I've been reading the recent threads about sleeping mats with great interest and through them found the Exped down mats

Exped DownMat 9 Deluxe

and I thought they look the business... but I wanted to ask about actual use... and didn't want to hijack the other threads !

So... being the larger gent (pic) I use an inflatable airbed (single) from Argos - it's pretty comfortable but doesn't exactly keep out the cold - but that's never really an issue for me. It's about 75cm wide and 20cm deep.

Now the exped is 65cm wide and 9cm deep - they look amazing and fold smaller than my airbed - plus they look warmer and better suited to a life on the road (I don't need to carry a pump for example)

But my question is - any good for a fat guy? Any experience with the expeds?

All info very gratefully recieved :-)

m

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I use one of these - I'm 6'3" about 15 stone or 1m93 and 100kg and I find them brilliant. Very comfortable and compact . probably one of the best bits of camping equipment I have acquired of the years.

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...on the road to nowhere...

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Thanks Gecko... did you find that your bum touched the ground at all?

m

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The trick with the Exped downmats is not to over inflate them . The ideal pressure varies from person to person but in answer to your question, no , my bum is clear of the ground if you inflate them correctly. The pressure may seem too soft but after inflating to about 2/3rds you kneel on them on all fours and if your finger tips can just feel the ground through the mat you are about right. If you can't feel the ground they are too hard and if you solidly touch the ground then they are too soft. I sleep like a log on them ....even without a skin full of alcohol to help me on the way
The other great thing is the ground insulation. In cold weather you really feel your body heat being reflected back to you - I'm not sure how this works but being down filled and with insulating foil I guess it works somehow. You'll not feel the cold ground anymore for sure.

If you want a cheap solution and you sleep ok on you cheap airbed except for when it's cold ground, go to your local DIY store and get some foam backed foil from the central heating department. It the stuff they use to put behind radiators to reflect the heat back into the room. It's cheap as chips and if you put a sheet of this under your LIDL air mattress it will reflect your body heat really well. I did this for years before splashing out on the Exped. The foam backed foil costs just a few pounds and packs up light and small too. TIP: Buy a sheet about 20% bigger than your mattress all round so when you roll off the edges you are still over the insulation

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...on the road to nowhere...

Biking roads by bikers for bikers www.bestbikingroads.com

I've just had 2 weeks on a cheap £10 Lidl self inflating mat and the foam kept moving inside the cover which twisted the mat. I thought as it was thicker and larger than my therm-a-lite it would be more comfortable but this wasn't the case. Go to a decent retailer and lie down on a few and try them.
It only needs to keep your hips or butt off the ground to prevent pressure spots it doesn't have to feel like a waterbed.

Nice socks by the way

You're not the first to say that ;-)

Inflation level does seem to be the key - as does staying still rather than rolling onto my side and hurting my hips.

m

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We have two Exped Downmat 9 deluxe sleeping mats exactly like yours and they are everything they are advertised to be. They are very comfortable, warm, easy to inflate with the stuffsack and pack smaller than any comparable mat (and many smaller, less comfortable mats). I used various Thermarest mats over the last 30 years and the Expeds are really that much better. The previous advice about not over-inflating them is correct. It is easy enough to let air out, but there is no need to go beyond about 1/2 inflation. You'll be very happy with them.

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Thanks FatChance - I think that's that decision made then... now to order one and hope it arrives in time!

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