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View Full Version : Sleeping in style ??? ideas



Mick-Kelly
3rd August 2009, 09:03 PM
Well peoples, what do you use. Soon will be under canvas for a ten day stretch and those that know me will attest to the fact that i rather enjoy sleeping. What setup do you use to sleep in comfort when in a tent. I have been eyeing of those fold out stretcher things at Anaconda etc. But i am not convinced how well they will stand up to a 100kg bloke tossing and turning. Airbed may be the go !? Any suggestions. Last time i roughed it there was so much alcohol involved that it was a case of sleep where you fell :p. This time will be at Duckadang where you wake up to ice on your windshield.

Blknight.aus
3rd August 2009, 09:07 PM
I just roll the swag out inside the tent.

Swags, the ultimate sleep where you fall camping gear (providing of course you fall on the swag.

scarry
3rd August 2009, 09:29 PM
After many years of sleeping on a piece of foam for years,two yrs ago i lashed out & bought a self inflating Spinifex 4x4 mat from anaconda.

Went to the Cape that year,& slept like a log every night,even without the usual coldy or six......

Found it to be fantastic.

Have used it many times since.

They do take up more room than an air bed,though.

I just lay it on the ground.

Mick-Kelly
3rd August 2009, 09:32 PM
I just roll the swag out inside the tent.

Swags, the ultimate sleep where you fall camping gear (providing of course you fall on the swag.
:p:p I think i would be crippled after sleeping in my swag for 10 days. Another concern is if i go with an airbed what is the best way to insulate it against the cold rising from the ground.

pop058
3rd August 2009, 09:39 PM
:p:p I think i would be crippled after sleeping in my swag for 10 days. Another concern is if i go with an airbed what is the best way to insulate it against the cold rising from the ground.

put it on a self inflating Spinifix 4x4 mat from Anaconda :Rolling::Rolling::Rolling:

Sleepy
3rd August 2009, 10:14 PM
:p:p I think i would be crippled after sleeping in my swag for 10 days. Another concern is if i go with an airbed what is the best way to insulate it against the cold rising from the ground.

I have used the silver sided ground sheet under the airbed with some success. Bit noisey though. I must admit, once you get used to them, the self inflating mattresses are my preference.

spudboy
3rd August 2009, 10:26 PM
:p:p I think i would be crippled after sleeping in my swag for 10 days. Another concern is if i go with an airbed what is the best way to insulate it against the cold rising from the ground.

If you get a good swag, you won't be crippled.

I think Air-Mattresses are too much hassle. You have to pump them up, and let them down, and they can always spring a leak or the plug comes out and you find yourself on hard gound in the middle of the night. Plus the pillow bit is always over or under inflated.

A good swag with decent bedding foam (not ordinary 'flat' foam) keeps you warm and dry, and takes 30 seconds to set up.

Chops
4th August 2009, 01:44 AM
:p:p I think i would be crippled after sleeping in my swag for 10 days. Another concern is if i go with an airbed what is the best way to insulate it against the cold rising from the ground.

Cardboard or newspaper under it is a good one,,,,works well,,

I put my swag on a stretcher to keep me off the ground, but after a while i had to put an old self inflating matress on that to make it really comfy,,

Blknight.aus
4th August 2009, 05:22 AM
you can get that self inflator in various sizes

put a space blanket in the bottom of the swag
put the self inflator on top of that
put your usual bedding on top of that.

The nice thing about those self inflators is that if the swag is big enough you can be sleeping up to 10 inches off of the ground AND the swag will still role up to normal size, sometimes smaller.

Michael2
4th August 2009, 06:28 AM
... Airbed may be the go !? ...

Don't get an airbed, they act as a giant heatsink and keep you cold all night long. The self inflating ones have a foam fill and work much better (as already suggested), even though they may only be 1/20 of the thickness.

I use a self inflating mat / swag combo.

In icy weather, you can keep your clothes under the swag over night to stop them getting that damp chill in the morning.

IceFyre
4th August 2009, 07:46 AM
Don't get an airbed, they act as a giant heatsink and keep you cold all night long.

All depends .... I have an Exped Downmat 9 Pump Deluxe.

