Canoe camping mattresses 2018

[Odyssey]

Those cots would be ideal in a generously sized campfire tent. Imagining them inside a 2 person ground hugging tent with vestibules isn't realistic. So that puts me and my wife out of the equation. But if I were to trip with a hot tent, cots would go with a wood stove like coffee goes with breakfast.

We haven't tried our inflatable pads yet. Maybe we should try them out here at home rather than waiting for a trip to happen. It came as quite an uncomfortable shock when my body rebelled against 2 layers of self-inflating pads last year. The added insulation will be a boon.

 

[Canotrouge]

I have watched people assemble two different versions of that style cot in the field. I am way too lazy to diddle that that many parts and pieces when making camp. Both had some practice at assembly and it was still comical to watch.

One poor guy who had to assemble it under a crowded tarp in the rain, which was inconvenient for him and the folks forced out to the edges, although they did enjoy the show.

The other unfortunate soul had a side entry tent, and getting the tarp into the tent was a two person job that required considerable finagling and zipper stress. Probably best with an end entry tent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7WmRe-zbrg

I make that 31 separate parts and pieces. No way am I kneeling on the ground with a bag of parts doing tinker toy assembly and wondering WTF when wrong when some half twist was assembled with a pole in wrong hole.

One of the things I appreciate about a self inflating sleeping pad is the mostly self part. Especially times when I can just unroll the pad and set it out in some sunny spot. By the time the tarp and tent are up the pad is 90 perfect self inflated and I can finish it off with a couple puffs of air.

Even if I forget to make my bed I can inflate a pad while I am inside the tent. Assembling a cot inside a tent would make a wonderful video. I suggest this soundtrack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnHmskwqCCQ



I wonder if the cot parts float when they fall off a chickee?

A friend of mine have one and there is no small pieces to be lost and it takes less time to assemble than it will take to inflate a mattress.
And yes, in a regular tight, low to the ground, super light with tent, I don't think they have a place and also in the winter on snow, not a real option, but in a campfire tent or wall tent or even under a tarp it is awesome! I tried it for a night and I liked it.

 

[Guest]

in a campfire tent or wall tent or even under a tarp it is awesome! I tried it for a night and I liked it.

I can see the Baker tent or tarp use, to get up off the ground, although neither are my preferred bedroom solutions.

I know I would be stopping to read the instructions over and over the first dozen times I assembled one of those cots in camp. Gawd help me if I forgot to bring the assembly instructions, lest I end up with something resembling a tinker toy drawbridge.

I am an admitted simpleton. I do not like Some Assembly Required stuff. If there was a store aisle marked No Freaking Assembly Required I would shop there first.

Not just assembly required, anything designed overly complex with too many must follow sequenced steps.

Tents especially, but even the instruction manual for the simple AM FM CD audio system in my late model truck is half again as thick as the owners manual for the vehicle. I had to print out a large font cheat sheet to glace at while driving for the first 6 months just to switch between NPR and a CD.

I still routinely do that without meaning to. Every morning when I back up to exit the driveway turn around area I manage to accidentally brush the mode button on the steering wheel, and NPR becomes the Best of Jackson Browne. I hear 10 seconds of Jackson Browne almost every morning. That disk has been in for months now and I am still not at the end.

I know me. Keep it simple.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Me too. For some reason my truck alarm went off ( I never asked for a truck alarm!) when I used the valet key for something.. I don't remember what. Here I am reading the instruction book in the parking lot. Everyone looking at me. I drive off the alarm still going to go hide in the American Legion parking lot ( empty). The owners manual ( three of them) are no help.

I go on the internet ( maybe that phone is useful) to find any hints of disabling the alarm.. Says I should turn the truck off , go outside with key and lock it and unlock it. Does not mention dance around the truck three times..
I obey cause Internet advice is always good.. I have no other choice. I am not driving 12 miles with a shrieking alarm to bury it in the garage to saw the battery cable

Whew it works
If its mechanical or complicated, It will bite me.

