but don't appear to get those mysterious leaks. We camp as often as possible so they get plenty of use.

John
4 inch medium density foam double bed size made into a "hinged" 3 fold mattress that is very comfortable. It folds up with bed-sheets in place and slips into a carry bag.
To get the bed ready it's just, slip it out of the bag, lay it on the ground, and throw the doona on.
Yes it's a bit big to carry but there's only two of us so we figure the space it takes up is worth it.
We've spent 9 weeks in tents over the last 12 months so a comfy bed is a must.
For longer stays we take the roof rack of the car and with some screw in 12 inch legs it makes a great "off the ground" bed-base with our matress fitting neatly into it. We even have a rack extension section that pivots up and locks in place to make a very useful "head-board".
Got to sleep well
Cheers
OskarThe real oskar

Thermarest Camp Rest (thickest ones) self inflating mattresses. Used them for up to 3 months of the year for over 13 years now, never had a leak and literally hundreds of good nights sleep.

John to John. I am a bigger guy at 193 cm liking some room we use two 30 year old rubber mattresses each 150 mm thick. Slide one on top of the other for stowage with a fitted kingsize sheet even when stowed. Just slide it out and the doonah over the top.

The bedhead is a plywood box 1800 mm long with a padded top as bottom pillow if you need two. It takes fishing rods and tent poles across the back of the box. We sleep in the camper box rather than on top as is the case with lots I have seen.

Was Thermarests for my camping trips in the past, camping from a kayak for a few days. Had blow up mattersses in the past but an overnight letdown was a pain, also found a cold ground was a problem requiring extra insulation.Regards

JohnR - Not enough of the right travelling, some here..... some over there.......

I started off with air matresses. Then progressed to camp beds inside a 4man(person) tent. Then progressed to a queensized swag....then on to fold up beds and finally to a permanent bed made inside the truck. The bed is 16mm MDF with wthe high density backbacker foam mattress glued to it. On top of that is a medium density covered custom made foam mattress and I slide into my Oz sleeping bag for a good nights kip. There is place for two in the G60 and my bedhead folds out on top the front seats so as to accommodate my 190cm frame.

Cheers,
Willem

Always going somewhere

The airbed was finally retired yesterday. Not getting a decent nights sleep while on Fraser Island last week was the final straw. Went out and bought a self-inflating mattress. Bit bulky, but seems the comfort might be worth it.

EzyAwn rooftop tent
www.opensky.com.au

Cyclone camp stretcher & swag with hi density foam mattress.

Stretchers look like a steel gate with a couple of U shaped fold up legs underneath.
Old style , but rugged & comfortable

brownie

1970's fluro green and yellow air beds.

Also have a self inflating bed which has let us down 2 times, once had to get completely recovered, $120...

Back to the old air beds thanks

Until very recently we slept on a Drifter self-inflating mattress, they are not cheap, they are Australian made, and very good quality. We bought a camper trailer from Southern Cross, which has a very good 4 inch foam mattress in it, so know the Drifter has been rolled up and put in a cupboard until the next lot of visitors pop in.

I am looking at a thermarest at the moment. Just to show you how much Aussies are getting ripped again:

Prices for the Thermarest LE (just for example) 196cm x 63cm x 6cm

In the US: $129 US, or $170ish Aussie

Here in Oz: $329 or here bargain price of $399.95

~

When i go away by myself i use a Carabee jumbo self inflating matress in the double swag & sleep like a log, when we both go we take the camper. Regards Bob
Where to next

Hi John,
We started out sleeping in our Troopy - which was converted to fold out a bed base with bench seats that became the mattress made of hi-density foam. Very comfortable but just a bit narrow.... and not the same as sleeping on the ground. Next we went to the tent and slept on self inflating thermarests and duck down sleeping bags that compressed down to an incredible tiny trekking size. Easy, but too many separate bits to get off roof and then pack up each day. Now, we use the top of the line $550 double-swag from Aussie Outback Swags with 50mm foam, top quality Bradmill canvas and full length flymesh. Only draw back with this option is that there is no "living quarters" for rainy afternoon/evenings before bedtime unless you setup tarps or an extra tent etc. Hasn't really affected us as we tend to travel in middle of winter and if our first day/last day of trip isn't far enough out of the rain belt we take a motel room.Regards
ExplorOz Team - David
--------------------------
Always working, not enough travelling ;-)

We use one of those thin blue high density hikers mats (ten bucks from aussie disposals) with a 2.5 inch medium density foam matress from clark rubber ($45).
Very warm and comfy and it doesn't take too much room up in the back of the truck.

I used a thermarest for years its been very reliable but lately I recon its a bit too thin or maybe Im getting a bit thicker around the middle. I got given a Roman self inflating matress for chrissy, its the thickest one they make and its a bloody ripper. I love this thing, I used it a few times over the Christmas break and I'm thinking of ditching my bed at home and using this all the time.

For there size they take up very little room.
Cheers

Hello John,

Self-inflating mats are what we all use. Drifter, a 5cm for our each of our three kids and 7.5cm for each of us. That seemed to be the best compromise as the 10cm ones took up a lot of room - I, personally, would love to sleep on a 10cm mat but I am comfortable on the 7.5cm one (my weight is 67kg). We have used them now for both major trips, sleeping on them for 3 months or more and short trips. They are convenient, comfortable, insulated and light and you don't have to put the air into them! The only drawback is that it takes a night or two to get the right inflation level for where you feel the most comfortable - a bit hit or miss for the touring (overnight) stops

If you go for air beds, they do tend to trap the cold air between you and the ground. A real problem in the outback where it can get down below zero. You can overcome this problem by using sheepskins to keep you warm. You put them on top of the airbed, then your sleeping bag on top of that. We use the ones we sit on in the car! It is worth the hassle (taking them off and putting them back on the carseat) as the freezing cold air in the mattress will never get you warm, no matter what you pile on top of you or dress yourself in - you won't ever get warm and you won't ever get to sleep!

Just a thought.

C :)