Its a Air Mattress - So its super comfy. Way, way better than a self inflator
Built in Pump - 1 Min to inflate by hand, if that.
Very small pack size - About the size of a football
Down Filled - Rated to -38c - That's three times lower than the best self inflator

Only draw back - Price - $280

waynep
4th August 2009, 08:07 AM
We recently spent 10 weeks touring around with a single pole tent and genuine Thermarests ( the thicker touring kind ) plus Mont down sleeping bags. Quite exxy per person for sleeping kit but it is worth it. The Thermarests are very comfy and warm. Never tried any of the copies but there may be cheaper ones of an equivalent quality around. Putting one of those foil backed picnic blankets under helps even more. The only problem is it's a long way to get up off the ground for an old bloke !
We'll probably graduate straight to a caravan after the tent. ;)

Those Exped Downmats look interesting though - about the same price as a Thermarest.

JohnF
4th August 2009, 09:57 AM
We recently spent 10 weeks touring around with a single pole tent and genuine Thermarests ( the thicker touring kind ) plus Mont down sleeping bags. Quite exxy per person for sleeping kit but it is worth it. The Thermarests are very comfy and warm. Never tried any of the copies but there may be cheaper ones of an equivalent quality around. Putting one of those foil backed picnic blankets under helps even more. The only problem is it's a long way to get up off the ground for an old bloke !
We'll probably graduate straight to a caravan after the tent. ;)

Those Exped Downmats look interesting though - about the same price as a Thermarest.

I do smile when you say such and such sleeping gear is expensive. In the early/mid 1970's I did a lot of snow skiing, skiing almost every week end, plus for a few weeks during TAFE holidays, living in a tunnel tent at Perisher Valley on top of the snow, near the top of the center valley T-bars, sleeping in a very warm mummy super down sleeping bag, with a closed cell foam mat under me to insulate me from the cold snow.
Hopped on a T-bar lift one day, and the other guy on that lift and I had a bit of a talk. He asked where I was staying and I told him. He said "arent you cold" so I also told him how expensive my sleeping bag was, and its temperature rating. He said "I am paying $5000 for 2 weeks accomidation. Your sleeping bag is not that expensive. That is the way to do it." So perhaps all this expensive sleeping gear is not all that expensive after all if you look at it this way.

rovercare
4th August 2009, 10:08 AM
Buy a stretcher, make sure its the big one, they are fantastic, wish I bought one years ago, they will handle the weight, although no horseplay:D

spudboy
4th August 2009, 10:31 AM
...they will handle the weight, although no horseplay:D

Tell us what happens when you try :p

IceFyre
4th August 2009, 11:04 AM
Buy a stretcher, make sure its the big one, they are fantastic, wish I bought one years ago, they will handle the weight, although no horseplay:D

If that's what he decides on in the end I have three large, used once, stretchers here needing to find a home. Myself, I just couldn't get comfy on one, even with a Thermarest (Basecamp - so it's pretty thick) on top of it.

Horses for courses, but IMO if you can afford it go the Exped :)

Tank
4th August 2009, 06:01 PM
I have one of those Oz Trail fold up stretchers, nice and light and compact when folded for when I go camping in the tent. I take the mattress out of my swag and lay it on top and it makes a great bed and you are up off the ground so when you get old it's not so hard to get up, Regards Frank.

incisor
4th August 2009, 06:20 PM
nice $50 stretcher so you dont have to bend down to far :P, black wolf deluxe airbed, bikie oil skin swag and a 5deg sleeping bag inside a 0deg swag bag....

MAGIC! down to -10deg

isuzutoo-eh
4th August 2009, 09:01 PM
Over the years I have slept on airbeds, stretchers, portable concrete and thermarests.

Airbeds are cold, noisy and lumpy (unless you get these new-fangled down filled ones I guess) and they were relegated to canyoning status as soon as other options became available, after some uncomfortably deflated sleeps.

Stretchers were quite comfortable, I have used two types, one with spring steel 1 piece legs the other heavy box section legs with tensionable coil springs. Both were good, the heavy legged sort died during a deluge on Fraser Island when the tents stopped working, the sprung leg one got wet too-this distorted the canvas/material and made for a rhombic shaped stretcher that was too taught for us young teenagers to set up. We used an army disposal blanket between sleeping bag and stretcher to insulate better.