Then there is Ikea... that is a horror story in itself.

 

[Odyssey]

Oh good, a vehicle doodads rant. Me too! Every time I change the oil I have to re-remember how to reset the oil change reminder on the dash. Now why didn't they include a "how to reset the oil change reminder" on the dash, instead of my having to sift through the Olde Family Automobile Bible filling the glove box. (And who puts gloves in the glove box?)

Over the years the evolution of children's' toy shopping has as much to do with me as the child in question. In The Beginning there was a dad who asked of his first born babe's gift "Will they like it?" Over time with children that changed to "How loud will it be?" and finally to "How many parts are there?" Mind you, simply making assembly "part of the fun" had its moments. Kept the kids busy all one Christmas morning trying to put together the ridiculous game of Mouse Trap. Why should cots be any different? I'd be inclined to suggest fellow cot campers assist in the bed construction puzzle. "Some assembly required". Ha! Define some.

ps It seems to me that if you can hang a hammock or pitch a tent, you could probably construct a cot.

 

[Guest]

That is a helluva wander from sleeping pads, but . . . .

Me too. For some reason my truck alarm went off ( I never asked for a truck alarm!) when I used the valet key for something.. I don't remember what. Here I am reading the instruction book in the parking lot. Everyone looking at me. I drive off the alarm still going to go hide in the American Legion parking lot ( empty). The owners manual ( three of them) are no help.

I did not know that our simple 2001 Ford E-150 van came with an alarm. Nor that it would shriek if I used the valet key. Fortunately that was at a little visited marsh launch. Unfortunately on a group trip, so everyone got to see me frantically jumping around shouting Oh crap how the heck do I stop this?

Oh good, a vehicle doodads rant.

Freaking vehicle doodads. I deliberately shopped for and bought the least optioned, least accessorized truck I could find, no GPSbluetoothtouchscreendriverlaneassistwarningbleepershit, and it is still more frou frou than I would like. Of course I am old school, and wish vent windows and cab rain gutters were still an option.

heck, I would take the AM FM from my 68 Chrysler Newport. Five radio station push buttons, each an index finger inch wide, kerplunk, kerplunk. Modern day push buttons designs, closely spaced and each the size of a mosquitoes dick, require too much eyes off the road to locate and precisely push.

I fear the next truck I might buy will want to drive itself. Although that might be nice for long cross country trips.

(And who puts gloves in the glove box?)

Good question. I do not like the loss of tactile sense when driving with gloves. None the less, in winter when the steering wheel is freezing and being steered pinched Fark that is cold between my fingertips, I use a pair of thin leather driving gloves. Laid on the passenger seat next to me.

OK, real world use Odyssey survey, what is in your glove box? Do tell.

 

[Odyssey]

OK, real world use Odyssey survey, what is in your glove box? Do tell.

mittens

 

[Odyssey]

No, actually the driver's handbook for all the how-to I could ever shake a stick at with this vehicle. And a photocopy of insurance. All articles of clothing are carefully strewn around the passenger seat, under the passenger seat, on the center console, under the center console... They'd be hats, toques, gloves and scarfs. 2 pairs of reading glasses are secreted away where I'll forget I stashed them, just when I need them most. One thing manufacturers have upped their game with, and that is pocketty places for every darned fidgety item you could remember to bring, and forget you ever owned it. I do tend to have spare tape measures and pencils around, and a headlamp too. Oh, and a power adapter for the numerous power ports vehicles are supplied with nowadays. That is for the air mattress in back, if and when it comes.

 

[yellowcanoe]

apologies for turning a padded mattress thread into a padded cell
MM decries the evolution of the tripping truck doo dads.. I am LOL.. This is hysterical in light of his wanting to fiddle with and outfit each boat in the shop.

