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  • #1

    I'm DONE with air mattresses!

    First trip out this past weekend (spent a few days at the Herkimer Diamond Mines...fun trip for the kids!) We had purchased two queen air mattresses last season (one for mom, dad and baby, one for our other two)...they survived the whole season right up through the last late Sept trip.

    Didn't even think about checking them before we went out this year....well first morning, myself and the kids are flat on the floor, seems they got scraped by something in storage and both have holes....kids are young, they don't need an air mattress....we leave for camp again in 5 days, what would your recommendations be? I have three that are sleeping on their own now, so I will need three, would like to keep the price reasonable and make sure that they will take the pounding of a 7, 5, and 3yo!

    I am 5.5 months pregnant...so I am determined to patch up one of those air mattresses for myself.....argh! I hate looking for leaks..... (tips here appreciated too!)
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  • #2
    Re: I'm DONE with air mattresses!

    I think tplife has an air mattress that he absolutely LOVES.
    “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
    – E. B. White

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    • #3
      Re: I'm DONE with air mattresses!

      All air mattresses get holes on them. Wether it's the type the OP has or the self inflating ones. The best thing to do is a Preseason inspection. Also making sure you have extra patch kits.
      For value, I like the Alps comfort series. You can get the 3" thick for about a hundred dollars each. For just flat out comfort I like my megamat 10. But it costs about $200. As much as you plan on camping I would at least outfit the parents with them. Maybe check the rei close out page.
      Nights camped in 2019: 24
      Nights camped in 2018: 24

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      • #4
        Re: I'm DONE with air mattresses!

        Your bad James, but that's my type of humor

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: I'm DONE with air mattresses!

          Originally posted by michelliot View Post
          Your bad James, but that's my type of humor
          Hullllllllllo!:D
          Heck, James, wudda got another rep boost from me but but...
          http://youtu.be/WOdjCb4LwQY
          Last edited by NYCgrrl; 06-04-2014, 12:21 PM.
          2017:

          July 3 to July 16- annual kiddo trip
          Aug 2 to Aug 14- adult trip to recover from kiddos' outing. Bring on the Campari!



          Comment

          • #6
            Re: I'm DONE with air mattresses!

            Hey, mum, pay no attention-we is silly.
            How to locate a leak? A lil water mixed with your fav dish washing liquid (not the automatic type) is the easiest locator. You spread it over the surface of the air mattress and wherever it bubbles shows ya where the leak(s) is located. Now get out your bike tire repair kit and get to work:D.
            Oh and be sure the air plug is seated properly (flush with the mattress surface) before going thru the leak exploration.
            HTH and glad youse got to see the Herkimer Diamond Mines!
            Last edited by NYCgrrl; 06-04-2014, 07:40 AM.
            2017:

            July 3 to July 16- annual kiddo trip
            Aug 2 to Aug 14- adult trip to recover from kiddos' outing. Bring on the Campari!



            Comment

            • #7
              Re: I'm DONE with air mattresses!

              Originally posted by mum2simon View Post
              First trip out this past weekend (spent a few days at the Herkimer Diamond Mines...fun trip for the kids!) We had purchased two queen air mattresses last season (one for mom, dad and baby, one for our other two)...they survived the whole season right up through the last late Sept trip.

              Didn't even think about checking them before we went out this year....well first morning, myself and the kids are flat on the floor, seems they got scraped by something in storage and both have holes....kids are young, they don't need an air mattress....we leave for camp again in 5 days, what would your recommendations be? I have three that are sleeping on their own now, so I will need three, would like to keep the price reasonable and make sure that they will take the pounding of a 7, 5, and 3yo!

              I am 5.5 months pregnant...so I am determined to patch up one of those air mattresses for myself.....argh! I hate looking for leaks..... (tips here appreciated too!)
              Ok, I will attempt to actually be helpful. If it were me I wouldn't worry about the kids. 3, 5 and 7 can sleep on the floor without a problem. As for you have you considered cots? tplife has one that he absolutely LOVES.....oh right.....helpful. You might want to head on down to a sporting goods store and check them out. They even have 2 person cots. As for me I have a Coleman air mattress that I have had for a few years and haven't had any problems with it yet. (knock on wood)
              “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
              – E. B. White

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: I'm DONE with air mattresses!

                Cot are good. Keeps you off the ground in cooler weather. I have an aerobed all terrain air mattress which has served me well for several years so far. Last trip I didn't bother with it and slept in my sleeping bag on an zero gravity lounge chair which is essentially a cot with a few kinks in it. Worked out very well. No stiffness in the morning.

                Mum, as James suggested, check out cots as well. They may serve your needs.

                Enjoy.......elliot

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: I'm DONE with air mattresses!

                  Originally posted by michelliot View Post
                  Cot are good. Keeps you off the ground in cooler weather. I have an aerobed all terrain air mattress which has served me well for several years so far. Last trip I didn't bother with it and slept in my sleeping bag on an zero gravity lounge chair which is essentially a cot with a few kinks in it. Worked out very well. No stiffness in the morning.

                  Mum, as James suggested, check out cots as well. They may serve your needs.