Portable concrete refers to the foam camping mats from Kmart and the likes, they are a good source of insulation under anything else, but they earned that nickname through hard work.

Self inflating mattresses aka Thermarests, well, for a family of four we have 8 of them varying in thickness and width and weight for hiking or vehicle based camping (the different widths to suit a new, narrower tent). They are by far the best I have used and when combined with my Roman feather sleeping bag, I don't think a cold night is possible ;)
Well thats my 2 cents worth
Cheers,
Mark

Newbs-IIA
4th August 2009, 09:51 PM
swag + Roman SwagBag = awesomeness :D

A swagbag is like a sleeping bag designed especialy for swags. Its outer material is cotton not that slippery stuff so it 'sticks' to the inside of the swag to stop it moving all over the place when you are sleeping. The inside is a flannellet (sp) material. Best invention ever :)

My mattress is getting a bit worn out though, thinking about making a visit to Clarke Rubber to find something to replace it.

digger
4th August 2009, 11:32 PM
Tell us what happens when you try :p

the horse gets really snakey....:o

to reduce the weight of the horse, maybe just go to bed with the head of the horse...its not that unusual...I saw it in a movie somewhere..:angel:

disco_mitch
11th August 2009, 09:30 AM
some say a swag and some say a self inflating mat so i went and bought both and not a little swag either, got a double southern cross and its so roomy and damm good nights sleep

land864
11th August 2009, 11:59 AM
I agree with Mitch , although I got a single Darche Swag ( less room inside to heat up ) and used the original foamy matress thing that came with it as well as a self inflater over that. Like sleeping on a cloud.
In the milder weather I use a polar fleece blanket over me and when it's cooler put the sleeping bag inside the lot.

robzilla
15th August 2009, 10:17 PM
just out of curiosity, how small (or large) do some of these sleeping setups pack to?

Hearing you guys talk about having a tent, swag, foam mattress, self-inflating mattres, sleeping bag etc. etc. sounds like just your sleeping gear would take up most the boot space!

I have a swag with an 80mm foam mattress, and allthough warm and comfy, the foam just doesnt roll up small enough for my liking, so i'll most likely replace it with a pump-up mattress (slept on a velour-topped type last weekend and it was super comfy!)
Allthough i roll a sleeping bag and single-size doona up with the foam, which adds a bit.
I've tried sleeping on those thin, self-inflating mattresses but they just don't cut it for me :p

Also impulse bought a tent this week for a bit of extra space :D

waynep
16th August 2009, 08:53 AM
The swags do take a bit of room rolled up with the mattress and sleeping bag inside, but that's the price you pay for "roll it out, get in and sleep convenience" I suppose.

However they are lightweight and quite safe in the back seat.

I've seen a few people use the self inflating mattress instead of the foam one but it does not seem to roll up much smaller.

Amazing when I bought my Burke and Wills swag ( with 2" hi density foam mattress ) it was in a roll about 20cm diameter. (They must use some vacuum extraction method to pack it.) The sales guy said, "you'll never see it that small again" and he was right !

disco_mitch
16th August 2009, 05:58 PM
[QUOTE=robzilla;1046156]just out of curiosity, how small (or large) do some of these sleeping setups pack to?

Hearing you guys talk about having a tent, swag, foam mattress, self-inflating mattres, sleeping bag etc. etc. sounds like just your sleeping gear would take up most the boot space!

mine is large very large it rolls up to near 2foot round and 4-5foot long i put it on the roof but than it takes me 2minutes to get it off the roof,set it up and get in about about 4 to pack up it is long for a swag but it has the comfort levels the smaller ones dont, also when i go camping i dont have to pack a tent, matress pump, blankets, pillows i just throw a swag on the roof

hoadie72
16th August 2009, 07:49 PM
just out of curiosity, how small (or large) do some of these sleeping setups pack to?

Hearing you guys talk about having a tent, swag, foam mattress, self-inflating mattres, sleeping bag etc. etc. sounds like just your sleeping gear would take up most the boot space!

