One last bit of news from last week's trip down to see the chaps at Alpkit, they've been busily overhauling their sleeping mat range with the aim of making their mats lighter, more durable and more functional or appropriate even and the arrival

We've already told you about the Alpkit Dirtbag self-inflating mat, but we've also got our paws on the finished version of the lightweight Numo sleeping mat that isn't even on the Alpkit web site yet.The Numo's a bit of a departure for the brand

've simplyadded a pocket for an inflatable sleeping mat.It's been done before, notably by New Zealanders Macpac, but theneat touch about the ME version is that the mat is sold with thesleeping bag and is cut in a mummy shape so not only do you minimisethe weight

The nice folk over at AlpKit have expanded their Airicfamily of self-inflating sleeping mats with a new addition to therange called Slim Airic.Slim is a full-length, 180cm mat, so no cold tootsies, and getshis name from a bit of judicious trimming

Remember that first camping experience, the cold lumpy ground, themidnight shivers, the sore hip in the morning? Sleeping mats existfor two reasons: one, and the most important one, is to prevent yourbody heat from seeping away into the cold ground

New in for review is Exped's SynMat Basic 7.5, a neat, packable sleeping mat that's basically an air-bed with added synthetic filling to improve performance.Lightweight air-beds are light and pack small, but have one crucial downside, air can move

New for 2005 from the lovely Scottish people at Vango is acomprehensive range of self-inflating sleeping mats in three grades -Ultralite, Standard, and Deluxe - and there are full andthree-quarter lengths available in each of the three

If you're one of those people who drives up to a campsite in a car then unloads an ultra-lightweight tent and wafer-thin sleeping mat, here's a wake-up call – you don't have to suffer when you're car camping. Mats like Alpkit's new Dozer, which

Mild camping just got a little bit milder courtesy of the Nemo Tuo Luxury sleeping pad that just turned up, an innovative bit of kit that takes the self-inflating mat basics and refines them into what's possible the comfiest sleeping mat we've ever

Don’t be fooled by over-inflated R-values warns UK mat manufacturer, Multimat, a brand whose products have been proven on expeditions to some of the harshest environments on earth. There is, they say, one recurring issue that confuses even some