New closure allows camping mattress to be inflated in seconds

Re:New closure allows camping mattress to be inflated in sec... by jjoonathan on Tuesday May 21, 2013 @12:26PM (#5744753)

There are also entirely passive self-inflating mattresses out there. They're filled with (solid-gas) foam that expands when you open the valve. Close the valve and it's ready to go. You store the energy for pumping when you deflate the mattress by rolling it back up. It's much easier to provide energy by sitting on something than by blowing into it :)

I don't know the brand name, only that they were old and worn by the time I was using them as a kid. They must have been commercially available around 1990.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:New closure allows camping mattress to be inflated in sec... by icebraining on Tuesday May 21, 2013 @01:26PM (#5745200)

We have a couple of those, I think we bought them at Decathlon[1] a few years ago. But they're fairly "thin", and not particularly confortable.

My favorite method is still the "foot pump"; some camping matteresses have them integrated, so you just need to open the valve and press down with your foot.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:New closure allows camping mattress to be inflated in sec... by CanSpice on Tuesday May 21, 2013 @01:58PM (#5745442)

You're probably thinking of Therm-a-Rest mattresses. According to Wikipedia, they've been around since the early 1970s.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:New closure allows camping mattress to be inflated in sec... by jjoonathan on Tuesday May 21, 2013 @06:08PM (#5747258)

Yes! That's the brand name. I remember the logo!

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:New closure allows camping mattress to be inflated in sec... by joezydeco on Tuesday May 21, 2013 @03:08PM (#5745994)

Just got back from camping and my friend had a Coleman version of this:

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Self-Inflating-Camp-Pad-Pillow...

The head pillow is the traditional inflatable thing, but the main pad is exactly as you described.

[ Parent | on HN ]