by Richard Galochkin
If you’re a fan of camping (of course you are) then you know that it’s an unpredictable pastime. Warm sun, gentle breezes, bird song and sleeping under the stars breathing fresh air is the intent but not always the result. Equipment failure, cold ground, bugs and tempestuous weather are what we sometimes get. The only sure way to avoid the bad that sometimes comes in lieu of the good would be to stay home. But then, who would keep the tics, spiders, snakes and poison ivy company?
For some folks, that stuff is what turns a trip to the outdoors into something memorable worth talking about. These folks are happy as long as they aren’t eaten by a bear (mild mauling acceptable providing it contributes to a good after-story). They’re as content to eat grubs and roots as they would be to eat steak and potatoes; arguably happier, as the former menu option places them more in the experience. Of course, we’re not all masochists.
The polar opposite of the people who like a bit of dengue fever, F4 tornados, white-out blizzard conditions and one wet match and a roll of duct tape to get by on are the urban campers. These are the folks who include an RV in their camping supplies. Nothing says roughing it like a luxuriously appointed fiberglass shell traveling at an oh-so-green 12 miles per gallon from one destination to another in order to share the, um, wilderness experience with 40 strangers. The only things that can ruin the great outdoors experience for these folks is poor satellite TV reception and a shortage of hot, running water. Can you blame them? Who wants to miss an episode of Survivor or I’m a Celebrity, be Disgusted (name changed to more accurately reflect content)? After all, why immerse yourself fully in nature when the flat screen TV mounted on your camper’s wall can simulate the environment you’re currently parked in?
Now I’ve tried both approaches and found positives in each. Ultimately, neither monkish minimalism nor pampered excess fit my requirements perfectly. Like most campers, I suspect, I fall comfortably in the middle; not wanting to depend on rubbing two sticks together to keep from freezing to death nor depending on an RV’s surround sound system to lull me to sleep with the sounds of a nature-scape CD. A good, dry tent, warm sleeping bag and semi palatable food are generally the requirements.
The simple rule for middle-ground campers who don’t want to do one-on-one combat with the wild life or worry about where our travel-along masseuse will sleep is that, if we can carry it on our hike to our campsite, it’s fair game. Factors such as the distance we have to travel, our own stamina and the type of terrain we’ll be navigating tend set the limits of what we’ll bring along. But, even so, most of us have a couple “essential” items. I define these as luxuries we could do without but prefer not to. In my case, great food and great sleep are those items.
The good food part is actually easy to accomplish. I cheat. I always try to go camping with my buddy who happens to be a chef who missed his calling in life. This guy could turn week-old road-kill into something palatable if he set his mind to it. The second part, great sleep, requires me to actually haul something; an air mattress bed.
Now the spoiled side of me would be thrilled if I could have my Select Comfort air mattress air lifted to my chosen camping destination. I own one and I’m a big fan but that’s not exactly practical nor a middle-ground approach to camping. When I say air mattress bed, I mean a modern, compact, self-inflating camping air mattress.
Back in the day (yes, I’m old enough to say that) a cozy night sleeping on the ground meant a comfortable sleeping pad. It was neither cozy nor comfortable. At best, every sleeping pad I used kept the worst of the discomfort away but never failed to leave me with something poking me in the ribs or shoulders regardless how diligent I was in my ground clearing effort. We called them better-than-nothing pads. The first air mattresses for camping were little better but came with the bonus of being bulkier and prone to puncturing or deflating.
As it tends to do, technology moves forward and, today, we have modern air mattresses for camping that are light years ahead of those first efforts. Today’s air beds are made of astoundingly durable materials. Even better, they are almost entirely self-inflating, though I still add one or two lungs full of air to them for that extra plush feel. Despite the comfort they afford, these beds also compact down to as small a size as their foam counterparts. Perhaps most important, they are substantially more comfortable than foam models which can compress to virtual uselessness through the night which entirely defeats their purpose.
Even if you aren’t the complete roughing it type, there’s probably an air mattress out there that will suit your particular camping style. Do you park your pickup, pitch a custom tent designed to fit over the bed of the truck and sleep on the cold metal? There are custom air mattresses designed specifically for many model trucks and SUVs. In fact, if you do any kind of automotive camping entailing driving to a camp site, you can sleep in complete luxury as you won’t be limited by how much you can carry on your back. With the convenience of a cigarette lighter pump, you can be lounging on a six inch cushion of air like a spoiled princess in just minutes.
But there are always going to be those folks who frown on air mattresses. The hard men and women of the camping world would prefer to sleep, as nature intended, on the cold hard ground. They are welcome to it. In fact, they are welcome to go camping with me. Should some rabid critter attack in the middle of the night it will have two potential meals from which to choose; a spry and well-rested air mattress bed sleeper and a groggy, sore and slow-to respond tough guy/gal. Guess who wins in that equation. But, hey, they’ll have great scars to show off if they make it home to tell the story, right?
About the Author:
Richard is a contributing author to several camping and outdoors blogs including www.airmattressbedsguide.com, a blog devoted to
camping air mattresses and every-day-use
air mattresses.