We pride ourselves on the wide range of sleeping mat that we can offer our customers, from simple Closed Cell foam mats to the luxurious Thermarest Dream time or the Exped Downmats. Brands include Thermarest, Exped, Vaude and Trangoworld (formerly known as Artiach).
Sleeping or camping mats are available in three main groupings: Closed Cell Foam Mats; Self Inflating Mats; or Inflatable Mats.
Closed Cell Foam Mats - These are the most economical mats available, are fairly light wieght and very robust. The down side is that they tend not to offer the comfort of the other options.
Self Inflating Mats - These are constructed using open cell foam, surrounded with an airtight covering. Insulation and comfort are dependent on the thickness of the foam, however there is a trade-off between size/weight and comfort/insulation. These if you are prepared to compromise on size and comfort then models such as the Trangoworld Skin Micro Lite can be used for backpacking. If you're car camping then you can opt for the luxury of a Thermarest DreamTime, complete with fleece cover and Memory Foam - but at 3 kg you're not going to carry it far!
Inflatable Mats - The modern take on the airbed. Traditional airbeds were comfortable, but heavy and poor at insulation you from the cold ground. The current versions are lightweight and offer better insulating properties by utilising either heat reflecting flims, or down/synthetic filling. Matresses such as the Thermarest NeoAir or Vaude Norrsken are extremely light and small; Exped DownMats are slightly heavier, but with a down fill offer superiour insulation.
With both the Self Inflating and Inflatable Mats, one does need to take more care to avoid punctures, but trail side repair kits are available.
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