Cot, Sleeping bag or air mattress?

[remi]

Futon mattress on a homemade frame so that it's elevated off the ground so I can use room under the bed for storage.

[Aurelia]

Having tried it every which way;
often simply in the dust when the airbed failed and/or the storms took over
and/or the rv was full of issue ridden folks

Now it is definite ;
my own tent
my own perfect REI cot which I take everywhere
my own expedition level bag which I leave open if it's hot

until it changes again of course.

xoA.

[pretty_monster]

Ive used an air mattress and been very cold on it. In my experience you need as much blankets under you to insulate yourself from the heat robbing nature of air mattresses as you do over you to keep yourself properly warm through the night. Bring lots of blankets. Not having enough is a big deal. Too many not so much.

100% agreed on this, woke up shivering uncontrollably my first night ever on the playa. Sleeping on top of a unzipped sleeping bag, or even better one of those thin memory foam toppers, helps a lot.

i got a thermal barrier to put under my air mattress. it helped TREMENDOUSLY. it's compact, too. i can fit my whole bedding set up into a single large plastic tote.

this thing: http://www.amazon.com/Thermal-Camping-R ... arrier+pad

[StretchGSK]

I am surprised no one has mentioned it yet, but inflatable mattresses can get a leak/puncture.
Mine was on its second Burn and well looked after but last year we woke up sleeping on the hard cold ground and it was a horrible couple of nights before the Playa provided something for us to sleep on.

Not being negative, just keep it in mind.

I am looking at plan B now as i wont risk an air mattress again.

[Aurelia]

Yes
More than one year
the bigger the mattress/airbed
the harder the fall

now have the REI cot/ expedition mattress
all perfect
and no tx

the harder I fall indeed

xoA.

[danibel]

I vote twin size futon or one or two of those foam things from Fred Meyer. The last ones I bought were only $20. About 5 inches high and perfect for one. Double up if you like it soft.

Air mattresses leak! Especially if you have sex on them. No sex for a week makes Dani a grumpy gal, so no air mattresses for me!

[Elorrum]

Ive used an air mattress and been very cold on it. In my experience you need as much blankets under you to insulate yourself from the heat robbing nature of air mattresses as you do over you to keep yourself properly warm through the night. Bring lots of blankets. Not having enough is a big deal. Too many not so much.

100% agreed on this, woke up shivering uncontrollably my first night ever on the playa. Sleeping on top of a unzipped sleeping bag, or even better one of those thin memory foam toppers, helps a lot.

i got a thermal barrier to put under my air mattress. it helped TREMENDOUSLY. it's compact, too. i can fit my whole bedding set up into a single large plastic tote.

this thing: http://www.amazon.com/Thermal-Camping-R ... arrier+pad

I use a cheap windshield reflector I got at the dollar store when I camp in really cold weather, under a thermarest, on top of a cot. I haven't used it at Burning man, but it's always in the car.

[jeanerz66]

Coming in a bit late to this conversation, and I've seen mention of the air mattress. Does anyone advise against a real mattress? I only ask because I happen to have an extra one (full) at home that's going to be kicked to the curb soon -- maybe it can find a new purpose as a playa bed? I haven't seen mention of real mattresses yet and wondered if there was a reason.

It may ultimately become a moot point if we end up not having the space for it, but if we do, is it a bad idea? I don't care if it gets dusty/ruined.

[Eric]

I haven't seen mention of real mattresses yet and wondered if there was a reason.

Plenty of people sleep on real mattresses - in RVs, in the back of cargo vans, in converted buses. The only issue would be if you were tent camping & had to move the damn thing around! If you have a vehicle that you're sleeping in, go for it - it'll be a lot more comfortable than most other options (just dispose of it properly after the event)

[Oldguy]

I tow a small trailer and carry a rolled up futon and a rolled up 4 inch foam mattress. I like to sleep in my bed, not on it. I have tried bare ground, mummy bags, cots, hammocks, and piles of pillows and blankets. If I could haul a king size mattress, I would. If I borrow a pickup truck, I might put a daybed, or twin in the truck BED. Or not.

[NOLAphile]

My partner and I each have a cot. We place them side by side and use a fitted sheet to kind of bind them together into a full size cot. Then we top them with sleeping bags, and top the sleeping bags with blankets/sheets. When we leave the tent, we cover the cots with a plastic dropcloth to decrease the amount of dust. Works for us, though it does limit cuddling because we can't be in the middle. Cots are easy to keep clean, easy to dust off, and no air pump is needed. We also each keep two extra pilow cases inside our pillow and as ours gets dusty, we just swap them out during the week.

Cheers.

[Aurelia]

You got it !

best way to stay..better than all the rv tried times

now I even use my cot ..in fact insist whenever there is a trip

xoA.

[DoctorIknow]

One of the thousands of non-green aspects of BM is to have more stuff.

This is a good one: a cot organizer.

Glasses, flashlight, mouth guard for TMJ, wetwipes, book, WhatWhereWhen, notepad, iGizmo, lotions, spritz bottle, water bottle, Advil, Aderall , , yeah, all that stuff on the floor is so annoying. I actually use the organizer as the permanent location for some small things that always get misplaced.

cot organizer.JPG

[Roundabout]

This is a good one: a cot organizer.

cot organizer.JPG

I use a cot too. This organizer looks great. Where did you get it?

[DoctorIknow]

I use a cot too. This organizer looks great. Where did you get it?

Let me Google that for you

[chuckularone]

Air mattresses leak! Especially if you have sex on them.

I beg to differ, but I also brought a patch kit just in case!
I can't sleep on a cot. Too narrow and I have yet to find one even remotely comfortable.
A hammock would be perfect except for the severe lack of trees.

[Elderberry]

Air mattresses leak! Especially if you have sex on them.

I beg to differ, but I also brought a patch kit just in case!
I can't sleep on a cot. Too narrow and I have yet to find one even remotely comfortable.
A hammock would be perfect except for the severe lack of trees.

The lack of trees shouldn't be a problem: http://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoors-Pat ... 5yc1vZbxb8

[Aurelia]

Until I went to REI and bought the best cot
I agreed with what you said

xoA.