After inflation, just screw the valve cap in and hey presto, it’s ready to lie on! Berghaus Air 10 In Use

One good feature of the Ultim is that both the single and the double SIMs in the range come with clips which enable you to join up multiple SIMs into an enormous bed. Perfect to practice your gymnastic routine on after a few beers! This ultralight Thermarest inflatable mattress is, as far as self-inflating sleeping pads go, the smallest sleeping pad on the market. Unrivaled in terms of convenience, the Pro Lite comes in a range of three sizes (short, long, and regular) and each size is a different price meaning you can save some money if you need a small sleeping pad. There’s no doubt that the Kip Highrise is an absolutely blissful in terms of the luxury it offers and actually it offers good value at the pricepoint we’ve seen for this year. We think the Shangri-La makes sense in single format but is just too bulky as a double. Of course, your mileage may vary on that choice. There’s no doubt that it is an absolute comfort monster in terms of the luxury it offers. This is also reflected in the price of course, and in terms of price per square metre it is one of the highest reviewed. And oh how it’s worth it. I’ve long been an admirer of Vango inflatable gear and the Comfort 10 follows on a familiar theme of reliability coupled with performance. The Comfort 10 really lives up to its name, providing ample cushioning for even the weightiest of folk.Now I have always had mixed feelings about double pads. Kind of like double sleeping bags – I love the concept – but the reality does not always produce the best night’s sleep. That said, the STS Ultralight Insulated pad delivers an all-around great three season performance for the price. It comes with a repair kit too. As someone who has managed to burst a very expensive sleeping mat with a hammer (yes true), having some glue and a repair patch close to hand is very useful. Vango offer a 2 year warranty on all their gear and that gives peace of mind when buying a self inflating mattress. If there are any issues with the valve or unexpected deflations in the night then they will unhesitatingly repair or replace your treasured SIM.

However a low R-Value (<2) could mean you end up getting cold in the night. Inflatable air mattresses which are essentially big air balloons which you sleep on have notoriously low R-values and are no good at all for sleeping on in winter or autumn. Let’s start with some definitions. At Camping Secrets, we generally distinguish between a Camping Mat and a Camping Mattress as follows: The KingCamp is undoubtedly fabricated from decent materials – the two valves on the SIM are brass which is a nice touch and differentiates the Deluxe from other SIMs which rely on plastic. So the babble of words above is my findings of testing this Berghaus sleeping mat, here are some key features of the manufacturers blurb;If you’re new to exploring and camping outdoors, you might be worried about how cozy your sleeping bag is going to be. It’s important to remember here that a good sleeping bag with a camping pad can create a level of warmth, insulation, and comfort that simply wouldn’t be possible with a sleeping bag alone. We really love Outdoor Revolution – they make great quality items at the mid-to-top end of the camping spectrum. Yes they may be slightly more expensive than the Decathlon’s of this world, but we’ve never been let down by their tents or their general camping gear. Now that the results are in, I hope you find it easier to choose a sleeping pad for your travel style 🙂 In this article we concentrate on our experience and recommendations for the choice of best self inflating mattress, and so the size and weight of the product is of less concern than how comfortable it is and how well it stays inflated etc.

I sleep on my side and often find that I wake up with sore shoulders when camping out, the Static V2 is a perfect sleeping pad for side sleepers and I found it very comfortable to sleep on, unlike the X Frame. The Outdoor Revolution Skyfall Double 150 SIM is no exception to this experience and offers an immense 15cm of pure cushioned comfort for your nighttime napping. R-Value for the KingCamp is ~6.5 which is pretty decent for cold weather camping, but not quite on a par with the Outwell Dreamcatcher. For typical UK winter conditions though, this is ample. Just make sure you bring along a decent sleeping bag or use electric hookup for an overnight heater. At Camping Secrets we often like to highlight niche products we uncover which accomplish a task in a clever way, whilst maintaining quality and value. The 3rd generation IForrest Sleeping Pad accomplishes this task extremely successfully.The Xtherm does a terrific job of retaining heat. Pretty much all of the mainstream gear testers have showered the Xtherm with rewards for the duration of it’s life. So to recap; the best camping pad out there is the Thermarest NeoAir Xthermclosely followed by the Kly mit Static V2or the XFrame if weight is the most important factor to you. For inflating, remove the cap and make sure the valve is in the ‘inflate position’. Unroll the mattress and it will automatically let air rush in and will self inflate. Spot the top-selling author in that previous sentence! The NeoAir Xtherm ditches the mainstream rectangular shape for a contoured build. This makes it overall more weight-effective, without compromising comfort and it’s a seriously comfortable, seriously lightweight sleeping pad – as an all rounder, the Xtherm is hard to beat, but it ain’t cheap and there are some better value options out there.

We recommend an R-Value of 3 or higher for 3-season use, and 5 or higher if you will be lying on the ground in winter too. Operation is simple. The Berghaus uses a rotatable ‘flip valve’ with a protective sealed cap to secure in place. When the flip valve is is one position air can get in but not escape (i.e. use when inflating). In the other orientation, air can escape but not get in – use for deflating.The Decathlon Quechua Ultima is a comfortable mattress at a pretty reasonable price point. It’s not the cheapest double and it’s not the most expensive. Would we like a little more cushioning, say 10cm total? Well actually we didn’t really miss those extra 2cm, and the great insulation really made a difference on a cold autumn night. We slept very well, with none of the ‘sleeping bad sliding’ you get on some smoother SIMs. For real additional comfort to the Ultim you need to be looking at a 15cm SIM such as the Outdoor Revolution Skyfall or similar. That said, having a double sleeping pad makes sense in a variety of situations. For car camping, festival use, or an awesome mattress substitute for your adventure camper van – the Exped Mega Mat Duo 10 is a great choice for couples.