 hmmm, sounds to me like you pay for what you get then!
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 Ian, my suggestion is - get an Alpkit mat. It is cheaper and slightly bigger than the Thermarests and weighs a bit more. If it leaks - glue it. If you don't like it - bin it and get a thermarest. What have you lost £20 or so... and you still have mat for a friend if they need it.
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 Ian, my suggestion is - get an Alpkit mat. It is cheaper and slightly bigger than the Thermarests and weighs a bit more. If it leaks - glue it. If you don't like it - bin it and get a thermarest. What have you lost £20 or so... and you still have mat for a friend if they need it. Rocky's right. Unfortunately you don't know if a mat suits you till you try it! This outdoor lark can be an expensive learning curve. 
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yes, I'm starting to see that, so you would recomend the wee one, I'm just worried my feet will get cold.
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 yes, I'm starting to see that, so you would recomend the wee one, I'm just worried my feet will get cold. Stick your feet on your rucksack.
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If you don't carry a full mat, then you can use your pack or clothing for under your legs. Or a bit of foam. Folk usually carry a short pad to save weight. If you're not into cutting weight, and carry a heavy pack, then the weight difference between a 3/4 and a full length isn't much.
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ok, hmmm. I like to save money though, I'm very tight so the 3/4 one may suit me!!
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Recently back from Kili - found that a Wee Airic worked fine in cold and stony conditions. If you buy 2 there is £5 off so should appeal to even the tightest budget. Also have to say Aplkit customer service is first class; I mislaid stuff sack and repair kit first time I used the mat - free replacements sent with no fuss.
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I'll try and convince my brother to get one 2 then!! Then they would only be 15 each! Like it. And yeah done the garden thing, without the camera. That's when I decided I need a air mat, was only using a foam one. Seemed to work ok in the scouts, probobly because I was so tired!
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 I bought two Wee Airics a few weeks ago and tested them, on the second night outing one of them bubbled up and blistered in a really bad way, the guys who were on the rather wet mini meet wild camping a few weeks ago saw it and it wasn't good, I've still not emailed them yet to ask for a new one but know they will send one asap as there service is second to none, the other Wee Airic is fine and they are extremely good for the price! I think the Prolite 3 I had some year ago is still the best all rounder for me but recently I have gone back to using a foam cell mat, not to be ultra light but just found I can still handle it so can't be bothered carrying the extra weight.
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From what I read the wee airkicks are unreliable, how do the vango or highlander compare as they are a similar price?
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 I've just tried out my Multimat, it feels a lot firmer than the Alpkit, and also warmer. If you fancy a Thermarest, this place sell them on ebay ocassionally, the Prolite 3 Short is usually £36 inc delivery to the UK. I've had a few bits off them in the past, no problems and delivery was very quick.
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thanks, would be realy useful to hear some feedback from someone who has had some experience using them.
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I bought (via eBay) a Titan Kettle and an MSR towel from them, 2 seperate purchases, a friend of mine also bought a Titan from them. I've seen other people recommending them on a couple of forums. Delivery was about 5 days IIRC.
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 This threads been really interesting as I'm currently looking to possibly replace my alpkit fat airic. The valve has never been right since I bought it a couple of years ago, despite me glueing it a couple of times. Has anyone had any experience of the thermarest base camp mats? I'm assuming they are just like the original thermarests? Its a toss up for me between the t-a-r base camp and the t-a-r trail lite mat for car camping use.
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 What about the exped down mats, any cop?
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Exped down mats are great. A bit of a fuss to pump up but that gets easier with practice. Very warm and comfy (especially if your bones are older than you would like). They pack very well in your sac as they can be squished down. Beware that as you are higher off the ground, than using foam or self inflating mats, that you notice the 'drop off' at the end, with the 3/4 length size. We also have 2 alpkit wee airic mats for the kids - perfect. They pack small for the kids to carry and are just the right length. They need a bit of an extra 'puff' to inflate and don't go as firm as a thermarest, but thats OK. Used them 7 nights - so far no problems. Kids are well chuffed. I don't think I would find them comfy enough (- I'm too old and nesh.) I have an older version 3/4 thermerest - I just don't use it any more. Hope this helps. Cathy
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Hi there, I have just been perusing the forum as we do and noticed this long thread on self inflating mats including ours.(The Alpkit ones for those of you who didn't know I am one of the guys from Alpkit)
We sell a lot of mats and like every manufacturer problems occur during manufacturer and occasionally rogue ones are dispatched. All I can say is if you get a problem give us a call and we'll sort it out. I know Ben you have been speaking to us already and fingers crossed you are sleeping soundly 7 cm's off the floor.
The bit I am most interested in is the comments from people saying Alpkit mats are not as firm as other manufacturers. Having had design input on the mats we use pretty much the same foam density as most, the fabric is the same weight with the same thickness of TPU coating and the process to make the mats is the same. Is the firmness really that noticeable?
I just been out to Outdoor in Germany and there are some very interesting developments occurring in mat design. Thermarest have launched their first air-bed style mat called Neo-Air. Pacific Outdoor Equipment have released both inflating and closed cell foam mats incorporating Aerogel. Exped have a new inflation system for their down mats. Exciting times!!
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I can vouch for the customer service so far, not so much the quality of the mat but we'll see...my Fat Airic developed a valve leak on night two of my first trip and it is easy as pie to send back - in fact you don't have to send back the whole mat - cunning! I expect to receive my replacement within the 11 days before I leave for a camping trip to Devon.
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