My "glove" box has the three instruction manuals. The four inches of paperwork we signed when we got the truck in 2012. Registration for every year and insurance cards for every year. Almost Receipts for every oil change ( the truck has 140,000 miles on it)

Missing. registration and insurance card from current year.

 

[Iskweo]

Ahhhhhh....the first thing we tell new people in Winnipeg is NOT to leave anything in sight in your car or it will be broken into on the odd chance they can find some change or a half a smoke. Seriously. I put stuff in the trunk, otherwise try to keep it all clean.

 

[Odyssey]

Ah, no. That's the second thing you tell people new to The Peg. The first thing you tell them is "plug in your car." Ha. But you're right about valuables left in plain sight.

I still haven't dealt with the absence of a one way valve on my pads. I stubbornly refuse to blow them up unaided. One kids birthday party balloon workout was enough to teach me that lesson. And then there's the moisture issue; not sure how serious that is for air pads. Has anyone ever had problems with that? Is the warning "don't blow up air pads by breath or you'll start a science experiment in your pad" just a storm in a teacup?

 

[yellowcanoe]

Ah, no. That's the second thing you tell people new to The Peg. The first thing you tell them is "plug in your car." Ha. But you're right about valuables left in plain sight.

I still haven't dealt with the absence of a one way valve on my pads. I stubbornly refuse to blow them up unaided. One kids birthday party balloon workout was enough to teach me that lesson. And then there's the moisture issue; not sure how serious that is for air pads. Has anyone ever had problems with that? Is the warning "don't blow up air pads by breath or you'll start a science experiment in your pad" just a storm in a teacup?

It might be a storm with down insulation.. Otherwise I think its a tinkle with synthetic insulation.. My Expeds have exploded long before they became mold factories.

 

[Guest]

MM decries the evolution of the tripping truck doo dads.. I am LOL.. This is hysterical in light of his wanting to fiddle with and outfit each boat in the shop.

Hey, not just boat doo dads, I have fiddledee custom outfitted all three of my tripping trucks over the past 40 years.

I know from past experience exactly how, what and where I want things in the canoes and in the trucks, something a canoe designer or automotive engineer can not be expected to foresee for my peculiar preferences.

My "glove" box has the three instruction manuals. The four inches of paperwork we signed when we got the truck in 2012. Registration for every year and insurance cards for every year. Almost Receipts for every oil change ( the truck has 140,000 miles on it)

Oh gawd, my wife does that in her car. Every piece of paperwork the vehicle ever produced is stuffed into the glove box. Since we keep our vehicles for 200,000 plus miles her glove box is filled with paperwork. I know better than to ask Honey, do you really need this oil change receipt from 2009?

The glove box in the truck has the vehicle manual, I put the ridiculously thick audio manual in the file of truck info in my office file cabinet. Registration and insurance cards. Spare sunglasses.

Torx bit for tightening the Thule rack connections, hex bit for tightening the window frame screws on the cap, two things worth checking and tightening on a semi regular basis.

The glove box is relatively empty.

The truck has four built in storage areas, two under the back seats and two molded into the sides of the bed walls near the tailgate. Those are stuffed full, so much stuff that I keep an index list of what is stored where tucked under the visor, so I do not have to sort through four storage bins to find something.

Left rear seat. 12V float bag pump and adaptors, rope, padlock and cables
Right rear seat. Tire jack, Fix a Flat, tire patch kit, road flares, gloves
Left bed wall. Jumper cables, rags
Right bed wall. Towing cable, chain, red flags, more rags
And a bunch of roadside aid stuff in a plastic bin behind one seat. 12V tire pump, gauge, duct tape, hose clamps, coat hanger, bolt cutters, hacksaw, hatchet, folding saw and a laminated jack stand.

Fiddle dee dee, everything I might want, where and how I want it.

Back to sleeping pads

And then there's the moisture issue; not sure how serious that is for air pads. Has anyone ever had problems with that? Is the warning "don't blow up air pads by breath or you'll start a science experiment in your pad" just a storm in a teacup?

