For a few years I had used a self-inflating sleeping mat when I was camping but not in the car. Gradually this was becoming less comfortable and I just wasn’t getting a decent night’s sleep. Camping with the car was easier as I could use an inflatable matress and could use a pump to blow it up.
So when I started bike touring I needed to find something in-between the discomfort of a self-inflating mat and the weight of a blow-up matress.
I found a few different brands advertised. All of them were equally expensive and there didn’t seem to be any which was reviewed as being outstanding over the others. I settled on the Sea-to-summit one as this was a brand I had experience with from using their cookwear.
Right from the first camping trip I was pleasantly surprised at just how comfortable it was. I was lucky I got the inflation just right and slept all night. The next time I had the mat a bit over-inflated and found myself rolling off a few times during the night. With experience I have learned that the best way to get it right is to fully inflate it then release some air when I’m lying on it. When it is right the four inch thickness is enough to keep my hip bones from feeling the ground and the insulation keeps me warm on cooler nights.
The mat is easy to inflate using the sac it comes in as an inflation device. A few blows into this when it is fitted to the mat and squeezing the air into the mat allows it to be inflated in seconds. I use it with a sea-to-summit aero pillow which attaches to the mat with velcro fastening and which stores away in the mat’s stuff-sac.
The small pack size is also a plus and means the mat takes up less space in my panniers than the self-inflating mat I used previously.
The price may be something which would put people off using one of these but for the comfort it gives, in my mind it is worth it.
Just Me - On my bike 