Steve and Karen
Ranger
Well... it's taken several dozen nights of trial and error with the Camp-Inn mattress (flipped it, soft side, hard side, memory foam topper, bamboo topper) but I can't seem to dial it in for any degree of comfort. With an 11-day trip looming, culminating in the Camp-Outt next week I needed something different; I just pulled the pin on a pair of air mattresses for a test run.
The challenge was to fill both the mattress cover and mattress space as efficiently as the OEM for our 960. The mattress space is 77 X 55; so... a few inches short of a "Queen" in both dimensions and not that easy to replicate. And if you are able to match the size, but go much thicker than the OEM 4", you risk jamming your feet under the storage cupboards.
I dispensed with the idea of trying to find another foam mattress, though there are companies who will do a custom mattress for you, for a price, as there's no guarantee that it will be more comfortable, or perform any better or differently than CI's.
I've always had decent comfort in the back-country with 2.5" thick air mattresses, but these are ultralight designs not meant for RV use. However, I discovered that there's lots of 4" thick self-inflating air mattresses available, made by the very same companies (Thermarest, Nemo, Exped, REI), but intended primarily for front-country, base-camp, or car-camping purposes.. Which is why they really weren't on my radar before. These are foam-filled, and have very good insulating properties to boot.
At first blush, many of them seemed to fit the bill, but upon closer inspection they vary maddenly between them in width and length. Longer than 77" and you're cramming it in to the space, and it doesn't lie flat, and buckles, or it interferes with the 560 bench operation. Too short or narrow and it's a sloppy fit and the pads will slide and separate and leave a gap. On top of that, Karen and I have different ideas of proper firmness, so a double-wide, even if we could find the right size, would be a single firmness compromise.
The solution (I hope) is a Thermarest MondoKing 3D Large
https://www.thermarest.com/ca/sleep...king-3d/mondoking-3d.html?srd=true&lang=en_CA,
combined with a MEC Reactor 10
MEC Reactor 10 Sleeping Pad - Unisex
Together they fit neatly inside the Camp-Inn mattress cover and are exactly 77" X 55" when combined. We can now dial in the firmness we each desire. And because there is effectively a "hinge', accessing the storage bins underneath is a lot easier than hefting the stiff and heavy CI foam. Because they are double-water-proofed (their inherent design, plus the CI mattress cover) there is nothing to absorb water from pooled condensation, a leak, or a spill.
Some may be leery of air and punctures, but the CI mattress cover is fairly robust. and good protection for them And there is little that a small patch and lots of Shoo Goo can't fix.
If I'm walking funny at the Camp-Outt you will know that this experiment will have been less than successful, and I'll be on the hunt again.
Throwing it out there for those of you who can't make the CI offering work for you, or who need a 2-person, 2-firmness solution.
Steve
The challenge was to fill both the mattress cover and mattress space as efficiently as the OEM for our 960. The mattress space is 77 X 55; so... a few inches short of a "Queen" in both dimensions and not that easy to replicate. And if you are able to match the size, but go much thicker than the OEM 4", you risk jamming your feet under the storage cupboards.
I dispensed with the idea of trying to find another foam mattress, though there are companies who will do a custom mattress for you, for a price, as there's no guarantee that it will be more comfortable, or perform any better or differently than CI's.
I've always had decent comfort in the back-country with 2.5" thick air mattresses, but these are ultralight designs not meant for RV use. However, I discovered that there's lots of 4" thick self-inflating air mattresses available, made by the very same companies (Thermarest, Nemo, Exped, REI), but intended primarily for front-country, base-camp, or car-camping purposes.. Which is why they really weren't on my radar before. These are foam-filled, and have very good insulating properties to boot.
At first blush, many of them seemed to fit the bill, but upon closer inspection they vary maddenly between them in width and length. Longer than 77" and you're cramming it in to the space, and it doesn't lie flat, and buckles, or it interferes with the 560 bench operation. Too short or narrow and it's a sloppy fit and the pads will slide and separate and leave a gap. On top of that, Karen and I have different ideas of proper firmness, so a double-wide, even if we could find the right size, would be a single firmness compromise.
The solution (I hope) is a Thermarest MondoKing 3D Large
https://www.thermarest.com/ca/sleep...king-3d/mondoking-3d.html?srd=true&lang=en_CA,
combined with a MEC Reactor 10
MEC Reactor 10 Sleeping Pad - Unisex
Together they fit neatly inside the Camp-Inn mattress cover and are exactly 77" X 55" when combined. We can now dial in the firmness we each desire. And because there is effectively a "hinge', accessing the storage bins underneath is a lot easier than hefting the stiff and heavy CI foam. Because they are double-water-proofed (their inherent design, plus the CI mattress cover) there is nothing to absorb water from pooled condensation, a leak, or a spill.
Some may be leery of air and punctures, but the CI mattress cover is fairly robust. and good protection for them And there is little that a small patch and lots of Shoo Goo can't fix.
If I'm walking funny at the Camp-Outt you will know that this experiment will have been less than successful, and I'll be on the hunt again.
Throwing it out there for those of you who can't make the CI offering work for you, or who need a 2-person, 2-firmness solution.
Steve
