What is your sleep setup?

[ny_rocking_chairs]

Our handy dandy air mattress of several years lasted us the week in Asheville then developed a slow leak our last night out this trip...

We were on a 3" memory foam on top of the stock mattress which wasn't comfy enough for the wife, so looking at getting a never-flat air mattress but curious what others are using?

Also initial searching shows the smallest never flat is still 18" high, which will fit but was hoping for something closer to 12" thick.

 

[kitphantom]

It really depends on you knowing what your sleeping requirements are. I do best on very firm, with a bit of softer on top.
We had 2" memory foam in our second pup, on top of the original mattress. WE had planned to use a Therm-a-rest mattress under the memory foam, if we had kept the pup. We weren't sure if we'd use the Therm-a-rests we already own, or go for one of the thicker camp models they have. For us, one of the nice things about the Therm-a-rest type mattresses is that they can be adjusted in firmness buy how much air is added. For the pup, we would have been able to deflate them to close up, which would have been an advantage with our small clearances.
In our TT, the original mattress was interesting, at best. We first tried 3" memory foam on top, but that didn't work. What did work for us was to go to the local foam and upholstery place and get a good 4" or so foam piece that is pretty firm. With the 3" memory foam on top it works very well. Good support underneath, enough flex in the memory foam to allow hips and shoulders to sink and keep the spine straight. I'd actually prefer 2" memory foam, but we have the 3" and DH is happy with it. (3" is more of a challenge for me to roll over on nights my back is bothering me and/or my joints are stiff. 2" is what we have on the bed at home)

 

[ny_rocking_chairs]

"My" sleeping requirements would be to take a hammock stand and rig up my camping hammock but the DW is the one who needs to be comfy and is not happy with the memory foam, to her credit she tried it for a few trips...she was fine on the air mattress this trip until it developed the leak...

 

[kitphantom]

We've done best in the campers when we've tried to imitate what works for us at home. One problem in the popups was the need to be able to close the roof over the mattress. We didn't have room to store foam toppers while folded up, so those had to stay on the bed, the bedding had to be removed. In our first & tiny one, we first used foam matting under the original (read deteriorating) foam. When we redid it, we bought good foam (same local supplier), then added 1" memory foam, which was all that would fit.
The thought of a hammock makes my bad back cringe.

 

[Bowman3d]

I answered air mattress. The DW prefers the air mattress I perfer the stock foam mattress. Have to keep her happy or she won't make me her awesome beef stew.

 

[94-D2]

I use both. Stock mattress with thermarest type underneath.

 

[Jenkamus]

We have the stock foam mattress and I added a 2" foam topper to it. DH says his hips were hitting the bottom still so I may look into (2) inflatable camp pads for under the mattress, i'm thinking of (2) separate ones so I don't feel him move around as much. I hate blow up mattresses because when he moves around it bounces me all over. I don't have room to add any more height to our bedding.

 

[D_Gibb]

We keep it simple. We bought some el cheapo king size sheets from Ollie's Good Stuff Cheap and sleep on the stock mattress. I would like to get the interlocking foam anti-fatigue squares and put them underneath, however.

The most pressing question is what orientation do you sleep in? Does your head face toward the pup or do your feet? Do you sleep sideways with your head at the door side or back side? My wife insists on sleeping sideways - head on the door side - and she ends up going to bed before me, taking the spot right on the edge interior to the PUP (so she can have her phone to read to fall asleep to). This means I need to climb over her and the dog in order to get situated. Also, when nature calls in the night (I get thirsty around a campfire; I hear that's common), I need to climb over her again, which wakes her up and ticks her off. I proposed sleeping head-first or feet-first rather than sideways, but she isn't having it.

Thoughts?

 

[kitphantom]

DH says his hips were hitting the bottom still so I may look into (2) inflatable camp pads for under the mattress, i'm thinking of (2) separate ones so I don't feel him move around as much. I hate blow up mattresses because when he moves around it bounces me all over.

I haven't liked blow up mattresses when used inside (never tried them camping), because they are cold unless the weather is warm or there's enough extra bedding underneath me. When my husband and I both tried to sleep on one, it was not exactly restful, due to motion transfer. [We bought one, to visit friends in Arizona, since they suggested the higher air mattress might be better in scorpion country. After one of them was stung by a scorpion in their even higher bed, we went back to the Therm-a-rests, and just looked carefully when we went to bed. I know how to capture and dispose of scorpions now.]
With the Therm-a-rest types, there is foam to help the insulator value, and as long as they aren't inflated drum-tight, they have a bit of motion dampening. Using two worked well for us, for that separation, and so that we could each adjust ours to what we needed.

 

[Boatnman]

We use the stock mattress, but we also put interlocking rubber flooring squares under the mattress. The add a layer of "give" under the mattress rather than the hard OSB.

 

[generok]

I sleep on the stock mattress, but the DW prefers to use a cheap foam topper we got at Wally World. We have to remove it each time, we have a tight roof and cannot leave ANYTHING on the beds or we can't get the latches to grab.

 

[Tracy D.]

DH loves an air mattress, but it is SO LOUD!! It sounds like a thunderstorm everytime he turns over. (From the mattress I swear.....!)

 

[JPBar]

2 inch memory foam. I have to remove from bunk each time I close it up, but worth every inch of it

 

[Sneezer]

Stock mattress with 2.5" foam topper (not memory foam) along with interlocking foam anti fatigue mats from Costco. Regular sheets and a Star Wars quilt, or a thicker space turned quilt for colder trips.

I sleep sideways. Usually just me in the bunk so I get to spread out. Great on cold nights as I can have just one side of the heated mattress pad running and if I get too warm I just roll over to the cold spot.

 

[jmkay1]

For me and my little sidekick stock mattresses are almost good enough. I did have to add a closed cell foam camping pad under the mattress. Then again, Im still used to sleeping on the ground so any mattress is better. When my mom comes I may have to add something else to it. I have a king size mattress so sleep in a feet in head out position. When I use my phone/tablet to sleep I prop the tablet up on my clothes roll beside the pillow leaning against the canvas as long as it isn't raining. I might make a tiny shelf or caddy to hold the tablet up so it's not leaning against the canvas or getting my clothes damp.

 

[upstate family]

I went for layers. First the interlocking foam tiles. then stock mattress, then memory foam and finally an egg crate topper. Very comfy. Husband still bottoms out but he is quite overweight. Anyone that has slept in our pup loves our beds.

 

[tfischer]

Stock mattresses, with the addition this year of anti-fatigue puzzle squares underneath.

 

[ny_rocking_chairs]

Thanks, the front of our PUP was more difficult to latch than the rear with the memory foam topper on the front bunk, but it was close-able, but if we drove in the rain the front cushions usually got wet because of the gap created between the roof and the front of the base.

After moving the memory foam to the rear bunk everything closes up so much nicer and we ended up ordering one of the never-flat air mattresses, of course if we are ever without power we will only be able to inflate it and not have the secondary pump running (have an Inverter in the van to do the initial inflation).

Though last trip the 6' folding table was stored on that back bunk and now pretty sure the camper will not close with both the memory foam and the table there so have to figure something else out (again), like a never ending game of tetris...