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Camping Equipment and all Clothing Tents, sleeping bags, stoves etc. Riding clothing, boots, helmets, what to wear when not riding, etc.
Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
Clouds on Tres Cerros and
Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia




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  #1  
Old 4 Feb 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by geordie_e View Post
@Flyingdoctor
I was sleeping on a box air bed (used it for years without feeling the cold).
Im not sure about thermarest's they just dont look comfortable :confused1:
@Tim
I did think about opening the windows lol. Ive got a fleece liner but its bulky ish. Im trying to think how to keep the overall pac size down.
I did think about putting a space blanket on the bed to help with the insulation.
As for camp shops, I would rather take the advice from people on this forum mate rather than ask some shop assistants who would sell you anything just to make a sale.
Blacks and Millets staff are useless. Told one shop assistant in one of their shops in Gateshead Metrocentre that I needed a lightweight tent with a really small pack size to strap on to the back of a motorcycle. Get this, he then tried to sell me one of those crap pop-up tents that fold into a big flat circle. If you need advice on how to score E's at festivals (which I don't), these are the people to speak to but look elsewhere for advice on kit.

I'd given up on the Thermorest and Exped mats as I simply couldn't afford them at the time though they did seem a great idea. Found these completely by accident in a outlet shopping centre.

Millets Trek Self-Inflating Compact Sleeping Mat

This is the compact model which I bought and is the same thickness as the regular one but is about 3/4 length. Pack size is about half the diameter of a traditional Karrimat. It will roll up far smaller than they are displayed in the shop too. I know people will turn their nose up at it as Eurohike are Millets/Blacks own make but it's been on 3 trips with me now and I've never had to open the included repair kit. Can't go wrong for £17.

I've also got a Gelert fleece liner but I also find it too bulky so other suggestions welcome. The tip about taking a hat to wear at night is sound advice.
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  #2  
Old 6 Feb 2009
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Originally Posted by craig76 View Post
...I've also got a Gelert fleece liner but I also find it too bulky so other suggestions welcome...
Is a silk liner any good? There's one here for £11 - 'DD sleeper'.

DD Hammocks - Products
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  #3  
Old 8 Feb 2009
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This is one of the times when air does NOT insulate - on the contrary.

Great point Indu - that gets to the bottom of... ... I cant work out why my airbed which ive used for the last 5 years was so cold

It is the material inside the self-inflaters from Mammut, Exped and ThRest, etc which helps slow down the conduction of heat from your body to the ground. It can be closed cells (air bubbles), like in the old karrimat days (which crippled so many of us!), or in self-inflating mats: open cell foam, foam chips or more extravagantly, down (lighter, packs better, over 100 quid!).

Plus a hat.

Ch
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  #4  
Old 8 Feb 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by teflon
Is a silk liner any good?
They're excellent. Mine came from Lidl at £9.99; it squashes down to about the size of half a cucumber and the extra warmth it provides is unbelievable. It's also good on its own for hot nights. Another benefit is, because it's almost frictionless, you can turn over without tying yourself into knots, as you do with fleece liners.

Regards, Mick
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  #5  
Old 8 Feb 2009
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Thanks for all the tips n info

Im tied up at the mo trying to get my local bike club website up and running (tis nearly done, just got a little bit tidying up to do).

Going to look at the mats next week

Cheers
Geordie
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  #6  
Old 8 Feb 2009
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Originally Posted by Mick O'Malley View Post
...Mine came from Lidl at £9.99; it squashes down to about the size of half a cucumber...
Handy thing, fruit and veg. DD says their liner squashes down to the size of an apple.
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Old 9 Feb 2009
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Thanks for the tip on the silk liner. I'll give it a go.

Can remember seeing them in Aldi or Lidl last year. At the time, I thought how could something that packs down so small, be better than the fleece liner. Kicking myself now over why I didn't buy one.
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  #8  
Old 9 Feb 2009
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Just got a silk liner from e bay delivered for £10. its not mummy shaped but retangular packs down small and should be good to use on its own. cant remember what co its from dd hamocks i think.

Will try it out with my current set up but am thinking of a snugpak or similar bag for really cold conditions.
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  #9  
Old 10 Feb 2009
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Space blanket is useful
Few times in Patagonia and in Bolivia we were camping and I was bitterly cold, despite down winter sleeping bag, silk liner, thermarest and thermal underwear! On these occasions, I got my space blanket under the thermarest then wrapped myself with it over the sleeping bag. I looked a bit like a giant Xmas cracker but hey!

It does not create heat as such, but keeps the warm air inside and it helped a lot for me, as I felt warm quite quickly and I was able to sleep!
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