• Welcome Guest! If you are already a member of the BMW MOA, please log in to the forum in the upper right hand corner of this page. Check "Remember Me?" if you wish to stay logged in.

    We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMWMOA forum provides. Why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the club magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMWMOA offers?

    Want to read the MOA monthly magazine for free? Take a 3-month test ride of the magazine; check here for details.

  • NOTE. Some content will be hidden from you. If you want to view all content, you must register for the forum if you are not a member, or if a member, you must be logged in.

A better BED,camping?

Polarbear

Polarbear
I've been using my Big Agnes system for a few years now with good to great results, BUT. I want better! The BA air mattress takes forever to inflate, is its worst problem, otherwise great packing size and average to good comfort sleeping on it. I've been wondering lately about another "Goose Down" bag for max warmth and a better quick inflating mattress that provides the same warmth as the BA mattress and maybe slightly softer too:). I'm getting older and still camp vigorously throughout Winter months too. Anybody like me? I happen to see at REI a few days ago, some thicker self inflating types, but had no time to look and try'em out at the store. I have to go back. Therma Rest and others have always been so "bulky" to pack down to a reasonable size for the bike. Help? Randy"Polarbear"
 
unfortunately, comfortable usually = bulky

I carry a Go Kot and a thermarest for a good nights sleep. I've found that if i'm not sleeping well, I can be a CRANKY SOB. :banghead

But with my Go Kot, (and my backpacking pillow), life is good.... :hug

YMMV
 
So what do you use on the legs to protect the tent floor?
Typically I have a couple heavy bags (such as Helen2Wheels roll sacks) with me -- something that helps spread out the load. That said, the "legs" on the GoKot are continuous lengths of wire, with no sharp edges and a total of 6 lines of contact with the ground -- I'd be pretty comfortable using them driectly on the tent floor as long as the tent's accompanying ground cloth is in place under the tent. Come to thing about it, that's what I did at the Finger Lakes rally last fall, with no issues.
 
Last edited:
I think I'm happy;

I found today the REI Store near me sells just what I wanted. A 3.5 inch very quick inflating mattress, with 2 valves for just that:). It inflates in less than 2-3 minutes, all on itsownself! Fits into my BA bag too, so now I carry no more inflating pump:). REI let me try it out on their showroom platform for this purpose. It packs much easier with double valves, but is bigger and will have to go on top of my saddlebags and has a nice bag included for this. The two valves are something all others should have been using all along, as this is the ticket for quick setup and takedown:). 72x32" unit packs down to 7"x32" and weighs 5 lbs. At 225lbs, I feel comfy as home on this new pad at 3.5inches thick. Also keeps the cold out as Therma Rest/BA and the other like products do. I am happy with this NO MORE pumpup matress and it takes one step out of the camp setup:). Neat! Thanks for the cott advice, as its always been a favorite from those I've talked too using them. I've not tried it, but will go my way here a while longer and see...This new pad is the thickest I've seen on the market so far and still is not a bad packer for the bike and my olfer shoulders will appreciate the comfort:). Randy
 
My wife:)

She loves her WalMart air matress single, BUT they get cold on colder nights for the BA sleeping bags and are also quite heavy and a pump is required. I'm lightening my load, no more pumps/batteries and heavy sleeping arrangements. These REI self inflater types are really neat with two valves to make it happen quick:), no work, just watch! Randy
 
Wally World air mattress/electric inflator for "rally trips" = cheap, comfortable bed.

Use a "space blanket" between your sleeping bag and the air mattress in cold weather. I have been comfortable at 17deg F with this simple set up. My inflation/deflation pump is rechargable or can run off a 12V output from my bike. At 260lbs a 4>5" air mattress is required for my getting a good nights sleep. The micro-fleece blankets now available, allow me to sleep on my bag in temps down to 60deg F. I tow a Bushtec so space for additional gear is not a problem.
 
I use a Thermarest Trail lite, which rolls up smaller than some of the other Thermarest products since it is the back-packer version.

The self-inflating part gets most of the work done. A couple puffs on the valve will firm it up. While I find it comfortable, the best part is the way it reflects your body heat back to you. On those cool spring and fall nights, it almost feels like you are sleeping on top of an electric blanket.
 
