What is the best way to stay warm on an air mattress while out camping?
Having insolation between you and your air mattress is the best and easiest way to stay warm. You can do this by using different materials like blankets, sleeping bags, space blankets to separate you from the air mattress.
Although air mattresses can be a luxury while camping the one problem that many people run across is the lack of insulation underneath you. This causes your body temperature to greatly decrease when sleeping on an air mattress. This can be a major problem if you are out camping in the winter or in cold temperatures.
Why do Air mattresses Feel Cold?
Learning why you get cold on an air mattress can help you discover your own solutions along with help you know exactly why our solutions will help you stay warm on them.
It is important to know that ground heats up and cools down faster than the surrounding air. In the day the ground is warmer and at night it is colder than the air around it. This is why you can wake up in the morning and there is frost on the ground even though it is above freezing.
Since an air mattress is made from very thin plastic there is little to no insolation to it it. Not much is between an air mattress and the ground beside a few thin layers of material. The ground temperature easily influences the air inside your mattress because there is little insolation protecting it. Your air mattress will stay at the same temperature as the ground which can be very cold at night.
When you are sleeping on something that is the ground temperature it will feel and be a lot colder than the outside temperature. If you sleep on an air mattress with no insolation your body temperate will drop since it will be in close contact with the cold air for hours.
Because you feel so cold on an air mattress many people ask the question, How to stay warm on an air mattress and that is what I will answer for you in this article.
How do You Insolate an Air Mattress?
New technologies and designs have led to a new air mattress staying warmer and be more isolated better, but there are still many alternative ways to better insolate an old air mattress.
Better insolating your air mattress is the best way to stay warm on an air mattress. Although you might be higher up off the cold ground the air mattress becomes the same temperature as the cold ground. Intern this lowers your body temperature when sleeping because the air mattress you are laying on will be ground temperature which is colder than the surrounding air in your tent.
Separation Layers
The best way to stay warm on an air mattress is to insolate it. To insolate an air mattress you want to build up temperature resistant layers between you and the air matters or the air mattress and the floor. There are many different ways of doing this and I will provide you with a few of my favorite technics and tips for staying warm on an air mattress.
Space Blanket
A space blanket may seem very thin and useless but it is designed specifically to trap and reflect cold and warm temperatures. If you have a space blanket it can be one of the best ways to keep you warmer when sleeping on an air mattress.
Space blankets fold up to be very small and portable making them a great option for almost any trip. They are also a great idea for anyone camping in the winter as they can keep your entire tent more isolated and warmer.
I suggest putting your space blanket between the air mattress and the ground. Ensuring that the reflective side is facing towards the ground so it reflects away the cold ground temperature and prevents cold air from getting in your tent and cooling down you’re air mattress.
Sleeping Pad
A foam sleeping pad is great insolation between you and the air mattress and provides more comfort to your bed. With the increase in both temperature and comfort, this is an ideal solution if you have the extra space to bring it.
The foam pad should be at least 2 inches thick for ideal isolation to keep you warm. The thicker the pad the better insolation you will have as it provided more material and distance from your body to the cold air mattress.
Thick Blankets
Blankets can provide a separation layer between you and the air mattress helping you stay warm while sleeping. The thicker the blankets the more insolation you will have to keep your body warm and off the cold air mattress.
Sleeping bags also work very similarly to blankets. If you have a sleeping bag you can fully unzip it and spread it out over the air mattress and sleep on top of it. This will reflect a lot of the cold air coming from the air mattress.
Dress Warm
Having warm dedicated sleeping clothes is crucial for any type of camping, especially when sleeping on a cold air mattress.
I prefer and recommend keeping your sleeping clothes separate from all your other dirty and damp clothes. Changing into a fresh clean change of clothes after a long day feels great but it can also help you stay warmer at night. Throughout the day you sweat and if you don’t change out of those clothes to sleep you can be sleeping in damp clothes making your body temperature drop even more from the cold air mattress.
Bringing warm wool or fleas clothes for sleeping is a great way to keep all parts of your body warm.
