Why We Should Have Bought a Self-Inflating Mattress Years Ago
In this post we discuss why we should have bought a self-inflating mattress years ago. Our Black Wolf mega deluxe self-inflating mattress must be one of the best upgrades we have made to our camping setup. We really wish we had done this ages ago, but hopefully our experience will help you make the best purchase for your camp setup.
Why We Needed a Self-Inflating Mattress
As most of our regular readers know, we usually set off on our adventures with our Drifta camper trailer DOT373 and our Bundutop rooftop tent. When we do not have our camper trailer, we either use our cheap swag or our Oz Tent RV3 touring tent. On some trips, like our last Simpson Desert crossing, we carried our Oz Tent with our camper trailer and stored our trailer at Birdsville.
We either use our Oz Tent or swag on solo camping trips. With our cheap Kings swag, the supplied 50mm foam mattress is terrible. Well probably not terrible if you are a teenager, but for me in my late thirties, I hated it. After a few days in the swag, I would have ridiculously sore hips that lasted for days. Camping on the hard outback dirt would make this even worse. With our Oz Tent we used to use a good quality Coleman double air mattress. In summer, the air mattress is not a bad option. But as we entered those cooler months, the cold was terrible, good night’s sleep were uncommon and aching joints became the norm. Then there is the fun of setting up an air mattress, plus the ups and downs through the night as your partner moves.
We had heard lots of good things about self-inflating mattresses, but the associated price tag was something that hindered us in the beginning. Eventually we had enough, we needed better quality sleep when exploring. The whole point of getting out there and camping is to unwind and come back to work refreshed with a new lease on life, not tired with aching joints feeling about 20-years older.
Don’t Just Read Reviews Test Them Out First
When it comes to any mattress be it for home or camp, everyone is going to be different with what they like. In this post we will tell you what we like about our Black Wolf self-inflating mattress, not to get you to buy this exact mattress but more to understand why they are so much better. Our recommendation is to try one out first as you will find every self-inflating mattress feels slightly different.
We read numerous reviews online about some of the more popular self-inflating mattresses and thought we had an idea of which ones we would buy. Tentworld (not sponsored) have a massive range of self-inflating mattresses. So, we went down to our local Tentworld on the Sunshine Coast and tried every single one of them. Tentworld have every self-inflating mattress they sell already inflated and allow you to test them out. What we thought we would like ended up being the complete opposite. The Black Wolf 2D mega deluxe was not on our list. We were originally looking at the Black Wolf 3D Hexatherm mattress but found this to be far too soft. The Black Wolf 2D is much firmer and more to our liking, it was also slightly cheaper. We did try all the others and found most to be too soft, like the very popular Zempire Monstamat which was also on our radar as it has plenty of positive reviews.
So, if you are going to spend a few hundred bucks on a single self-inflating mattress, make the effort and go and try them out first. What we did not like might be the best option for you.
How Self-Inflating Mattresses Work & What to Look For
Open Cell Foam
Self-inflating mattresses are basically an outer skin made from fabric that is either bonded or non-bonded to foam that has many open cells. Self-inflating mattresses have a valve that can be set to inflate, deflate, or just open. When set to inflate or deflate, the valve only allows air flow one way. When the mattress is rolled out and the valve is set to inflate, the cells in the foam open and absorb air. When the mattress is being rolled up and the valve is set to deflate, the cells are compressed and air flows out of the mattress. As the valve only allows air flow one way, when open and inflated, air does not leave the foam. When rolling up, air leaves the foam, and the foam remains compressed as air cannot flow back into the cells.
Bonded or Non-Bonded
Self-inflating mattresses can be bonded or non-bonded. Bonded means that the outer material is glued (bonded) to the foam. Non-bonded is obviously the opposite. With non-bonded self-inflating mattresses, the air can move around making them less comfortable to sleep on. Cheaper self-inflating mattresses will generally be non-bonded. For the best comfort ensure you purchase a bonded self-inflating mattress. Our Black Wolf mega deluxe self-inflating mattress outer fabric is fully bonded to the internal foam.
