Best Mattress for Car Camping (trailer, canoe, bed, comfortable)

[LittleDolphin]

We're thinking about getting back into car camping.

We're wondering what new or recommended technology there is for sleeping -- cots? Foam? Or?

We used to use air mattresses with varying results...would prefer not to sleep so low to the ground.

What do you recommend for use in a tent? Have you used those single tent/cot combos??

Space is a consideration as we'll be camping out of a Honda Accord...a good-sized trunk, but still...

Many thanks...

[Coldjensens]

The double aerobeds are nice because they get you up to normal bed height or almost there. You need AC ppower to operate their build in pumps. We have in inverter built in to my truck and that does fine.

They all leak eventually. Some leak from right out of the box. Leaks start slow and are tolerable, eventually you will have to replace the aerobed. We use queen or king sized one. Hard to get in the tent, but as comfortable as sleeping at home unless they leak. Aerobeds suck when hey leak. we had one last years before it started leaking. Another one leaked the first time we used it. Sometimes you can find and patch the leak(s), but it usually leaks at seams or at the pump/valve which cannot really be patched. Stacking two leaking aerobeds on top of each other is a really terribly idea BTW. the results were hilarious, (to anyone who was no trapped int eh resulting mess).


My daughter prefers a camping cot. She loves it. I find it too narrow and too short for me. I tend to move around a lot. It is also not as comfortable as an aerobed.

Tried those foam hiking sleep pads. Better than the bare ground, but I woke up stiff and sore. I would only use those if I was hiking of canoeing. kayaking.

the bed is the one item I am not willing to rough it anymore. I am too old and stiff and if i wake up on the ground, I may not be able to walk for hours and I will be sore all day. We often bring an extra aerobed in case one of ours starts leaking.

If you do get a queensized one, make sure it will fit through the door of your tent. Inflating them inside the tent is ridiculous.

Those old fashioned cheap rubbery single layer single person air mattresses can keep a trip from getting ruined if your aerobed starts leaking, and you can use them in the lake as well. Cheap and a nice back up idea.

[f5fstop]

I used a self inflatable queen size inflatable (believe it was a Serta). It had some D batteries a the head, with the batteries insert you just set it to inflate and hit the button; reverse to deflate. This allowed me to inflate in the trailer, and I placed it one a fiber fold up mat to protect it from the ground. Never had a problem and still in storage in case I ever decide to do some tent camping again.