self inflating camping mat and mattress

Who needs sleep, that's for wimps.... Well, I am afraid to say a regular good night sleep is essential for survival even more when you are hiking and camping in the great outdoors. After sorted yourself out with a decent tent/shelter, sleeping bag and sleeping bag liner, then your attention should focus on a good camping mat.

For years, I have used a foam camping matt, whilst doing a fairly good job on insulating the worst of the cold from the ground I never really got a great nights sleep and nearing the end of longer hikes I found myself becoming more and more sleep deprived.

There are many effects of sleep deprivation on the body. As a hiker the main ones which will detract from you enjoyment of camping outdoor or even worse could put yourself in a life threating sitiuation are:

• Cognitive impairment, not good when half way up a mountain
  
• Irritability, not much fun for you or other companion hikers
  
• Impaired immune system
• Decrease reaction times and accuracy
  
• Muscle Aches as the body does not have time to repair
  
• Decreased temperature
  

So, I decided to upgrade my foam camping mat to a self inflating portable air mattress. As I carried out more research into the best self inflating sleep mat available, I found there was a bewildering choice of camping mats, female or male self inflating camping matts, half size self inflating mats, extra insulating mattresses, light weight portable air mattress, small packing size.... the list goes on.

To help, I broke down a list of selection criteria

• Weight of the self inflating camp mat
• Insulation properties
• Comfort levels
  
• The camping mat packed size
• The camping mat unpacked size
• Quality of materials and manufacture of the camping mat
  
• Cost of the portable air mattress
  
• Other peoples self inflating mat reviews
• Ease of inflating and deflating the portable air bed
  

So, my online wandering kept leading me to Thermarest self inflating camping matts brand. The self inflating Thermarest concept started in 1971 by two jobless engineers under the privately owned Cascade Designs. They are so confident in the build quality of their thermarest range, they offer a life time guarantee, which based on online reviews they fulfill if there is a problem. So, thumbs up to the customer service from this US company.

They have numerous different thermarests in their range, however for the hiker, the fast and light thermarest prolite range offer a good compromise between weight, packing size, insulation and comfort trade-offs.

Their engineering side never left them and their quest of developing the best self-inflating camping mattress has led them to develop a range specifically for women. No, not just made the camping mat pink, they found women loose a lot more heat around their hips and feet, therefore they have added extra insulation on those parts of the mat.

Texsport offers some great camping air mattress at a lower price point compared to thermarest camp mats. For over 60 years Texsport has been providing outdoor camping equipment.

Their portable air beds are available to buy in different lengths to stop you carrying unnecessary weight.

After much deliberation, I went with the Thermarest self inflating mattress. The small packing size, good reviews on the product and service and weight all helped sway my decision, however the deal breaker was the lifetime guarantee as it shows the level of commitment to th customer.

So, after testing in the field, I can safely say with the therm-a-rest prolite 4 I got a really good nights sleep.