MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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Well, everything runs in cycles of acquisition, use, replacement...
Much of my camping kit dates from the days when I did a fair bit of hiking / expeditons etc. A few replacements are now reqd...
Sleeping mats? I know that Thermarests were all the rage. I never got one as I had a good exped grade Karrimat
Are Thermarests still the starting place for looking at new kit?
Alpkit
Alpkit do excellent Thermarest-a-like mats for a fraction of the price.
youre just in time - alpkit have just taken delivery of their latest batch.
Look at Vango mats too - from my experience they are often cheaper and more reliable than Alpkit (i've had 3 alpkits fail).
keep your exp karrimat tho, as fantastic as thermarest type mats are, they don't have the insulation of a good closed cell foam. sometimes I use both (winter camping) and still use an exp karrimat when biviing.
Just spent 3 weeks on an Alpkit dozer with no complaints. Alpkit is good.
Looks like an Alpkit Dozer might be worth a try for car camping and keep hold of the Karrimat for any self propelled adventures.
12 YO son was very taken with his up Llanberis / down Snowdon Ranger walk at w/e. Wants to try wild camping now - who am I to discourage... 😉
Depends what you want to do with it... Horses for courses, you probably won't see Alpkit high on a serious expedition where you will see Thermarest's.
I use an Alpkit Fat Airic for valley/car camping as it's hefty and have had 2 fail. Both replaced under excellent warranty though inconvenient if using them in anger somewhere...
When using 'in anger', I have a collection of genuine Thermarest's. The Neoairs are light and comfy, the Pro's etc bulkier, a little heavier but a bit more robust.
I've been using one of [url= http://www.fieldandtrek.com/karrimor-x-lite-comfort-self-inflating-mattress-2012-782145?src=google ] these[/url] since some time last winter. It's full length, extra thick, extra comfy and packs down reasonably compact. It dosen't quite compete with a Neo-Air when it comes to weight but costs significantly less.
The one bit of trouble I've had with it is a small leak caused by the valve base pressing against the fabric when rolled up too tightly, but I've mended that and no longer try to cram it into a tiny dry bag.
[url= http://www.fieldandtrek.com/karrimor-x-lite-comfort-self-inflating-mattress-2012-782145?src=google ]Karrimor X-Lite Comfort[/url]
I've also had three alpkit mats fail (de-laminated) Like above alpkit are excellent with customer service and replaced the mats each time no question and then refunded me so I could buy a more reliable product elsewhere. I have other alpkit stuff and its been great (hunka bivvy has given a few years really good service now for example) but I'm afraid I won't be buying any more mats from them.
You might want to have a look at some of the new 'airbed' mats that are out at the moment - lighter than self inflating mats and incredibly comfy for the weight.
Alpkit, Thermarest, Exped and Hyalite all do versions which contain synthetic insulation in the air cells - I use a Hyalite Peak AC with a karrimat underneath to beef it up when it's cold. I find it a lot comfier than my old Thermarest self inflating, as it's considerably thicker. I find the combo of airbed and karrimat means I can use my summer weight down bag for much more of the year, which reduces the overall weight of my pack, and takes up less room so I can carry on using a smaller, lighter sack for longer.
I bought the Hyalite cheap to see how I found sleeping on an airbed, but I'm now contemplating getting one of the Exped down lite mats as it's a bigger sleeping surface for not much more weight. I'm also reassured that it will survive camping with 2 collies and their claws!