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View Full Version : Sleeping mats... essential?



Law
03-01-2015, 01:36 PM
Would you consider sleeping mats an essential piece of kit? Do you ever camp without one?

bopdude
03-01-2015, 01:49 PM
I'm new to them but wouldn't be without one now, whether I'm hanging or ground dwelling, big big difference.

beermaker
03-01-2015, 02:11 PM
Do you use a closed cell roll mat or an inflatable mat bopdude? Still haven't used my hammock in anger and was wondering what was best.

bopdude
03-01-2015, 04:30 PM
Do you use a closed cell roll mat or an inflatable mat bopdude? Still haven't used my hammock in anger and was wondering what was best.

I use a self inflating mat, a karrimor X-lite ( full ) makes all the difference in the world, small pack size etc, You'll have to shout out as and when you want a trip out ( overnighter ) got a couple of spots picked out for a stealth 1 nighter not to far away. Or we can do an organised one somewhere..

Sorry OP, high-jacking :D

TheDaddy187
03-01-2015, 04:39 PM
i use a self inflating mat... the brand evades me now... i will take a mat if im forest camping... but if im in a field, then if theres good deal of grass i will just use that

ammo
03-01-2015, 05:11 PM
Yes i would consider it essential. Certainly as part of my winter sleep system. Dont get me wrong ive spent many nights without, but you lose more heat from the ground than the surrounding atmosphere. Convection, i believe its called. The ground litarally sucks the heat out of you, so unless its been warmed by the sun all day, id take a mat. I think it was Bill Tillman who said, ''Any bloody fool can be uncomfortable''.

Law
03-01-2015, 06:09 PM
Does anybody else prefer to use natural materials to make an insulated bedding?

FishyFolk
03-01-2015, 07:04 PM
Does anybody else prefer to use natural materials to make an insulated bedding?

100% of the time that stuff is either not something you can just take, and most of the time it's at least moist, and also uncomforable to lay right on top of, sp you need something to
cover it with, that does not get wet. And the lightest and most durable thing for that....is a foam mat.

So yes, i have done so, but always slept with a foam mat on top of it to keep dry.

That said...I use hammocks know....

ammo
03-01-2015, 08:59 PM
Does anybody else prefer to use natural materials to make an insulated bedding?

Honestly, you need so much of the stuff, its probably easier to carry a mat. In terms of calories used for the return. I would go with the mat.
I dont know about the inflatable ones as mine delaminated, as did a friends. Not good.

ian c
03-01-2015, 09:39 PM
I also use roll mats and have a inflatable mat I prefer the foam roll mat, it does not need inflating or any special care.

Ichneumon
03-01-2015, 09:45 PM
Yes, I would consider it essential kit (assuming it is an option). Too many times I have seen newbies and dabblers (such as daughters, sisters, girlfriends, friends of bushcrafters etc.) 'try' a night in the wild and under canvass without a mat - big mistake! They get up next morning and say 'Never again!'. They have been put off for life by a cold and uncomfortable night spent lying on cold and hard ground. I'm really not surprised by their reaction, I think I'd have said the same under the circumstances.

A mat makes a HUGE difference!

A self inflating mat can be used on the ground, either in a tent or with a bivvy bag. It also works well with a hammock. Many hammocks are double layer and the mat fits nicely between them. They are light and pack down quite small.

I would only consider going without one if I was using an underquilt with my hammock.

jus_young
03-01-2015, 09:47 PM
I would never consider ground dwelling without a mat. I did go without once when using this shelter, and used natural materials, but it really wasn't the best nights sleep I have ever had

12774

When tree dwelling (hammock) I use my homemade underquilt rather than a mat as the latter have a tendency to slip when I try using them.

OakAshandThorn
03-01-2015, 10:52 PM
Essential?...yes, for comfort and staying warm (especially in winter conditions).
Improvising a sleeping mat out of natural materials is time consuming and one must pay attention to the materials ones uses. Lots of people here in the States claim that dead leaves from the forest floor are the way to go, but my experience has taught me that either these people choose to "rough it", or they haven't actually camped on a bed of leaves. It just simply doesn't work, because leaves are flat. You can gather loads of them into two 55 gallon drum liners for your mat, and a few hours in they will compress to níl (again, they are flat) to be a most uncomfortable tick-infested mattress. Doing this below freezing is certainly NOT an option, you will lose heat through conduction with the ground and freeze your bum off. However, it is possible to make a raised bed out of wood (which will hold heat much more effectively) with a platform of split logs to sleep on, and then to stuff the inside with dead leaves, grasses, reeds, etc...thus, because the material is not being compressed, it will work. In winter conditions, this core can be filled with snow.
The problem is that these natural beds take awhile to make, and simply bringing a foam roll mat or an inflatable one will save you time. After a long hike over difficult terrain, making a natural bed will be the last thing you'll want to do. My advice: don't skip-out on the portable comfort a foam or inflatable pad brings.

