Air mattress alternative

[Xtremespeed]

The cot thing wouldn't work well for us. We would need 3 and once I get all the toys and camping gear loaded, space is at a minimum. No place to put them. Not to mention, with the layout of my trailer, we would have to climb from one to another. I have 2 beds. A queen across the back and a twin along the right side. If it were just me and my wife, maybe, but our son sleeps on the twin so there are 3 of us.

I'm not sure what direction to go. I'd love to try the Thermarest dreamtime but I'd need 3 at $180 each. Also interested in the foam mattress emjohn4 mentioned and that would be over $300 for both. I don't mind the cost if it's plenty comfortable but would still be a pain to store I'm afraid. There is no place close I know of that carries either so I could try them out, so I hate to drop that much money only to not be happy.

[dave_dj1]

Do you have a place to store the thermarest mattresses other than the bunks themselves? You could just throw them in when the beds are down, roll them up and store them in a corner when bunks are up?
Just tossing out ideas of what I would try.

[bigbendhiker]

The cot thing wouldn't work well for us. We would need 3 and once I get all the toys and camping gear loaded, space is at a minimum. No place to put them. Not to mention, with the layout of my trailer, we would have to climb from one to another. I have 2 beds. A queen across the back and a twin along the right side. If it were just me and my wife, maybe, but our son sleeps on the twin so there are 3 of us.

I'm not sure what direction to go. I'd love to try the Thermarest dreamtime but I'd need 3 at $180 each. Also interested in the foam mattress emjohn4 mentioned and that would be over $300 for both. I don't mind the cost if it's plenty comfortable but would still be a pain to store I'm afraid. There is no place close I know of that carries either so I could try them out, so I hate to drop that much money only to not be happy.

As far as the Thermarest, REI carries them. I see your in NE Texas. There is an REI in Dallas and in Plano. I think Fort Worth may have one as well. I'm not sure about that particular model, but I have a 10 year old camp LE model that is thicker and wider than the standard backpacking Thermarests. I sleep very well on it, so much so that I will suffer the extra weight and take it backpacking. One secret is to let it self inflate and then add about 5 to 7 extras breaths to provide some extra cushion. You could check with REI and see if they have something in the store that you could try out. As someone else mentioned, when rolled up they don't take up much space.

Good luck.

[accrete]

It would be sweet if you could somehow rig a system to lift the queen frame up. Then you might ponder the idea of a Froli Sleep System (we have one in our van conversion). The queen system weighs in under 10 lbs if i recall. You would just mount it on your existing frame. Then toss a gel type mattress topper on it and u r ready for one of the best night's sleep EVER. I think the FSS has been my most recommended goodie for RV's in any forum i've visited...I'm hooked!

This is a shot of ours before i installed it:



and with mattress topper ready for the move into van:



Thom

[Xtremespeed]

As far as the Thermarest, REI carries them. I see your in NE Texas. There is an REI in Dallas and in Plano. I think Fort Worth may have one as well. I'm not sure about that particular model, but I have a 10 year old camp LE model that is thicker and wider than the standard backpacking Thermarests. I sleep very well on it, so much so that I will suffer the extra weight and take it backpacking. One secret is to let it self inflate and then add about 5 to 7 extras breaths to provide some extra cushion. You could check with REI and see if they have something in the store that you could try out. As someone else mentioned, when rolled up they don't take up much space.

Good luck.

I am in far NE Texas. It's 200 miles to Dallas from here. Might be worth checking out if I happen to already be going to Dallas though. Thanks
I don't think finding a place to put the thermarest would be too difficult.

The Froli looks interesting. I need to look into that, as I'm not familiar with it. I wouldn't really be able to lift my queen bed though. We have a Polaris Rzr, so I need the vertical space for it.

[Xtremespeed]

Well, I went to Academy today and purchased a Magellan self inflating pad just to try. It was the thickest one they had at 4" and was $60. The pad was pretty comfortable for both me and my wife. The only problem was the width. It is only 25" wide, and we both tended to hang off a little when we laid on our side. Neither of us sleep on our back. I was surprised that it was that comfortable though. Also after trying it, I don't believe I would want one any thinner than 4". The way I sleep, my ribs would probably be sore with anything thinner. I added a few breaths of air to the Magellan to help get that 4", and found myself letting a little air out to soften it up a little, which gave me a little less margin for error on my ribs. I found a 60" wide pad at Sportsmansguide.com for $130, and I may try it. The 60" would be cheaper than buying two 30". My complaints about the 60" are, it's a little short at 72", and it's only 3.5" thick. I am 74", so my feet would hang off, and I worry about the thickness. I'm also not sure I want to fight one that big when it's time to roll it up. Two 30" pads would probably be much easier to handle, especially if my wife has to do it any. So the search continues. I appreciate all the thoughts and suggestions so far.

[accrete]

and the downside from a single air-inflated pad (as others mentioned on standard airbeds) is that whomever is heavier is going to be in the valley...forcing the lighter one onto the mountain top! And you wake up often when your partner moves at all.

Thom

[Xtremespeed]

Good point. Thanks for bringing that back up.

[roadinspector]

We used a queen size airmatress for years with no problem. This matress was the kind that had columns buit in to provide stability and do away with the other person sinking. One lasted for years, another didn't even make one trip. If you decide to try that I sure would have a spare for backup. They are still an airmatress and susceptable to leaks no matter what.

Earnest

[droid_ca]

Is weight a major issue if it's comfortable?

[Xtremespeed]

Yes. I really need to be able to move it around easily since it can't be folded up with the bed frame. Also, if it can be folded or rolled up, it would be even better. My toy hauler is quite full between the Rzr, the 4 wheeler, and all the camping equipment. I wish the air mattresses were comfortable and held up a little better. The size, weight, and storage capability is great, but the comfort for 2, the unreliability, and the hassle of blowing them up and deflating them outweighs the positives.

[droid_ca]

oh ok the one I had in mind would not work if you have to move it around

[Xtremespeed]

Yeah the portability makes it a little more difficult. I definitely appreciate the attempt though. Everyone has been great to share their ideas.

[droid_ca]

Just like everyone on here everybody's situation is different...as in my case I'd choose comfort over weight in regards to a good nights sleep but then I'm also looking for a more permanent solution (Tiny House) so for a little extra weigh I'm going to be going with a http://www.ebay.ca/itm/320574507615?ssP ... 1423.l2649 but then again like I said I'll be living in mine...But maybe others might want to do a similar idea

[Xtremespeed]

That is a very interesting option. I haven't seen that before. I bet it's pretty comfortable for someone not concerned about weight. Thanks for posting it. I'm sure someone will benefit from it.