Closed cell foam mats?

[Dan_K]

Anyone here use a closed cell foam mat like the Multimat as part of their sleep system?

Just wondering really how they compare to self inflating mats in terms of warmth and ease of use.

I've always used self inflating mats or airbeds for general camping although I recall a couple of foam mats in the shed when I was a kid.....

They seem very light but I guess there's a trade off in terms of comfort.

[Tanglefist]

Yeah, I've got a couple. One of these in medium (I think); http://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/ ... m_mat.html

It's only 3/4 season. It's certainly not as comfortable as an airmat, but I personally don't find that to be too much of an issue normally. You can slice them up to eliminate redundancy, and no worries about a puncture.

The downside is the bulk. They're big compared to an airmat. They fit nicely along the folk, though.

[gairym]

I've just taken delivery of a Thermarest 'Ridgerest' thing which I'm planning on cutting down (to torso size) to use under my cheap Karrimor air-mattress which should give me a comfortable 4-season sleeping solution which only weighs about 600g in total.

The R rating of the Thermarest is 2.8 and the Karrimor 0.9 and so a total of 3.7 is respectable.

Sure, they're bulky but I plan on using the mat to line my backpack (with almost zero weight penalty) and so I'm not too worried about it.

Haven't used it in anger yet but it should do the job!

[Bearbonesnorm]

http://welshridething.blogspot.co.uk/20 ... mpact.html

[Dan_K]

http://welshridething.blogspot.co.uk/20 ... mpact.html

I should have known Stu would already have blogged about it!

Was thinking the same as Gairy as a lightweight booster for my Peak Elite.

Was looking at the Multimat site and they all seem very similar but with different marketing spiel.

Can any really truly be suitable for winter use on their own?

[99percentchimp]

Dan - I've been using a thin karrimat (was an old two layer 4 season one but it delaminated) - a few mm thick - goes under the groundsheet and then I use a NeoAir on top of that. Adds some warmth to the NeoAir definitely. Stops wear on the groundsheet and less chance of puncturing the NeoAir is also part of the thinking behind this.
EDIT: trimmed to a 'body' shape a bit like Stu's blog too.
Carry it under the Pocket straps (kind of folded rather than rolled) like this:

Dec Bivvy - Stanage Pole 2 by 99percentchimp
Have been thinking of a down filled mat but this seems to do nicely at present.

[Tanglefist]

Was looking at the Multimat site and they all seem very similar but with different marketing spiel.

Can any really truly be suitable for winter use on their own?

yeah, the summit is a 5-season; http://www.multimat.uk.com/store/products/summit-xl

Edging heavier (355g), but it's XL, so can be cut down. They were half price in millets in a few places (Bristol, Keswick, probably others) around the country a little while ago.

[Dan_K]

I'll keep my eyes peeled as they're so cheap it's worth a punt.
I've seen Karrimats for £10 in sports direct so unless I can find a Multimat for that much, i'll pick one up.

Anyone use one as a primary sleep mat?

[johnnystorm]

It's amusing to read this about foam mats, I last used one in about 1997 after borrowing a Thermarest. Since then both my foam mats have been used a bike padding when transporting them in the car or something to lie on in the garage. When working on the car, not because the wife has kicked me out I hasten to add. I never had a problem with temperature just discomfort when using foam mats.