Self-Inflating Mattress Durability
Another feature to look for in a self-inflating mattress is the durability of the outer material. This will be represented by a number followed by the letter “D”. The “D” stands for Denier and is a unit of measurement that determines the thickness of fibres in a fabric. The higher the value the stronger or more durable the fabric. Stronger and more durable fabric means you are less likely to get a tear which will need to be repaired. Our Black Wolf mega deluxe self-inflating mattress has a 100D stretch fabric with TPU coating.
Self-Inflating Mattress Insulation
The final important feature to look for in self-inflating mattresses is insulation. Insulation is referenced by the R-value. The higher this value the better the insulation. Our Black Wolf mega deluxe self-inflating mattress has an R-value of 8.6 which is on the high side. The better the insulation the better the self-inflating mattress will be in keeping you warm. If you camp all year round in both hot and cold conditions, you will want a self-inflating mattress with a medium to high R-value. If you only camp in the warmer months then a low R-value will be fine, and the opposite will be true if you only camp in the cold.
Black Wolf Self-Inflating Mattress Features
These are the advertised features of our Black Wolf mega deluxe single self-inflating mattress:
- Weight – 3kgs.
- R-Value – 8.6.
- Fabric – 100D stretch fabric TPU coating.
- Repair kit included.
- Nonslip base.
- Bag can be used as a pump sack.
- Size – 198 x 76 x 10cms.
- Fully bonded fabric to foam.
- Side Velcro to join with another self-inflating mattress.
- Insulated.
What We Love About Our Self-Inflating Mattress
5-Star Comfort
By now you know that we love our Black Wolf mega deluxe self-inflating mattress. The biggest benefit with this self-inflating mattress has been overall comfort. We have not had a bad night’s sleep since using our self-inflating mattress in either the heat or the cold. No more aching joints or sore hips after many nights sleeping on the rock-hard ground of the outback in the freezing cold of winter. It is so much warmer than our old air mattress and the foam mattress that came with our swag. This is due to the internal foam and insulation properties of self-inflating mattresses. A huge benefit over air mattresses.
Thick, Compact & Lightweight
The Black Wolf mega deluxe self-inflating mattress is thick at 10cm. This is double the thickness of the foam mattress that came in our swag. But even being double the thickness, rolling the mattress back up is extremely easy. With the valve set to deflate, as you roll up the mattress and the foam cells compress, the air escapes and does not return. This makes rolling up the mattress easy as the air stays out of the mattress. When rolled up, the mattress is compact when you consider its size when open and full of air. Overall, it is lightweight considering its 10cm thick and comfort level. At 3kgs it is not much heavier than a similar sized air mattress.
No Pump Needed
Another big benefit of self-inflating mattresses is that you do not need a pump to blow it up. This is a big downside to air mattresses. One more thing to pack and the pain in blowing up. The Black Wolf self-inflating mattress pumps itself up when the valve is set to inflate. We roll the mattress out, set the valve to inflate, and when we come to bed later that night, the mattress has fully inflated. If we need a bit more air in the mattress, we can either blow in more with our mouth, or use the Black Wolf mattress bag as a pump sack. If you prefer a softer mattress then you can let a little air out, if you prefer a firmer mattress, you can add a bit more air in. It is as simple as that.
Join Two Singles to Make a Double
We chose to spend a little more money and bought two single Black Wolf mega deluxe self-inflating mattresses and join these to make a double. The Black Wolf self-inflating mattresses have Velcro edges allowing you to join two singles easily. Our advice is to pay a bit more and get two singles rather than a double. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, rolling the mattress back up is far easier with a single than double mainly due to its size. One person can easily roll up a single, where you are more likely going to need two people for a double if you want to roll it up properly.
The other big benefit of two singles over a double is the pack size. Double self-inflating mattresses when packed away are ridiculously bulky. They can be bigger than a swag. This makes finding somewhere to store the mattress that much harder as you will need a large amount of space for this one item. Having two single self-inflating mattresses provides far more flexibility when packing your gear away as you have two smaller items that can be packed anywhere.
