Coyote Chris
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"If you dont think a good air bed will make your camping trip better, sleep on the ground." Abraham Lincoln
Sleeping mattress comparo
Intex Walmart Twin size felt covered . 8 inches , 6-7 lbs. $8-$25
Nemo Cosmo 30 XL insulated. 3.5 inches, 2 lb 11 oz. 25-35 F. $150
Exped Megamat lite 12 LXW, 5 inches, 3 lb. 6 oz -5F, $250
Cheep 2 lb last century airmattress. In pic.
I have been using the Intex for many years now and have been very happy with it. It does have a few issues. No insulation, its heavy, and on a cold morning, its hard to roll up. Still, for the price, I got no complaints. My current one has lasted 50 nights plus with no leaks.
But I decided to try the Nemo Cosmo 30 XL insulated in my quest to dump size and weight and have been very impressed with it. (The Nemo Nomad XL, 6 in. is very comparable to the Exped in size and weight and pack size and can be found on sale for $150.) While only 3.5 inches thick, The Cosmo feels just fine and it doesn’t give you the unstable feeling that the Intex and Exped gives you. Roll instability. If you sleep on your side, and roll a bit one way or another, you will continue to roll a bit with the Intex and Exped. Not a problem with the Nemo design. If you let some air out of the Intex and Exped, it helps this a bunch. Check out the baffle directions on all three bags. This roll effect is given different names by different folks but try both matteresses side by side like I just did and it will hit you like a ton of bricks. The on board pump/pillow probably works but I always use li-ion air pumps. Very light and powerful, they last for a long time on one charge. Nemo gives you a repair kit, BTW.
The Exped Megamat 12 LXW 5 in. thick insulated 3 lb mattress is the most expensive. I did not try out the bag filler but I am sure it works. Watch the Youtube. The insulation feels substantial. Laying on this is about the same experience as the Intex. This mattress carrys a 2-5 year warrenty.. The Nemo is a lifetime warrenty.
I will sleep in this pad in two weeks at Oshkosh but I bet it does fine. Not a lot to choose from between the Nemo and the Exped. Nemo is more comfortable as far as stability and packs smaller. Exped is deeper and might have a small edge on insulation, although the specs rate them about equal.
All three pads have fast empty options along with slow release for fine tuning.
If I didn’t camp 30 + days a year and I was on a budget, I wouldn’t hesitate to get an Intex. It does pack a bit larger but not much and it is 3 lbs heavier. Its also cheeper than dirt and if you have a bad accident with it, you put it in the dumpster.
The Nemo Nomad, insulated at $ 179-$230 may be the best of all worlds. 6 inches thick, about the size of the Exped.
(Warning: If you go to the Nemo website, it looks like the Cosmo design has been changed and the price has increased. Outdoor manufactures do this so you might find the old and new designs out there,as well as their prices, Also make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Insulation means fibers in the mattress. And you pay for the ability to sleep in 20 degree colder weather. )
Notes: There is a whale of a lot of difference between car camping and bike camping. When I car camp, I put an old blanket over the air bed and maybe another over the sleeping bag if its cold. Its easy to carry those. Hard to carry blankets on a bike. Also, in a car, its easy to carry a cheep air mattress for a spare. Its easy to poke a hole in an airbed if you are not careful. Explore quick and easy repair kits. Like a glue stick and a bic. The 5 second repair works! I have done it.
I don’t put much stock in insulation values. The main thing is these mattresses have it or they don’t.
Sleeping mattress comparo
Intex Walmart Twin size felt covered . 8 inches , 6-7 lbs. $8-$25
Nemo Cosmo 30 XL insulated. 3.5 inches, 2 lb 11 oz. 25-35 F. $150
Exped Megamat lite 12 LXW, 5 inches, 3 lb. 6 oz -5F, $250
Cheep 2 lb last century airmattress. In pic.
I have been using the Intex for many years now and have been very happy with it. It does have a few issues. No insulation, its heavy, and on a cold morning, its hard to roll up. Still, for the price, I got no complaints. My current one has lasted 50 nights plus with no leaks.
But I decided to try the Nemo Cosmo 30 XL insulated in my quest to dump size and weight and have been very impressed with it. (The Nemo Nomad XL, 6 in. is very comparable to the Exped in size and weight and pack size and can be found on sale for $150.) While only 3.5 inches thick, The Cosmo feels just fine and it doesn’t give you the unstable feeling that the Intex and Exped gives you. Roll instability. If you sleep on your side, and roll a bit one way or another, you will continue to roll a bit with the Intex and Exped. Not a problem with the Nemo design. If you let some air out of the Intex and Exped, it helps this a bunch. Check out the baffle directions on all three bags. This roll effect is given different names by different folks but try both matteresses side by side like I just did and it will hit you like a ton of bricks. The on board pump/pillow probably works but I always use li-ion air pumps. Very light and powerful, they last for a long time on one charge. Nemo gives you a repair kit, BTW.
The Exped Megamat 12 LXW 5 in. thick insulated 3 lb mattress is the most expensive. I did not try out the bag filler but I am sure it works. Watch the Youtube. The insulation feels substantial. Laying on this is about the same experience as the Intex. This mattress carrys a 2-5 year warrenty.. The Nemo is a lifetime warrenty.
I will sleep in this pad in two weeks at Oshkosh but I bet it does fine. Not a lot to choose from between the Nemo and the Exped. Nemo is more comfortable as far as stability and packs smaller. Exped is deeper and might have a small edge on insulation, although the specs rate them about equal.
All three pads have fast empty options along with slow release for fine tuning.
If I didn’t camp 30 + days a year and I was on a budget, I wouldn’t hesitate to get an Intex. It does pack a bit larger but not much and it is 3 lbs heavier. Its also cheeper than dirt and if you have a bad accident with it, you put it in the dumpster.
The Nemo Nomad, insulated at $ 179-$230 may be the best of all worlds. 6 inches thick, about the size of the Exped.
(Warning: If you go to the Nemo website, it looks like the Cosmo design has been changed and the price has increased. Outdoor manufactures do this so you might find the old and new designs out there,as well as their prices, Also make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Insulation means fibers in the mattress. And you pay for the ability to sleep in 20 degree colder weather. )
Notes: There is a whale of a lot of difference between car camping and bike camping. When I car camp, I put an old blanket over the air bed and maybe another over the sleeping bag if its cold. Its easy to carry those. Hard to carry blankets on a bike. Also, in a car, its easy to carry a cheep air mattress for a spare. Its easy to poke a hole in an airbed if you are not careful. Explore quick and easy repair kits. Like a glue stick and a bic. The 5 second repair works! I have done it.
I don’t put much stock in insulation values. The main thing is these mattresses have it or they don’t.
I carry two of them in all my vehicles first aid kits...
After almost 50 years it's getting a bit thread bare but it will probably out last me...