                  Enjoy.......elliot
                  hmmm...had't considered the cots, because I thought they only made singles....I'll have to look into that (I also like the idea of the anti-gravity chair when I'm camping without the hubby....which is often...lol)

                  I definitely agree the kids don't need an air mattress....but I was just trying to get them some sort of mat to lie down on the ground as we shamefully are not great at clearing all the small rocks and sticks before we put up the tent....just wondering if anyone has a mat they would recommend....I am a Pilates instructor and have a few Pilates mats I'm thinking would serve the purpose...but they are bulkier than our two air mattresses and space is a premium in my minivan....

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: I'm DONE with air mattresses!

                    Originally posted by mum2simon View Post
                    hmmm...had't considered the cots, because I thought they only made singles....I'll have to look into that (I also like the idea of the anti-gravity chair when I'm camping without the hubby....which is often...lol)

                    I definitely agree the kids don't need an air mattress....but I was just trying to get them some sort of mat to lie down on the ground as we shamefully are not great at clearing all the small rocks and sticks before we put up the tent....just wondering if anyone has a mat they would recommend....I am a Pilates instructor and have a few Pilates mats I'm thinking would serve the purpose...but they are bulkier than our two air mattresses and space is a premium in my minivan....
                    Take a look at gman's cots:

                    http://www.campingforums.com/forum/s...ip-of-the-year

                    Congratulations on the new life and camping whilst pregnant! Muahhhhh!
                    2017:

                    July 3 to July 16- annual kiddo trip
                    Aug 2 to Aug 14- adult trip to recover from kiddos' outing. Bring on the Campari!



                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: I'm DONE with air mattresses!

                      I must agree, cots are great in cold weather. Getting up off the ground means you have a huge mass of cold air under the cot, sucking away the warmth while you sleep to make the cot, air, and sleeper the same chilly temperature. If you need them to be up higher for mobility purposes, see if you can block the space underneath will cellular material like foam, pine needles, whatever - that blocks heat-transfer big time. Otherwise, plan on taking along 2X the warmth insulation (sleeping bags, insulated underwear, etc) to get a good night's sleep if the temps drop under 50-degrees C. Yes, I own a USGI cot (for heated enclosures or summer) and it works great around the porch for lazy afternoons. Like the US military, when I camp I take along a Genuine ThermaRest Pad. It's thousands and thousands of tiny cells individually block heat transfer from the ground and air to make a 5.0 R-value thermal barrier. A cot gets you 0.75 (thermo-negative just like the Aerobed) at best, so pack accordingly. I wouldn't think of taking my kids camping without a self-inflating sleeping pad, but their comfort and safety come first in cold weather.

                      Our ThermaRest pads are 26, 20 and 18 years old and out of the four, it was over two decades before twi of them had a leak, one fixed on-site with superglue, and one sent back for warranty repair. Saying they get leaks is laughable if your buying the ThermaRest quality - we live in SoCal so we camp year-round in shore, valley, mountain, and desert and we are tough on our gear.

                      I think those Pilates mats may be closed-cell foam pads and an excellent insulating barrier between sleeper and the ground.
                      Last edited by tplife; 06-04-2014, 06:48 PM.
                      “People have such a love for the truth that when they happen to love something else, they want it to be the truth; and because they do not wish to be proven wrong, they refuse to be shown their mistake. And so, they end up hating the truth for the sake of the object which they have come to love instead of the truth.”
                      ―Augustine of Hippo, Fifth Century A.D.

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                      • #12
                        Re: I'm DONE with air mattresses!

                        Originally posted by tplife View Post
                        Saying they get leaks is laughable.......
                        Yep, and the Titanic is unsinkable.......


                        On a unrelated note, I am able to post from my laptop again. this is where one of those smiley faces James is always wanting should go.
                        Nights camped in 2019: 24
                        Nights camped in 2018: 24

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: I'm DONE with air mattresses!

                          Originally posted by 05Kingquad700 View Post
                          Yep, and the Titanic is unsinkable.......


                          On a unrelated note, I am able to post from my laptop again. this is where one of those smiley faces James is always wanting should go.
                          The revolution is at hand.
                          “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
                          – E. B. White

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: I'm DONE with air mattresses!

                            Originally posted by NYCgrrl View Post
                            Take a look at gman's cots:

                            http://www.campingforums.com/forum/s...ip-of-the-year

                            Congratulations on the new life and camping whilst pregnant! Muahhhhh!
                            On the single cots you will notice each one has a pad. Exped mega mat 10. They are awesome. I believe they have a 9.5 r value rating. They are expensive at $219 each but I just got them at Rei about a month ago for $75 off of each.

                            Also, in a couple of the pics I posted.......;;I noticed my sons green lantern underwear hanging from the tent. I forgot his swim trunks and had him swim in his underwear....... cold wet underwear hanging from the tent probably impacted the thermal value of my flux capacitor. What the heck was I thinking!

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                            • #15
                              Re: I'm DONE with air mattresses!

                              something ultra cool that I absolutely want now which is way high tech over the top is the new helinox cot. it weights < 4 lbs and can fold out to fit a 6' tall man < 330 lbs! Very cool. Personally I use one of two options, the walmart Coleman blow up mattress which are reasonably priced and average in comfort and then when I'm camping in a smaller footprint I use a thermarest self inflating air pad. Agreed that any of the mattress' can get holes. Growing up we used to get an extra thick sleeping bag and unzip it completely open and it would be our base layer to sleep on. Could always find some foam that you roll up which wouldn't get ripped or need air, but that could get bulky for travel.

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