Breathing air into a down filled pad is likely a bad thing. Probably not good for foam filled pads either, if the grunge that develops inside floatation bag tubes is any indication.

None the less once the pad has largely self inflated a half lungful will top it off and I will live with that rather than carry some bellows or mini pump.

 

[Odyssey]

I've upgraded from self-inflating Thermarest to inflate necessary NeoAirs. No down inside, but still might become a fungi factory. I don't know.

 

[Alan Gage]

I've been happy with my Neo Trekker but I have nothing for comparison. I got the extra long and extra wide (25") version which I really like. Probably nearing 100 nights with no issues.

Too many stories about popped baffles scared me away from Exped, which is what I'd planned on getting. I googled "exped failure forum" and "thermarest failure forum." Lots of sad stories on various forums about Exped and virtually none for Thermarest.

Alan

 

[Odyssey]

Do you mind me asking how you inflate your Neo Alan? I'm serious. I'd hate to wreck two perfectly good pads just because I'm too lazy to MacGyver a connection. But I dislike too many gimmicky things on trips. (Says the guy who loves coffee pots.)

 

[Guest]

And then there's the moisture issue; not sure how serious that is for air pads. Has anyone ever had problems with that? Is the warning "don't blow up air pads by breath or you'll start a science experiment in your pad" just a storm in a teacup?

Brad, really good question. I have a really inadequate answer.

I still have all three of the failed Slumberjack pads. Slumberjack asked me cut off and mail back just the corner of the pad with the valve for return replacement authorization. Those cut up pads have continued to delaminate, so inspecting the foam core was easy.

There is no visible mold or bacterial growth on the foam at that cut off corner, and the foam nearest the valve would be the likeliest place to catch moisture and become a petri dish.

But none of Slumberjack those pads lasted more than a trip or two, and at best have a couple dozen nights sleep each. Slumberjack sleeping pads are now discontinued, junk best avoided.

If anyone does blow out a long used foam pad, one that was regularly topped off by mouth, I would be curious about what a padectomy might reveal.

One thing I am convinced that helps considerably with pad longevity is storing them with the valve open and the pad left unrolled flat and inflated. That has to help with moisture elimination, and with reduced foam compression for better, faster self inflation next trip.

A family four pack of unrolled sleeping pads does take up a lot of shelf space, but is worth it for the seeming pad longevity.

OK, five sleeping pads actually, the 3 inch thick LuxuryMap does not fit on the shelf and is stuffed under a bed frame.

 

[Alan Gage]

Do you mind me asking how you inflate your Neo Alan? I'm serious. I'd hate to wreck two perfectly good pads just because I'm too lazy to MacGyver a connection. But I dislike too many gimmicky things on trips. (Says the guy who loves coffee pots.)

I blow up by mouth only. The pad isn't self inflating so it's all air power. No idea if there's anything growing inside or not. I did some reading on the subject before ordering mine and didn't see anything to make me think it was a real issue. So far so good.

Alan

 

[Odyssey]

Interesting forensic hobby Mike, inspecting dead sleeping pads. Ew. But handy nevertheless! I always left our Thermarests self-inflate in the tent while doing other setup chores, giving them a last puff for firmness at bedtime. They lie under and behind our loveseat open valved and I presume aired out. Post-trip I leave them out in the open for a day or more to try to dry out the innards. I can only hope that works. These Thermarest NeoAirs might behave differently, I don't know. It sure will take a lot more puff to inflate, that's for sure. Having baffles rather than open cell foam might make drying out more difficult. We'll see. Hands up if you've ever had bronchitis!? If so, you'll know why I don't want to mess with this.

 

[yellowcanoe]

We store our air mattresses in the unheated barn draped over rafters
whatever grows cannot be too happy at below zero Fahrenheit.
They are stored with valve open. That precludes keeping the air in

let us see how I did with contraction /apostrophe avoidance