NeoAir

So, we have a strict rule at our house:  We can only add one piece of major equipment to our camping horde per year. (My wife rolled her eyes when I said "strict"--but if she only knew ALL the stuff I DIDN'T buy because of this rule!)

So, this summer we decided to buy news beds for Sarah and me--the adults in the family.  We had been sleeping on a queen-sized blow up mattress, but the last mattress was stomped to death by my children and their cousins during  unauthorized bounce-house sleep over game.

I was fairly horrified at throwing all the vinyl from the mattress into a landfill, so I kept it to use as a paint throw, or something, and so for the sake of sustainable living and some reasons stated below, I decided NOT to buy another box-store big blow up air mattress. 

I really wanted to buy one of those self-inflating style of matresses that combine both air chambers and foam, thus adding BOTH warmth and buoyancy. I particularly liked the Thermarest line because it is made in the US and they have been around for a long time--lots of time to get out the kinks. I car camp with kids, so I could go larger and heavier equipment wize, so eventually I decided on the sizable XL Thermarest NeoAir Dream.

One issue I wanted to correct by switching from the boxy air mattress to the Neo Air, is creating warmth below me.  We camp in Wisconsin and Michigan, so nights can get down to the 50's and even 30's (early in the summer), and I found the typical box store air mattresses had such huge air masses below them that the air below would quickly match the air temperature, and eventually it felt like sleeping on a giant, flabby ice cube, inevitably keeping me from sleeping deeply.  One thing I like about the Neo Air (and other mattresses that combine both air and foam) is that it creates actual heat RETURN through combining cushioning and heat reflective material in the actual air chamber fabric. See below to get the idea:

The soft red top you see doesn't hurt either. The result is that the mattress actually cuddles you into a rather soothing warmth. I was able to sleep much more deeply, and I always awoke with my body and muscles feeling limber, and refreshed, rather than stiff and cold. The warmth isn't TOO extreme, I did have one particularly damp night in Michigan where despite having the Neo Air I was chilly, but the next night I actually zipped my sleeping bag up and was back to being comfy.  So, for temperatures and normal conditions down to 50 degrees or so, the neo and a good blanket perform nicely.

So, the Neo air is warm, plenty supportive (you will NEVER feel the ground even if you are a big person).  The only two downsides are that it is not self-inflating, and it now takes about 15 - 20 minutes to set up the mattresses. Looking back, I might have looked more closely at self-inflating mattresses that are just are as warm and the Dream. Also, it takes a bit of time to empty the air to roll it up correctly. Also, we have to store them OUT of the bag in a dry place so that the cushioning doesn't compress.  And, the Neo is pricey (about $180).  Again for ease of use, I might have actually gone for another Thermarest model that was easier to allow to fill and store.

Addendum:  I just spend the US holiday called Thanksgiving sick and in bed--but not my bed.  We were visiting our relatives and I brought one of the Neo Airs to sleep on.  I spent about 24 hours off and on sleeping on it, and I have to say it performed amazingly.  Too soft or too hard and I would have gotten a lower back ache--but the smaller air chambers do a great job creating complete support.  I was even able to put some couch-sized pillows underneath the end with my head so I could sleep on it like a hospital bed.  Glad to say I am feeling better, but again, pretty amazing that a packable air mattress could do so well for a day-and-a-half lay in.

Adding Cots: Adding cots was the smartest thing we have ever done camping wise. With our pads elevated we can easily store TONS of baggage underneath and since we camp with six kids--coincidentally, we have a butt load of stuff, and yet with the cots we could still take more.  You will note the picture above where we have a pac-n-play pen for the 1 year old; a blow up mattress for the 4 and 6 year old in the back and we roll out a mat for the 8 year old between us at night.  COTS ARE GREAT!  They totally make storage easy, and as you get older it is SO much easier to get out of bed, and you feel drier being off the ground. It's great to be able to walk down the middle aisle, dress in the aisle. We bought slumberjack tough cots, because of the lack of PCV's used in making them (so no vapors).  I did want to go with Roll a cot, because it is made in the US, but Roll-a-cot (at least at the time) actually uses PCV in its material.