Finally a warm air mattress!

[Mike]

This Christmas, my wife bought a luxury for me that I would have never bought for myself, but now that I have it, I wonder how I lived without it.

She got me an Exped 9 down filled sleeping air mattress. Oh man oh man. I camped this weekend with temps down to -9 degrees F mercury and -30 degrees wind chill on top of 3' of snow. This mattress added so much warmth and softness to my sleeping system that I never slept so well before.

Honestly, this is more comforatable than my bed at home. I returned home after four days of primitive camping in the wilderness, got into my own bed, and thought that the only advantage my bed at home had was that my wife was in it.

It has a built-in spongie pump device that is interesting. It allows you to blow up the air mattress without your own breath in order to keep moisture out of the down filled mattress.

It is pricey, though. The Exped 9 comes in around $250 which is about as much or more than a lot of folks pay for their sleeping bags. Still, even for "Mr. Frugal", I think it is worth the money.

I got the super deluxe 9 centimeter loft long version that is 77.5" long X 26" wide - plenty big. I am glad that I got the long one, but it does bump the wall ends of my two man tent.

I love it.

[James.]

Re: Finally a warm air mattress!

This Christmas, my wife bought a luxury for me that I would have never bought for myself, but now that I have it, I wonder how I lived without it.

She got me an Exped 9 down filled sleeping air mattress. Oh man oh man. I camped this weekend with temps down to -9 degrees F mercury and -30 degrees wind chill on top of 3' of snow. This mattress added so much warmth and softness to my sleeping system that I never slept so well before.

Honestly, this is more comforatable than my bed at home. I returned home after four days of primitive camping in the wilderness, got into my own bed, and thought that the only advantage my bed at home had was that my wife was in it.

It has a built-in spongie pump device that is interesting. It allows you to blow up the air mattress without your own breath in order to keep moisture out of the down filled mattress.

It is pricey, though. The Exped 9 comes in around $250 which is about as much or more than a lot of folks pay for their sleeping bags. Still, even for "Mr. Frugal", I think it is worth the money.

I got the super deluxe 9 centimeter loft long version that is 77.5" long X 26" wide - plenty big. I am glad that I got the long one, but it does bump the wall ends of my two man tent.

I love it.

????

[05Kingquad700]

Re: Finally a warm air mattress!

James
The self contained air pump allows you to inflate your air pad without your breath. The reason is that your breath contains moisture and if moisture gets into your mat, it can mold. Makes sense when you think about it. Plus moisture and down don't mix as down loses insulation value when wet.
Xpeds are the bomb. I would like to upgrade to the mega mat 10 for car camping.

[James.]

Re: Finally a warm air mattress!

James
The self contained air pump allows you to inflate your air pad without your breath. The reason is that your breath contains moisture and if moisture gets into your mat, it can mold. Makes sense when you think about it. Plus moisture and down don't mix as down loses insulation value when wet.
Xpeds are the bomb. I would like to upgrade to the mega mat 10 for car camping.

Yes, that part I got. Maybe I should have highlighted "spongie pump". Never heard of that. What is it and how does it work?

[Moss]

Re: Finally a warm air mattress!

Looked up a product video! It looks like the guy is doing CPR! Inflation starts around 2 minute mark. :cool:

[Mike]

Re: Finally a warm air mattress!

The pump is unique in that it is packable and it is integrated into the air mattress. You roll it up with the air mattress - no special hardware, etc.

With a new pad, though, it does take some time to fully blow up a full size large mattress - I think it took me two or three minutes. That is not a long time in the big picture, of course.

[Mike]

Re: Finally a warm air mattress!

In the video that Moss provided, the self-proclaimed, but undemonstrated "Enthusiastic" Exped demonstrator says that the Exped 9 is appropriate for very challenging cold conditions like Himalayas, etc. Well, I have not used it in the Himalayas, but I did sleep on ice and in sub-zero temperatures in northern Wisconsin and I have never been so comfortable.

For the R value and comfort, it rolls up smaller and lighter than any equivelant that I know of. Of course, I have the down version. I guess the synthetic versions are considerably bulkier.

I think you could get by with less sleeping bag if you used one of these Exped mattresses because they insulate you so well where it matters most - separating you from the ground or snow or ice.

[Mike]

Re: Finally a warm air mattress!

Before my wife bought the Exped for me, I was already thinking about the poor man's version of it: using an old sleeping bag to stuff into a $10.00 vinyl air mattress. You could try that if you don't have the $200+ bones for a full fledged Exped. It would not be ideal as the fill would probably migrate around inside the air mattress and have some cold spots, but it could be a cheap experiment. Obviously, it would be heavy and bulky and only suitable for car camping, but what the heck. DIY Expo mattress.