In my initial issue, the Army gave me one of those black "pool float" air mattresses. It never stayed inflated, and was unjustifiably heavy. A typical night on that mattress went something like this:
1) Use foul-tasting valve to inflate air mattress
2) Dizzily roll into sleeping bag, trying not to slide off of slippery rubber pool float
3) Awaken cold and achy one hour later, two inches closer to the ground than I was when I fell asleep
4) Perform yogi-like contorsions to reach foul-tasting valve without exiting relatively cozy sleeping bag to re-inflate mattress
5) Perform yogi-like contorsions to return to supine position in narrow pup-tent, impossibly small hooch or over-packed GP small before passing out from hypoxia
6) Repeat steps 3 - 5 until reveille
I DX'd it for a foam pad as soon as I could. I realize that Uncle Sam deals with the lowest bidder, and there are probably excellent inflatables out there, but I can't bring myself to trust one.
I still use a G.I. foam mat when I camp or hike, and it serves me well. I've used the Therm-a-rests, too, but closed-cell foam is adequate for me, and is lighter and less bulky to boot.
I have also slept on and in leaf litter piles fairly comfortably. I don't think I've ever used plastic bags as mattress covers, though. Any time I did sleep in leaves, if it was cold enough that I needed the insulation, it was also cold enough that creepy-crawlies weren't much of a concern.
All that said- if you've got an idea, try it out in a controlled situation and learn from it. Even if it's a bust, you'll know better when it counts. :thumbup:
