I have the fabric and balloons, and with the help of my eager 6 year old I now have two balloon dogs and a giraffe!

does anyone know a reliable way to clamp the balloons for repeat use?

IIRC ballon beds were supplied with a safety pin to deflate the original bed so I'm guessing the balloons weren't meant to be re-usable.
Hence the bags of latex balloons they supply on their site.

I will be taking them for a few nights and there will be 3 of us with balloon beds, just wondered as we will get through quite a few balloons - not a problem to carry but fear leaving a trail of balloon giraffes across the isle of man

i've not tried it but i reckon the cereal bag type clips might work? but they'll be heavier than extra baloons.

search twixit

3 balloon beds over a few nights? Be aware the novelty will wear off quite quickly!

Balloon beds are fantastic for their intended purpose, anything longer than a couple of nights they become a PITA!

If you can, keep the fabric dry. Once wet getting the ballons in is very difficult as the materials clings.

Qualatex balloons can be bought from magic/joke shops a lot cheaper than the official site.

The biggest issue I have with a balloon bed is tying the balloons, when I want to get into bed I don't want the hassle.

didnothingfatal wrote:The biggest issue I have with a balloon bed is tying the balloons, when I want to get into bed I don't want the hassle.

I had exactly this issue at the infamous Leyburn Polaris of several years ago - gale force winds, lashing rain, reasonable risk of hyperthermia etc - took me a full half hour to inflate and tie off all my balloons with freezing cold hands. Worth practicing your knotting technique.

or getting something else :)

Once the balloons have been inflated then they change shape on reinflation becoming all irregular and lumpy and impossible to fit in the sleeves. That's why you always need a few spares when you're 'priming' the contraption 'cos a couple of balloons are bound to deflate whilst you're distracted by campfire conversation or a pan of water that's just come to the boil, etc.

On last year's WRT I found inflating the balloons at 11pm a bit of a pain. All my fellow campers were already snoring away on their Neorests whilst I was still only grappling with the second balloon.

Balloon beds are comfy but, IMHO, are best for ultra lightweight excursions like mountain marathons, etc. Or as an extra level of insulation in sub-zero excursions. If you're carrying your gear on a bike then an extra few hundred grammes of self-inflating mat is well worth it for the convenience.

The problems i have which is a tricky one is that there are three of us - two of which are small so limited by what they can carry. i have previously used a trailer on all trips, but this time hoped to get the weight down so they could carry their own sleeping gear and a few other bits and bobs. And the other is the budget doesn't stretch to a quick trip to kit all three of us out with lightweight gucci gear - as lovely as that would be.

They are very up for the idea, and quite used to camping having done it since they were babies. i have made their beds from slightly tougher material - they have been leaping on it and we haven't lost any balloons yet.

I appreciate it will be a bit of a fiddly task, but i can blow the ballons up quickly as they fit nicely on my pump and the boys can be in charge of putting them in the beds. hopefully it would be too nippy in April! and we will try and keep them dry - as that does sound like it would be a pain if the mat were damp.

The damp fabric problem, should it occur, can be dealt with by stuffing the un-inflated balloon into the compartment first and then inflating it.

Guess that would also solve the re-inflation problem of lumpiness too.

hours of fun with balloons, bed by me - giraffe by my 6 yr old

Made with Qualatex balloons which seem good quality and cheap in big bags.

I'm waiting for the first request for you to build one for somebody on here. :D
Looks great, well done wench.

That looks great! (Even better than a real baloonbed)

What material did you use for it?

The fabric was some cheap nylon stuff off ebay, not as light as I hoped but luckily not super slippery. Has the finish of my old thermarest so the sleeping bags have a chance of staying put. Go enough for 3 bed for £8 so a bargain. Will weigh it later.

Would love to go into production but two jobs and loads of kids and a bike to ride means time is precious