Sleeping kit is one of the most important components of your outdoor equipment, as getting a good night’s rest is essential for your performance in outdoor activities. It is vital to choose the right sleeping system, be that a sleeping bag, a cot, an inflatable mattress or a foam mat, to meet the conditions you expect to face. A camp cot, rather than a mat, is the best option for a base camp area or a camping holiday where you don’t have to carry all your kit. For expeditions in more austere areas where you do, an inflatable mat works best. Foam mats won’t puncture and modern mats can be folded down to a small size but are not as compact as an inflatable mat. Here are three of the camp beds I’ve found most effective. The Thermarest Ultralite Cot is really a bed in a bag that you can carry anywhere. At 1.25kg (2 ¾ lb) it is lighter than many sleeping bags and its packed size is comparable to a three-quarter-length inflatable mattress. It is formed from an ingenious system of leg pieces that are fixed using lightweight poles in a “bowed frame” construction.
It is extremely sturdy and will load to almost 150kg (23st). It is much less bulky than the Helinox (see below) and if you weigh less than 80kg (12 ½ st) you can reduce the leg components to cut the weight to less than 1kg. When I tested on uneven ground, it worked better than the Helinox, providing an even sleeping platform. I carried the cot over a long distance and found it a worthwhile piece of extra kit for wild camping. However, the Helinox is more comfortable and a bit larger, so more suitable for the bigger-framed person. In all other areas, the Ultralite Cot excelled. Verdict (out of 5) Weight 5 Size 5 Comfort 4 Ease of use 4 Overall 5 Light and small enough to be carried as an alternative to a roll mat or an inflatable bed, this top-quality piece of kit gets my vote for almost any type of environment. This is a truly awesome piece of kit, as comfortable to use as any proper bed. It weighs just 2kg (4.4lb) and can hold up to 150kg (23st). Its sophisticated tensioning system features levers that force its three base legs to stretch out the sleeping surface to keep it rigid and still.
If you want to avoid sleeping on damp, wet or uneven surfaces, and avoid contact with insects or other animals, this bed provides the elevation. The biggest drawback is the bulk of the cot when collapsed. It also requires reasonably flat ground to set it up, otherwise the frame twists. As with all cots, the air gap beneath it will allow heat to be lost , so you will need a foam or inflatable mattress over it to reduce the effects of extreme cold. If I were based in a single location, so not having to carry the cot around, this would be a great investment as it provided me with a comfortable night’s sleep. It is ideal for an expedition base camp or a family camping holiday. Helinox has produced an even lighter and smaller cot, the Lite Cot, available from 2015. It is just as good as the Cot One though more portable at 1.3kg and half the size. It is nearly as light as the Thermarest Cot but bulkier. Weight 4 Size 3 Comfort 5 Ease of use 5 Overall 4 The Cot One is a fantastic family camp cot, or a spare bed for the unexpected guest.
It isn’t practical for wild camping, but is great for an expedition where you’re centrally located or on a vehicle-based expedition. Mammut Lahar EMT Mat Price: £60, Amazon.co.uk Details: milletsports.co.uk This is a great mat for the price and a great accompaniment to the Kompact 3 sleeping bag. Weighing only 0.57kg (1lb 40z), it provides good insulation and would be a useful addition to either of the two cots described above in cold conditions. Because of its light weight and small packed size, it is ideal for wild camping. It has no disadvantages when the ground is uneven. When your budget won’t stretch to a camp cot, this can be a good substitute. It is easy to inflate and deflate, and converts into a comfortable chair to use on rocky ground, with a boulder as a back rest. It has a really useful anti-slip surface to prevent you from sliding off when on uneven ground. Weight 5 Size 5 Comfort 4 Ease of use 5 Overall 5 This versatile and effective sleeping mat isn’t as comfortable as the cots above but, at the price, is a great option when you need to travel quickly with a small pack.