Two singles do allow you to set the firmness of the mattress to your individual liking if your partner and you have different mattress preferences. One of us likes our mattress soft, the other firm. The final benefit of two singles over a double is it does provide you far greater flexibility with your mattress use. What we mean here is it gives you the ability to pack one mattress if only one of you is going camping rather than having to pack a bulky double mattress when it is not needed. It also allows us to use one of the singles in our single swag if solo camping. When camping together in our Oz Tent we can pack the two and join them together.
The Best Swag Mattress Upgrade
In our opinion, our Black Wolf mega deluxe self-inflating mattress is the best mattress upgrade for a swag. If you have a swag with a foam mattress, do yourself a favour and invest in a self-inflating mattress, you will not regret it. There are a range of benefits in doing this. Firstly, most swags come with an average 5cm foam mattress. These mattresses are far too thin and do not provide the best insulation and comfort. Having a self-inflating mattress at 10cm and better insulation properties, provides far more comfort and a better night’s sleep. Rolling up your swag with the foam mattress and your sleeping bag requires a lot of effort to get it compact enough to fit back in its bag. Replacing the foam mattress with a self-inflating mattress makes swag roll ups so much easier. Our single swag rolls up far more compact with our self-inflating mattress and sleeping bag, even though the mattress thickness is double the size.
Downsides Are Minimal
The benefits far outweigh any of the bad, but here are a few of the disadvantages that you should be aware of. Self-inflating mattresses are bulkier than an air mattress. So, you will need to have the space in your setup to pack away. Double mattresses are even bulkier. Our recommendation is to not buy a double, you are far better off buying two singles. Size is a benefit if using one in your swag.
The valve on the Black Wolf mega deluxe self-inflating mattress can be a bit temperamental. You need to be extremely careful and ensure the valve is in position perfectly. If the valve is not sealed just right, air can escape from the mattress, and you will find yourself lying on the hard ground in the middle of the night. This has happened to us once before.
The final disadvantage is price. Price is going to be the biggest hurdle for most as good quality single-self inflating mattresses are going to cost you at least $200-$300. Our Black Wolf mega deluxe single self-inflating mattress cost $249 on sale. They retail for $300 but we have seen them as low as $200 on sale.
Save Up for The Best Night’s Sleep
Although self-inflating mattresses are expensive, our advice is to save up, wait for a sale, and buy a good quality self-inflating mattress. You will be better for it in the long run. Why go on holiday and have an uncomfortable night’s sleep? Having a good mattress will improve your sleep drastically and your holiday will feel like a holiday. You will go back home feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day-to-day grind once more. If you have a swag, seriously consider upgrading to a self-inflating mattress. Not only will your swag be more compact when rolled up, the far more comfortable mattress will be a game changer. Remember, if you are going to look at a self-inflating mattress upgrade for your camping setup, try the mattresses out first, do not just buy one online. If you are going to be spending $200 to $300 on a camping mattress, make sure you find one that best suits you, not the blogger who wrote a 2,000-word post on a particular brand.
Here is the Black Wolf mega deluxe self-inflating mattress we purchased from Tentworld.
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Thanks for reading.
The thoughts of Peter.
07/11/2023 @ 9:40 AM
Nice write up, was curious when using in swag if you just set valve to deflate then roll up swag does this method remove enough air? I wouldn’t like to have to pull mattress in and out to pack up.
Thanks
08/11/2023 @ 4:43 PM
G’day Matt
Thanks for the feedback mate.
Yeah just rolling it up with the swag moves enough. Not as much as if you rolled it up on its own. But it’ll be less than the standard mattress. So it’ll still roll up smaller.
Hope that helps.
Cheers
Peter
21/09/2023 @ 11:27 AM
Hi, great site.
Have you found a pump with suitable size adapter that can be used to deflate this mat?
Thanks, Roland
21/09/2023 @ 11:37 AM
G’day Roland,
Thanks for the feedback mate, really appreciate it.
No need to use a pump with these self inflating mattresses, they auto deflate when you roll them back up. As long as the valve is set to deflate, the air remains out of the mattress it is really easy to roll them back up.
Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Peter