I use a space blanket

protects the floor, and if it get really cold, i can always put it inside of my sleeping bag.... (of course i say that, but didn't do it when i went camping last Oct in 30 degree weather... :banghead


So what do you use on the legs to protect the tent floor?
 
Best so far....

The best combination I've found so far is the Luxury Lite Ultralight Cot and the
Thermarest NeoAir inflatable mattress. The cot keeps you off the cold ground
and the mattress can be adjusted for your specific needs. The cot packs up very
small and weighs about 3 lbs., the mattress folds and rolls down to the size of a nalgene bottle and weighs less than a pound. Neither of these items is cheap, but they are really, really, comfortable. Don

http://www.luxurylite.com/cotindex.html
 
I have a Therm-a-rest luxury mattress that is 3" thick when inflated. I roll my tent up inside the Therm-a-rest (poles and all) and lash the big sleep burrito across the top of my radio box.

Then, when I arrive at camp, all I have to do is unroll the mattress and my tent is ready for set-up.
 
Go-Kot

My vote for the Go-Kot - packs small, rugged, and inexpensive (well not as cheap as when I bought mine. -- maybe they discovered what the market will bear for a good night's sleep.)

http://www.campingcot.com/


Bokrijder
 
Randy-

Not to rain on your parade, but I'd check out that REI mattress by sleeping on it at home a couple of nights before you take it on the road.

I had two of them that I bought on clearance from REI a couple of years ago. One leaked right away, the other lasted several minutes before leaking.:doh

I went back to my old Therm-a-Rest, which has several years under its belt- with no leaks!:usa

I sincerely wish you well with the REI mattress, and I hope it holds up for you for years to come. I liked everything about the two I bought, except their inability to hold air!:p
 
+1 on the Luxury Lite cot. The pack smaller than an air mattress and for me they are more comfortable. A thin self inflating mattress and the cot is even better.
 
Exped's the bomb

Polar,

Glad you're on your way with your new mattress. If it doesn't work out, try the mattress that most high altitude mountaineers and guides take with them as they age....which tells you how good this thing is in the warmth to weight to space ratio department:

Exped Downmat (NOT Synmat, which is the only Exped product now sold at REI)
weighs about 1.2 kg which is about 2.5 pounds
inflates to about 3.5 inches of high quality down-filled dead air space beneath your sleeping bag
insulation rating is 8; my Thermarest Neolite is rated half as warm, at 4 times warmer than sleeping on the ground.
Costs about $200

I'm still getting by on my Neolite, which is all I can really afford to carry in my pack, but I can see the day coming fast when I'll want an Exped Downmat--and I can't see a reason why not to bring it aboard the moto.

LW
 
The Exped is the most comfortable. Own Thermorest, hammocks, foams etc. won't leave home w/o the Exped.

Polar,

Glad you're on your way with your new mattress. If it doesn't work out, try the mattress that most high altitude mountaineers and guides take with them as they age....which tells you how good this thing is in the warmth to weight to space ratio department:

Exped Downmat (NOT Synmat, which is the only Exped product now sold at REI)
weighs about 1.2 kg which is about 2.5 pounds
inflates to about 3.5 inches of high quality down-filled dead air space beneath your sleeping bag
insulation rating is 8; my Thermarest Neolite is rated half as warm, at 4 times warmer than sleeping on the ground.
Costs about $200

I'm still getting by on my Neolite, which is all I can really afford to carry in my pack, but I can see the day coming fast when I'll want an Exped Downmat--and I can't see a reason why not to bring it aboard the moto.

LW
 
I went the other way :)

I bought an REI 1.75" self-inflating pad because I didn't want to have to blow up the BA mattress. Then I got the BA Pumphouse stuffsack/waterbag/pump bellows - basically a stuffsack that has a nipple at the bottom that fits over the BA Mattress valve. By opening it and squeezing between my knees I can fill up my new BA Air Core mattress in under a minute.

You mentioned the 3.5" pad you bought can fit the BA stuffsack - do you happen to have the model/maker? In my neverending quest for comfort I'd be very interested in looking at that myself :)
 
Back
Top