Camping Equipment question

[W.J.Langholz]

Ok so here's the deal, I hope to get a little bigger plane so we can all go camping. I bought this nice little gas grill from Weber that uses those 16.4 oz cylinders....tried it out last night works great. Should fit nice in the back. Already have a tent and sleepy bag but I got to thinking ....I'm getting older and it's been awhile since I slept on the ground.....I don't know if I be so sore in the morning I won't be able to stand up straight SSSSSoooooo I starting looking at these new fangled "Self Inflating" sleeping pads you put under you sleepy bags (for old farts) HAS anybody used one of these? Do they work? They run about $80 but if it keeps me comfy I'll anty up for one. Any other ideas will be greatly appreciated

W.

p.s. and ya...I know how to put the rope around the sleepy bad so the snakes don't bother you.....anybody up for snipe hunting

now if I only had a plane........

[blueldr]

Willie,
You asked about the self inflating sleeping pads and asked for an opinion . They definitely do not do it for me. I bought one and found it was better than nothing, but not very much better. I went back to an inflated air mattress and a small 12v electric blower pump that plugs in to a cigarette lighter receptacle.
The pump is used for both inflation and complete deflation of the mattress. If you choose an air mattress, don't get a cheap one.
You didn't give your age, and since I'm pretty deep into geezerhood our needs may well differ considerably.

[KG]

I'm with blueldr. I have one of those $80 self inflating pads and I find it best suited for my 5 year old grandson to camp out in the living room. A nice inflatable mattress is much more comfortable. I have a high volume hand pump.... looks like an old fashioned bicycle pump only it's plastic and has a barrel about 5 inches in diameter. It's a good workout to inflate a queen mattress though. K

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Get the inflating mattress. Wal Mart has the from Coleman. I have a regular size I take to work (yes I get to sleep at work) and when I go camping at a few fly-ins. I have a queen size one with uses the same pump for when the wife joins me. My electric pump ran on 4 D size batteries and I used an old computer peripheral AC transformer to power it with 120AC. (I prefer camp sites with 120 AC somewhere within a few steps)

I think the newer pumps Coleman pumps and other more expensive inflatable mattresses also run on either battery or 120AC.

BTW I've thrown out my self inflating mattresses because even my kids (when they were a few years younger) wouldn't sleep on them.

[Kyle Wolfe]

Dubya, I've slept outside quite a bit. My first choice is an aluminum folding cot. Cabela's has them for around $80. Becky likes those but we only use them in the wall tent. A bit big and heavy for the 170 but if I had a 206, well then.....

I like the fact that you are off the ground, can sit on it, can get your socks/shoes on comfortably and can store junk under it while in the tent.

But when Becky and I tent camp with the 170 we definitely use the air mattress route. They sleep pretty well and are cheap. The one thing I'd recommend is to buy 2 full size mattresses versus one queen. Otherwise whenever one of you rolls over you'll get to bounce the other. Guess that use to be fun but now sleep is more important!

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Kyle is right about the queen size mattress. It is big and you must have a tent big enough to be able to stand next to it which is a big tent. Twp regular size mattresses would be a nicer option in smaller tents because while they both combine might nearly fill the tent, you can still stand between them in the center of the tent which is usually the tallest spot anyway.

[cessna170bdriver]

I've been using the same self-inflating mattress for about 10 years, and it's a LOT better than sleeping directly on the ground, but not as good as an inflating mattress. I always make sure the valve is at the head end so I can adjust it during the night as necessary, and can usually find a "sweet spot" between too hard and too soft. It's packs easily into the 170, as it rolls up into a package maybe only twice the size of a good stuff sack sleeping bag. I've used a full size inflating mattress in the past, but it is a bit bulky for the 170, especially considering you HAVE to have a pump of some sort.

With the "laps around the sun" accumulating, I am thinking of going to something more comfortable, and Kyles idea of folding aluminum cots sounds good. I would think the right design could fold down into a fairly small package.

[jrenwick]

Willie, if you're ever in the Twin Cities, REI has a complete selection of sleeping pads and mattresses, and will let you try them out in the store (but not overnight! ). Let me know if you're coming, and maybe I can help with transportation.

Best Regards,

John

[Larry Holtz]

I carry a 2 and a half in. sleeping pad in the plane along with a sleeping bag, small tent, shaker stove all times. The small tent and pad are for those one night jonts. For longer stays, I bring along a big tent and twin mattress with pump as discribed above. I see REI now has a 4 and a half in. pad. That would be better. I have had this pad for three years. Sure beats that old thing I had. I believe it was just a moisture barrier. I've had the shaker stove for about 15 years and it still works great. The best thing is that it burns Avgas.

Several years ago at Oshkosh, I camped near a couple of guys that had flown from Texas in a Stinson. They had one of those accordian type cots. I heard them a few times during the nights cussing and trying to get comfortable. They left early the same day I did, and when I took my trash to the dumpster, the cot was in it.

Larry

[170C]

I also recommend the Coleman pump that operates on 4-D Cell batteries. Takes up little room & inflates a single twin air mattress in 3-4 minutes plus deflates it too when you are ready to pack up. I put mine on my Bass Pro cot (alum legs & a bit extra long) for a pretty comfortable sleep. As Kyle said, the space under the cot is good for storage. Sure is a lot easier getting up off a cot than off an air mattress on the ground. If space will permit I would suggest one that is a bit wider and some of them sit higher off the floor than mine (mine is about 10- 12 inches high). The higher and wider the more comfortable they will be.

[W.J.Langholz]

i learned along time ago...if you can stay 'Dry and Warm" when camping that's half the battle. I think I like getting up off the ground on a cot. Kyle, John and Frank, you guys know I'm no lite weight so I will be looking for something durable in a cot and then maybe put a pad on top of that . Ma will just have wait until we get home to snuggle .........whoa....that's way to much information

W.

[Kyle Wolfe]

I've spent a few weeks in a tent in Alaska with this style cot. It's small and light weight, yet gets you off the ground. It's not as comfortable as the higher cots, but it packs better and it's also easier on the tent floor.

http://www.campingcot.com/