Sleeping Mats

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Information

For sleeping in comfort, mats are a must. The purpose they serve is really two-fold: firstly they provide a degree of comfort by softening and reducing the irregularity of the sleeping surface, but secondly and more importantly they provide a thermal protective barrier between the cold ground and warm sleeping body, thus reducing heat loss to the underlying surface.

Or, for something different, have a hammock. We also have small, bum-sized mats for sitting on in the Accessories section.

There are two basic mat types:

Closed cell foam (traditionally Karrimat) mats. These are the old style of foam mat that are inexpensive, lightweight and efficient but bulky. There are a variety of weights available from summer camping through to expedition weight, and our plain foam mats come from Beacons Leisure of Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. We also stock the popular folding Z-Rest and Ridge Rest from Thermarest. These use an eggbox shaped foam sheet for even lighter weight and more comfort.

For the weight and bulk obsessed, it is possible to cut closed cell foam mats to fit your needs for sleeping and easy carriage down the back of your rucksack or rolled at the side. Or you could just use a Thermarest NeoAir mat!

Inflatable mats These are made of a sealed fabric envelope that has a thin layer of foam, or in the case of the Synmat, warm synthetic fill, inside. Into this envelope you blow air to inflate the mat further, or sometimes the foam will inflate the mat itself, as with most Thermarests. The fact that these mats use minimal fill allows them to be rolled up much smaller than conventional foam ones, although they may be a little heavier. The advantages here are that they don't need to be strapped onto the outside of the rucksack where they can get wet or damaged or be cumbersome (Chris once had a nasty incident by getting trapped facing out through a cablecar door, held only by his mat on one side and a loaf of Swiss bread on the other). Inflatable mats provide a higher level of comfort than foam mats and insulate the user better against chilling from the ground up. The best known of these types of mat are made by Thermarest and they are well proven by thousands of users all over the world, in all conditions.

Most of our inflating mats come from Thermarest. We have selected from the Lite range, which are a thick foam throughout, and Prolite range, whose foam has a pattern of sections cut out to reduce weight and bulk. The numbers 3 and 4 to indicate seasons. Extra long, short (3 quarter length or children's) and women's versions are available. The women's aren't just smaller, they also have additional design features such as padding around the hips for greater comfort. We also keep the excellent self-inflating SIM Lite 2.5 SL from Exped.

The premium sleeping mat from Thermarest is the much thicker NeoAir mat. This is a huge step forward in inflatable mat technology. It is lighter, more compact and more stable than conventional air mats, offering an incredibly comfortable sleep for 410g. Up and Under staff have tested it and were very impressed indeed.

For even greater warmth, the Exped Synmat range provide a little bit of luxury in the wilderness, at a surprisingly low pack weight and bulk. The synthetic fill inside is a very effective insulator, and for very cold conditions (down to -17C), these are the best option around. They are also great for extra comfort, without having to carry a traditional air mattress. There is an integral and very clever hand pump. Our staff have carried them up mountains and on long distance footpaths- any fool can rough it!