I have a swag with an 80mm foam mattress, and allthough warm and comfy, the foam just doesnt roll up small enough for my liking, so i'll most likely replace it with a pump-up mattress (slept on a velour-topped type last weekend and it was super comfy!)
Allthough i roll a sleeping bag and single-size doona up with the foam, which adds a bit.
I've tried sleeping on those thin, self-inflating mattresses but they just don't cut it for me :p

Also impulse bought a tent this week for a bit of extra space :D
Self inflating mattresses take up bugger all space, likewise sleepingbag - mine all use stuff bags and are really compact.

Mick-Kelly
20th August 2009, 08:37 PM
Well in the end time beat me. I went with an airbed with a rug under it and a blanket over the top before the sheets etc. Must say with the addition of a hot water bottle it was fantastic and warm and comfy out there. Ice on the tent when i dragged myself out of bed in the morning. Thanks for the input everyone.

Boxhead63
22nd August 2009, 08:10 AM
:p:p I think i would be crippled after sleeping in my swag for 10 days. Another concern is if i go with an airbed what is the best way to insulate it against the cold rising from the ground.

Mick, I bought a Roman Big Man -5 sleeping bag a few years ago. One of the best investments ever. One night i slept in the open with a tarp cover at Barrington Tops it got to minus 7 and i was as warm as toast. Then there was a bottle of Jamesons involved to help stave off the cool weather.

Cheers
Rob

spudboy
22nd August 2009, 09:06 AM
.... Then there was a bottle of Jamesons involved to help stave off the cool weather.

Cheers
Rob

The pedant in me wants to point out that this has exactly the reverse effect ;) but I know what you mean!

robzilla
22nd August 2009, 10:04 AM
fortunately the numbing outweighs the blood vessel restriction :D

Armadillo
24th August 2009, 06:28 AM
We recently bought an 80mm thick foldablr foam Mattress from Clarke Rubber and so far has been great, including camping in close to Zero temps. It also folds down and therefore relatively good on space. Clarke rubber have two types of matttresses in this range - We went for the more expensive one (about $180 for the double size) as the cheaper one was of a lower density.

Tote
6th October 2009, 08:40 AM
All depends .... I have an Exped Downmat 9 Pump Deluxe.

Its a Air Mattress - So its super comfy. Way, way better than a self inflator
Built in Pump - 1 Min to inflate by hand, if that.
Very small pack size - About the size of a football
Down Filled - Rated to -38c - That's three times lower than the best self inflator

Only draw back - Price - $280

+1 for the exped, SWMBO and I bought one each and used them over the long weekend. Most comfortable nights sleep I've had camping in a very long time. SWMBO always gets cold and slept comfortably on a stretcher with the Exped.
I got the Synmat 9 DLX which is the same design with synthetic filling and Nic got the Downmat 9 Down filled one.
Got them from these guys, called in to the shop and they were very helpful indeed. Sleeping Mats : Summit Gear, Online Shopping (http://www.summitgear.com.au/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6_150)

About $260 each for the mats, cant reccomend highly enough.
As for stretchers we are using these which although fairly weighty are good and stable.
Oztrail Steel Stretcher - Easy Fold - Great Outdoors Direct (http://www.greatoutdoorsdirect.com.au/products/Oztrail-Steel-Stretcher-%252d-Easy-Fold.html)

Regards,
Tote

inside
9th October 2009, 08:40 PM
With the Exped are there any special storage conditions? I think Thermarest say leave unrolled, uninflated.

Tote
10th October 2009, 09:05 AM
Nope, the fill is loose like a doona, the air you pump into the mat provides the comfort and allows the fill to expand. They are designed to be stored rolled up.

Regards,
Tote

Bushwanderer
15th October 2009, 03:37 PM
Hi Tote,
Why do you use a stretcher with the Xped, I would have thought it superfluous?

Best Wishes,
Peter

Tote
15th October 2009, 06:33 PM
Hi Tote,
Why do you use a stretcher with the Xped, I would have thought it superfluous?

Best Wishes,
Peter

It is, but having bought the stretchers we like the extra storage space in the tent underneath them, it gives us somewhere to stash the bags etc. Maybe as we change the way we pack we won't take them as much. There's certainly no need for the stretchers for comfort.
Regards,
Tote