A couple of these together give a highly flexible campsite sleeping option, especially if placed on camp beds. most manufacturers suggest a few puffs of air to firm-up the mattress but remember that the moisture in your breath will condensate when the air temperature drops, and then you'll end-up with water inside your mat which can cause the fabric to rot - so, avoid the temptation if you can, and use a small airbed pump (or bicycle pump with adaptor) instead and prolong the life of your mat, whilst remembering that keeping it rolled-up in the bottom of your camping bag will damage the foam, so leave it unfurled below your bed (or in the loft/garage/understair cupboard) if you can, with the valve in the open position. Packed size is very small indeed (38 x 15 cm) because the deflated armrests can be folded in and the whole SIM rolled up tightly. stone man of just over 195cm in height, the Outwell is probably not my ideal self inflating mattress because my feet just drop over the end which I find stops me sleeping well when stretched out – however, it’s easy to whack a bag or rucksack at the end of the bed if you really like to be ruler-straight in bed. That extra 5cm of cushioning over a 10cm SIM makes all the difference, but we still think 10cm is suitable for most people.

That’s why we’ve pulled together this list of key factors for Berghaus Peak Compact Self Inflating Mat below, to help you choose if it’s the right product for you and your budget. The dual-valve system works well, and there is no screw-on end cap like most of the SIMs we’ve looked at. Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH).

which is pretty decent for cold weather camping, but not quite on a par with the Outwell Dreamcatcher. You simply half-flip the inner part of the valve until the mattress is inflated and then flip it back and lock the cap – simples! With Vango goods you are are always assured of decent quality fabrics and components, and the company have extensive experience in the inflatable arena with their tents and sofas. Warmth - Clearly, keeping warm is not just about the right sleeping mat it is also about the right sleeping bag and clothing. As someone who has managed to burst a very expensive sleeping mat with a hammer (yes true), having some glue and a repair patch close to hand is very useful.

You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. I lay down on it for a few minutes to ‘test it out’ and found myself dropping off surprisingly rapidly – that wasn’t the plan, but it’s testament to the cushioning on offer. The question of camping with your partner using a double bed/mattress vs 2 x singles is a perennial one.

It is super easy to inflate, whenever we camped I opened it out straight away as it self inflates for the most part just add a few extra blows before locking the air in and going to sleep. This sub is about overnight backcountry backpacking, with a focus on moving efficiently, packing light, generally aiming at a sub 10 pound base weight, and following LNT principles. We found that it gave excellent isolation in our tent in February when we used a decent down sleeping bag on top. In a similar way to the Berghaus Air 10, the Vango uses a flip valve to allow air to stream unidirectionally – either in or out, depending on whether you wish to inflate or deflate. If you would rather a more compact single mattress then carry on reading, because a couple of Shangri Las will take up nearly all of your car boot space!

The KingCamp Deluxe Double SIM comes in two great covers a delicious electric blue or a gorgeous grey/anthracite mix.Inflatable air mattresses which are essentially big air balloons which you sleep on have notoriously low R-values and are no good at all for sleeping on in winter or autumn.