[Zammo]

Pre-SCI my wife and I used to enjoy the odd camping trip. We even bought a brand new tent that we have never used.

I know nothing is impossible, but has anyone got any tips for camping. In particular I'm thinking about sleeping on an inflatable matress/bed. I imagine it has reasonable pressure releaving properties. But then I have no idea how I'd manage to get back into my chair from an air bed!

Anyone tried this?

Cheers.

[nomis]

I've had the misfortune to go camping with an airbed.
It worked because I got home safely having got some sleep and no pressure problems.
But there were some, ahh, discomforts.
-With a change of weather they can be very cold if you don't have adequate bedding (underlay).
- They bounce and roll your body like a freaky rag doll. Can be darned annoying plus an occasional fright.
- Sitting up can be an interesting exercise and gives you a strong sense of what it's like to be a moth caught on the top of a jelly.
- When transferring, make sure you've got something solid to push off from cos the air mattress is just going to sink away from any force. I used a chilly bin/esky.
- Pillows and bedding slide around and slide off easily, the same as you.
- If it's a double and you have a bed partner expect to spend the night on top of each other. Everything sinks into the middle.
- Some mattresses are better than others. Go for the many separate chambers kind.
- It's all fun

[Bill Forrester]

There is an alternative called a "thermarest" It is still an air bed but it is filled with an insulation. There is no bouncing around and they are warm as the insulation stops the cold coming up from the ground. The older ones or the ones designed for backpacking are too thin but there is a new thicker one that works well. The downside is that they are lower than the tradition airbed and they are expensive. The upside is that they self inflate

[wheelygirl38]

Bill Forrester, on Jan 27 2008, 11:41 PM, said:

There is an alternative called a "thermarest" It is still an air bed but it is filled with an insulation. There is no bouncing around and they are warm as the insulation stops the cold coming up from the ground. The older ones or the ones designed for backpacking are too thin but there is a new thicker one that works well. The downside is that they are lower than the tradition airbed and they are expensive. The upside is that they self inflate

and where would one find one of these mattress do you have a link or a store that sells them

[Bill Forrester]

The information is at http://www.thermarest.com/ Look particularily at the camp and comfort series
There is also a full list of international distributors on the site. I have used them and now wouldn't think of anything else. I have been warme in temps as low as -20 degrees C with the right sleeping bag of course. As a protection though I still put one of cheap closed cell sleeping mats under it that you can get at any outdoors store.

[LuckyinKentucky]

I've got a cheap air mattress and it has always worked fine for me. Although it really helps to be able to do a floor transfer.... otherwise you can just have something you can get on for a 2 stage transfer (like Nomis"s Chilly bin) which i"m guessin is what we call a cooler, but you can use anything, and if ya cant think of anything that you use for camping, bring something special for that purpose( I bet couch cushions would get ya l lot closer to chair height...you could even build steps for a 3 stage transfer).

\\\ I have also just used the sleep on top of a thick sleeping bag method/// If you aren't gonna use an air mattress just be sure to check out the ground you are going to sleep on ... feel for protruding roots, renegade acorns, etc. And like always check when you wake up to find if there are any trouble area's & if you find one figure out how to avoid it next time. Happy Camping!

[Zammo]

Thanks guys for the replies. I've found that very interesting, and once I've worked on my floor transfers I should be sorted!