Camping and Backpacking GEAR thread

Thermarest NeoAir is my favorite

 

NeoAir XLite is from the land of gram counting dreams. More comfortable than any other sleeping pad I've had by a long shot.

 

OK, let me clarify, I have an awesome sleeping pad for solo trips. My wife wants a new airmatress for sheets and a comforter. She liked the coleman, but it failed, so I need something like it, only better. We truck camp, so no gram counting for me.

 

If you have an inverter or an outlet, just get an aerobed. They're comfy as heck but they weigh about 20 lbs.

 

Not a bad idea, we have two or three aerobeds around here, they have lasted for ever, because we baby them. One is 15 years old and still gets stored in the original box and plastic bags. I just wonder how they would be in the elements, protected on the tent, but exposed to several days of us, dirty kids and a dog. I don't mind using the inverter for that, just hadn't thought of it. hmmmm

anyone else?

 

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/147148-Best-sleeping-pad

Some discussion over on Expo.

 

DAMN, the mat the recommend is $350!!!

So I will narrow my original question.

Anyone able to compare the Coleman to REI to Kelty Queen size airmatress for me? Other suggestions in comparable specs and price range?

 

If Coleman lasted 8 years, why not get another Coleman?

 

Why not just get another Coleman? If the original lasted 8 years, that's a pretty darn good track record for your use. I used to get only 2 years out of then when I was buying them. Now I have an RTT so I don't have to worry about my wife complaining about a deflated mattress, so I'm not much help.

 

Another coleman is high on my list, hell, I may have another in the attic. I have heard that a lot of people are not getting more than a year or two out of them, so I am concerned mine was a fluke. Although, we did always have to inflate it right before bed, it made it through the night.

Just curious if anyone had felt with anything slightly better.

I baby my stuff, keep it as clean as possible and put it away the way I bought it. I find this makes things last a little bit longer. I am a cheapskate, I will spend the money for a good product, but I will do everything in my power to make it last as long as possible.

 

I've had a few Colemans which have all been single height (I'm not sure if that makes a difference). One lasted about 3 years, although it stopped holding air this summer when someone was borrowing it, so who knows what really happened there. One lasted about a year, and was replaced with another Coleman since we were on a trip and didn't have many options. We've had the replacement less than a year, but it's working OK as of now.

I have a shell on the truck with a sleeping platform and we use a memory foam mattress in there, so the Coleman doesn't get used much these days anyway.

 

Just found this thread. time to do a ton of reading haha

 

Chip, Back in 2013 I bought two (2) Exped Mega Mats @ $220 each. They are a straight walled air mattress for truck / base camping. We put them side by side to make a queen sized mattress, and cover with sheets, blankets, etc.

I don't think there is a more comfortable mattress out there, unparalleled really. Buy once, cry once.

A demo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GioeLw9jfHk

 

Crazy money for a camp bed, but Exped makes the finest mattresses available IMO.

 

Cant help anyone on air mattresses, but I do have a great review on the MSR international stove. it was dark (and we were slightly tipsy) and I forgot to put away my stove that was still fully hooked up and open. well I hear a crunch, he stumbles down, and immediately know what the sound was. the stove getting 200 pounds of foot thrown down on it. well I moved It to a safe location and waited for morning to asses the damage because it was dark and again I knew there was nothing I could do anyways at the time (drunk). well I looked it over the next morning and the only thing wrong was that one of the rests on top was SLIGHTLY bent. not even badly bent! so I just putit into a vice and bent her back into shape. shes been cooking beautiful backcountry dinners ever since! by the way, that's a backcountry made pizza in that thing. my girl takes care of me haha

 

MSR makes great liquid fuel stoves.

I'm partial to Snow speak for iso stoves though.

 

I'm going to echo what everyone else is saying; pick up a Coleman. I've been using both Coleman and cheap Walmart/Target brand air mattresses for years. They are all very hit or miss. Some are still in use right now, while others didn't hold air after the initial inflation. My suggestion is to buy a Coleman, inflate it at home, spend a night watching movies on it, then see how it feels in the morning. If it's already leaking, simply return it and try again. In my opinion, it's not worth buying the fancy ones until you decide to step up to the double-stacked queen sized sweeties.

 

Well..... guess im going to start researching Snow Peak... haha i have a problem. i dont use ISO anything just because i like a good visual on what im using/taking, but hell ill use it as a toy

 

This has served me well for my truck glamping needs.

Coleman SupportRest Double-High 18" Queen Air Mattress with Built-In AC Pump | Indoor and Outdoor Raised Airbed | Blow Up Air Mattress for Camping

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006JH1HDW

It's been great for the last 3 years I've owned it.

 

A good visual?