I use a Thermarest Trail Pro most of the year (except during those especially miserable hot and humid days of summer), and I bought the womens' version because the R value is 4.8, .8 higher than the mens'. For winter camping, it is generally recommended to get a mat with an R value of no less than 4. Or, you could use two foam pads for the same effect.

FishyFolk
03-01-2015, 11:49 PM
In the army we tried different things. But most of the time we were not allowed to take anything to improve ground insulation. But what worked good was spruce branches. When we were allowed to we piled up maybe 40 cm in height with spruce. It gets quite springy, and then covered it with our tent pieces (similar to the polish army tents you are familiar with). And then our foam pads. That worked very well. But it requires a lot of spruce. We tried never to take more than one or two branches from each tree. But most of the time it was not allowed. So we had to sleep directly on the snow, with just the thin foam mats under us. I can understand that. We wold have stripped the woods bare.

Else, yes...leaves of any kind don't work.

-Tim-
04-01-2015, 10:15 AM
Its a yes from me too, for all of the above reasons.

Cheers
Tim

Valantine
04-01-2015, 12:33 PM
Iv'e used and still use both. I find foam is easier to use with a hammock, inflating mat is better to use on the ground. Def' essential T^

jacob karhu
05-01-2015, 11:37 AM
As my colleagues, I usually use sleeping mats, however when I prefer travelling light, I only bring a bin bag in which I put dead leaves or whathever soft, and DRY !

During this holidays I slept in the wood with no mats. The temperature should be around 1°C, but it was -7°C on the morning. I slept in a sort of hammock and I had very cold. I should rather slept on the floor and use a sleeping mat made of dead lives or moss.

When you had bad experiences, you'll be carefully on the next time ^^

Pootle
06-01-2015, 04:28 PM
Definitely an essential for me.
It's great knowing how to improvise, in case you need to someday, and that means practice.
But a bad nights sleep takes all the fun out of camping, and why go camping if it's not gonna be fun?
Also, nobody functions at their best on a bad nights sleep. Which can be an issue on your own in the woods, using sharps.

jbrown14
06-01-2015, 04:45 PM
Best all-natural mat I've scraped together was under a stand of old-growth white pines in the Adirondack Mountains here in New York. The forest floor under the old giants was almost completely bare of anything but their dead needles and it took only a short time to scrape together a mattress of dry stuff nearly a foot thick. It did compress some during the night, but was more comfortable than any of my foam mats.

That being said, I never go out any more without at least a Thermarest Z-rest closed cell foam sleeping pad. In winter, I bring an army-issue closed cell roll along with the z-rest pad.

I don't using like the sleeping pad in my hammock because it's usually summer if I'm hanging, and the pad tends to limit breatheability and collect perspiration under me. I get colder with it than without it.

I think a consensus is building, a sleeping pad is essential whether hanging or sleeping on the ground.

Good luck!

Josh

FishyFolk
06-01-2015, 06:44 PM
When I am hanging...and I always do these days, I prefer to use an under-quilt. But I bring the sleeping pad anyway. It makes a nice and dry comfy spot to sit by the fire, and when it's time to enter the hammock, I stand on it while getting my wet kit off and my dry kit on. And use it as a launch pad to get into the hammock. Also nice to have a dry spot to put your feet in the morning before you get your boots on. Just make sure you peg down at least one corner so it does not fly off during the night.

Tigger004
06-01-2015, 08:39 PM
I have used both closed cell and inflatable, I find the inflatable more flexible in a hammock and therefore more comfortable, but as ian c says they need care, a punctured inflatable is completely useless.

I like the size of inflatables, I have a "Thermarest NeoAir All Season - Large" they can be a pain to inflate/deflate also some are noisy

In cold weather if ground dwelling I use both a roll mat and the inflatable, The heat saved from the mats means you don't need such a high rated sleeping bag.

Having prattled on about mats and inflatables, if you hammock under-quilts are far superior to both, but would be no good if you had to go to ground.

FishyFolk
06-01-2015, 09:55 PM
Forgot to mention that my underquilt is a DD Snugpak, and it is only good for lets say -10 celcius, and tehn only with a good sleeping bag. So bellow -5 celcius or so, I add the foam pad to the hammock for extra insulation.

knutjob
24-01-2015, 06:33 PM
Essential now I'm older ;-)
I have a lightweight blow up one with a slow puncher that is ok for a night on the floor. Keeps the chill off and comfortable enough even after part definition.
A normal one that I can slide into the purpose built compartment on my tree boat that is more essential when hanging around of an evening even with a slight breeze it makes a huge difference.

jus_young
25-01-2015, 09:00 PM
Just spent the weekend on Exmoor where the temps dropped below freezing during the night. Slept on my Thermorest NeoAir XLite with a Rab Ascent 500 bag and stayed lovely and warm.