making an air matress more tolerable

[BarberFobic1992]

i am going out of town just after Christmas, to a house my family owns in northern KY. the house is not furnished though. so ill be spending several nights on an air matress. in previous expiriences, i have determined that the matress has a way of sapping my body heat (second law of thermodynamics kgd). so, anyone have any tricks to keeping warm on one of these? i figured this was WS&S rrelated since alot of campers might use these.

any thoughts? thanks in advance.

 

[Ankar Sheng]

Wrap it with a blanket or use a foam pad with it for insulation, anything to ad some R value will help.

 

[stingray4540]

More tolerable?! I think air mattresses are one of the most comfortable things to sleep on! Just my opinion of course...

 

[DOC-CANADA]

I agree with Ankar. I put an ensolite pad on top of the air mattress and it works fine.

Many years ago, I read in a book, might have been one of Angier's, that some people would open up the seam in the air mattress and stuff in some down to stop the convection air flow. Sounds then and now, like a messy, make-work project.

Doc

 

[Quirt]

There are several air mattresses now manufactured with insulation built into them and the R factor is fairly high on par with a Thermalrest for example. Exped is one such design that has won all sorts of praise and awards in Europe and was recently purchased by Outdoor Research.

So if you're inclined to use an air matteress then this might be something to consider.

I contacted a distributor of mine and ask for one of the Exped 7 series for a test drive. I used it for four days in sub zero temps at 4000' elevation in the snow. It worked great...kept me as warm, in fact, warmer than my personal Thermalrest. My back ached less and I had a much better night rest. I since purchased the Exped and it is my "go to" pad for winter-cold weather training.

 

[Brian Andrews]

There are several air mattresses now manufactured with insulation built into them and the R factor is fairly high on par with a Thermalrest for example.

I actually have one of the Big Agnes Pads with Primaloft in it. It packs up SUPER small, yet has an R value of 4.1, which is greater than your typical backpacker's thermarest. It is a great pad!

But, without having to go out and buy something, others have already suggested it. Use the air for cushioning, and get insulation between you and it. Ensolite, wool blanket, anything. You should be good.

B

 

[abo4ster]

I'll second the Big Agnes pad ~ mine is rated to 15 degrees. I almost feel guilty for being so comfortable.