I've just had an uncomfortable 3 nights on my old army karrimat. I have looked at the thermarest range but am a bit confused as to which to buy if I can afford it. A post here suggested they self inflate and then you seal them? How do they compare with about 100mm of cushion foam? Which is about the thickness my old bones feel comfortable in.
I know that most people go for Thermarest but personally I prefer the 5 or 6 reeded airbeds made by the likes of Gelert.
to see what I'm on about. They pack up small, can be inflated easily and offer far better insulation and comfort IMHO. As the reeds are all inflated separately it is not too serious if one develops a puncture. And they are much cheaper (but then probably not as durable) than Thermarests.
I'm taking one to 6,700 metres in October so will be able to give one a serious test in the cold; but so far I prefer them to the other options.
On Tue, 10 Aug 2004 22:34:28 GMT, "Mark" <[email hidden]>
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I've had a Gelert airbed for 6 seasons now, still going strong. It folds to virtually nothing and I find if I inflate the outside "tubes" to about 3/4 of their infation, & then progresivly less towards the centre, when you finally come to rest and it evens itself out, not only is it very comfortable but it also naturally tends to roll you towards the middle and I dont keep waking up on my groundsheet, uncomfotable & cold, as I used to with my old mat after I'd rolled off in the night.
"John" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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Quoted message said:
I've just had an uncomfortable 3 nights on my old army karrimat. I have looked at the thermarest range but am a bit confused as to which to buy if I can afford it. A post here suggested they self inflate and then you seal them? How do they compare with about 100mm of cushion foam? Which is about the thickness my old bones feel comfortable in.
I know that most people go for Thermarest but personally I prefer the 5 or 6 reeded airbeds made by the likes of Gelert.
to see what I'm on about. They pack up small, can be inflated easily and offer far better insulation and comfort IMHO. As the reeds are all inflated separately it is not too serious if one develops a puncture. And they are much cheaper (but then probably not as durable) than Thermarests.
I'm taking one to 6,700 metres in October so will be able to give one a serious test in the cold; but so far I prefer them to the other options.
I agrree totally,
I've had a Gelert airbed for 6 seasons now, still going strong. It folds to virtually nothing and I find if I inflate the outside "tubes" to about 3/4 of their infation, & then progresivly less towards the centre, when you finally come to rest and it evens itself out, not only is it very comfortable but it also naturally tends to roll you towards the middle and I dont keep waking up on my groundsheet, uncomfotable & cold, as I used to with my old mat after I'd rolled off in the night.
In article <[email hidden]>, John <[email hidden]> writes
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
I've just had an uncomfortable 3 nights on my old army karrimat. I have looked at the thermarest range but am a bit confused as to which to buy if I can afford it. A post here suggested they self inflate and then you seal them? How do they compare with about 100mm of cushion foam? Which is about the thickness my old bones feel comfortable in.
I know that most people go for Thermarest but personally I prefer the 5 or 6 reeded airbeds made by the likes of Gelert.
to see what I'm on about. They pack up small, can be inflated easily and offer far better insulation and comfort IMHO. As the reeds are all inflated separately it is not too serious if one develops a puncture. And they are much cheaper (but then probably not as durable) than Thermarests.
One of the problems with air beds which have no foam or other filling is that heat is transferred by convection within the pockets of air. The foam in the Thermarests stops this convection hence they insulate better than a plain air bed of similar thickness.
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I'm taking one to 6,700 metres in October so will be able to give one a serious test in the cold; but so far I prefer them to the other options.
You might want to also take a small piece of conventional closed cell foam mat to put under the air bed. That will stop the bottom of the air bed getting so cold and hence reduce the heat loss by convection.
But a lot lighter than for instance a Thermalite Trail (regular size) which their website shows as 1025g and even their Prolite 4 (Large size) weighs in at 936g.
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One of the problems with air beds which have no foam or other filling is that heat is transferred by convection within the pockets of air. The foam in the Thermarests stops this convection hence they insulate better than a plain air bed of similar thickness.
But the Gelert reeds (inflated) are way thicker than a thermarest and I find provide excellent insulation (trapped air is of course a good insulator). It would be interesting to do some serious testing but I suspect that the Gelert offers at least equal insulation to the thermarest. I'll tell you after October!
It's just that from experience I've found them an excellent solution that is often overlooked when people see the Thermarests. You can pick a Gelert up for £8.99 new from some places so it is hardly expensive to try compared to the 50 and 60 pounds that the heavily marketed Thermarests cost in the UK.
But the Gelert reeds (inflated) are way thicker than a thermarest and I find provide excellent insulation (trapped air is of course a good insulator).
Not really, it has to be /still/. Still air is actually what does most of the insulating in insulation products. Stuff like down and foam simply stop the air from moving about rather than doing direct insulation themselves. In an air bed there's nothing much to stop convection currents so they really won't insulate nearly as well as a T-rest. Not an issue at this time of year, but on a hard winter night you'd really notice the difference.
Pete. -- Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
I bought a cheap self-inflater from Makro last week - 10.00 +VAT It's b-i-g! and hence not very light but if you're not backpacking it's not too much of a problem. Tested in in Wales over the weekend and it worked like a charm.
I've had a Gelert airbed for 6 seasons now, still going strong. It folds
to
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virtually nothing and I find if I inflate the outside "tubes" to about 3/4 of their infation, & then progresivly less towards the centre, when you finally come to rest and it evens itself out, not only is it very comfortable but it also naturally tends to roll you towards the middle and
I
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dont keep waking up on my groundsheet, uncomfotable & cold, as I used to with my old mat after I'd rolled off in the night.