See Paul's review of the best sleeping bags How to survive on a desert island Paul Hart offers advice on how to survive should you find yourself stranded on a desert island, including tips on locating food and building a shelter More 'Action Packed' gear reviews The best travel backpacks for men The best trekking trousers for men The best softshell jackets for men The best fleece jackets for men The best warm lightweight jackets The best lightweight walking shoes The best waterproof trousers The best waterproof jackets The best tents The best rucksacks The best hiking boots About Paul Hart Few travellers put more demands on their kit than Paul Hart, a former Royal Navy lieutenant commander. Having served with the Royal Marines and the Paratroopers and led expeditions in the world’s toughest environments, he has joined Telegraph Travel to bring more than 30 years of adventure experience to bear on everything from boots and backpacks to tents and technology. For more of Paul's gear and kit reviews, click here
Win one of 40 holidays worth £800,000 Telegraph Travel Awards 2014: vote for your favourite destinations and travel companies for the chance to win one of 40 luxury breaks worth a total of £800,000. Travel Guides app Download the free Telegraph Travel app, featuring expert guides to destinations including Paris, Rome, New York, Venice and Amsterdam Follow Telegraph Travel on Twitter Follow Telegraph Travel on Facebook Follow Telegraph Travel on Pinterest Follow Telegraph Travel on FourSquareHave you ever experienced a frustratingly broken night’s sleep because you had to keep getting up to pump air back into your mysteriously deflating air bed? The good news is that it definitely doesn’t have to be that way. Nowadays you can find sturdy air beds which will resist those unidentified spiky assassins and won’t leak in the twilight hours. In this review I’ll be looking at 4 of the most popular best air beds. Whether you need one for a camping trip or to accommodate extra guests in your home, hopefully you’ll find one that won’t let you down.
Comfortable and durable auto-inflating mattress The SoundAsleep Dream Series air bed is my top pick, providing just the right combination of support, comfort and durability. The main plus is that it has a more extensive internal coil system than most other air beds. If you’re sleeping with a partner, it means you’ll both be comfortable without too much dipping in the middle. And not only is it self-inflating, but it’s also one of the best mattresses on the market when it comes to not losing air pressure during the night. Here are the key points to note: The main downside is that those extra coils do increase the weight, which is something to bear in mind if you’re going to carry it on a camping trip. Overall, the SoundAsleep Dream Series is the best auto-inflating air mattress I’ve tried, earning top marks for quality, comfort and durability. The coils make it surprisingly comfortable to sleep on and it’s a great option for sharing with a partner.
The Coleman Double High Support Rest is my recommended air mattress for camping. It takes top honors in the camping air bed category because of its sturdy design that can measure up to the harsh elements. Additionally, it has a reliable manual pump option for when you decide to truly rough it and leave creature comforts like electricity behind you. Here are the main points to consider: The only real downside is that you have to buy the pump separately. Though that does mean you can choose a good one rather than rely on the cheaper one that’s often thrown in for free with air beds. Overall, the Coleman Double High Support Rest is a great air mattress for a night under the stars enjoying Mother Nature. You can pack it up and carry it easily, and with its sturdy design and easy inflation it’s a favorite of lovers of the great outdoors. An automatic top-up motor to prevent deflation In some ways a clone of the SoundAsleep Dream Series, the Insta-Bed comes with a little perk that not many air mattress can compete with.
It takes the concept of auto-inflation to the next level with its ‘never flat pump system’. This is essentially a pressure monitor that continually checks the air inside, and tops it up if there’s a drop in air pressure. Not only does it prevent you from a rude awakening if the bed leaks overnight, but it also provides guarantees that the same pressure level you went to bed with is still there when you wake up the next morning. Here are the key features: My main criticism is that you have to choose one of three set pressure levels, rather than inflating it to the exact level you like. So what the Insta-Bed delivers in originality and reliability, it loses in its rigid pressure settings. The guarantee of an air mattress not deflating is great, but if you can’t set it to the level you wanted in the first place, it’s a little underwhelming as a perk. It’s a solid choice, but if you’re fussy about the exact level of inflation, this might not be the one for you.
The Intex Pillow Rest air bed is probably the best low-cost auto-inflating air mattress. What it lacks in amenities, it makes up for in affordability, height and convenience. Although for me, some of those convenience features actually take away from the mattress’s overall quality. The main downside is that the internal beams aren’t as extensive as the other air beds I’ve looked at, which can cause it to dip in the middle, especially with frequent use. Secondly, the raised pillow is more of a hassle than a convenience. Most people prefer to use a normal pillow even on an air bed, so the additional height may be uncomfortable. There’s no deactivating the automatic pillow either. The Intex Pillow Rest makes sense if you’re on budget or if you’re only in need of an air mattress once in a while. The auto-inflation is a nice perk and the price is very reasonable. But if you’re a serious camper or going to use it for a long time, I’d probably stick with one of the previous air beds.