DoE camping mat advice

My daughters are doing their Bronze DoE camping trip in a couple of weeks – we have bought them 3 season sleeping bags as it is quite early in the year so it could still be pretty chilly overnight so we have that bit sorted. What we are struggling with is the camping mats as there seems to be a huge choice – from simple rolly mats (that aren’t recommended) through to self-inflating mats and also compact airbeds with built-in pumps and built-in pillows. They will both need some kind of pillow arrangement so the latter seems a good idea, but I am concerned they might be a bit of a novelty and not really up for cold April nights and prone to deflating. So I am erring towards self-inflating mats and separate camping pillows – does anyone have any advice please! I don’t want to spend a fortune as we already have lots of camping stuff for our ‘normal’ summer loaded-up car camping trips.

Thank you!

I wouldn’t worry to much about pillows. Stuff a t-shirt or similar with other clothes, they’ll likely be so knackered they’ll sleep fine anyway.

My son used this on his Silver DofE last year, packs up nice and small and is well cheap at £13. On his bronze he just had a foam roll mat that he hated. He said this was waaaaay better. Bronze is only one night away….

https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15988456/eurohike-camper-compact-self-inflating-mat-15988456

We also have a tiny pillow which does nothing really but is nicer to put your face on on a pile of clothes, than the clothes themselves…..

DofE leader at school for last 10 years…..

Why are the roll mats not recommended? Nothing wrong with them for DofE.

I wouldn’t bother with a pillow, her bag is already likely to be heavy and bag with clothes on is fine for one night. Most kids seem to get the self inflating mats from go outdoors. Heavy for what they are but probably the best cost to comfort ratio. We see the full range from foam roll mats to top spec thermarests etc…

Former DofE leader here.

Not sure where the ‘no rolly foam mats’ tho g comes from as they are by far the best value sleeping mats. The cheapest of cheap ones are garbage but you should find a decent one for less than 30 quid. We had some Vango branded ones that we loaned out to the kids that were warm, comfy and indestructible.

If you’re dead set on inflatable I’d avoid anything with in built pillows/pumps etc. Separate pillow allows you to choose a shape that suits (I went through a few before I found one that works for me) and a pump sounds either heavy or fragile.

**Why are the roll mats not recommended? Nothing wrong with them for DofE.**

No idea – they just said ‘don’t use thin ones, like the ones used for yoga etc’

Official guide here… https://www.dofe.org/shop/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DofE_KitGuide_April_2024.pdf

Includes sleeping mat advice

The foam mats aren’t the most comfortable, but  they are surprisingly light for their warmth.  Their downside is bulk.  A step up from those is the Z-lite style ones. The eggbox shape means the sleeping bag provides some insulation. They’re popular among bikepacking racers and if you’re not packing the kitchen sink then the bulk doesn’t really matter (matt in the saddle bag, sleeping bag and tarp on the bars, leave the pots, pans, caffetier, whiskey, etc at home).

Cheap “thermarest” style air mattresses aren’t insulated (which is why they can be lighter than the real thing) . Fine for a summer bike packing race, not suitable this time of year.

Self inflating mats are heavy and bulky. But do provide the best insulation.

Start with the idea that the Z-lite style is a good bare minimum / compromise, albeit not cheap (but unlike an inflatable will last forever) and weighs the least at ~250g.  Then let them decide how they want to compromise from there.  Right upto an Alpkit Dozer which if you find a properly flat bit of campsite is as good as seeping in a bed but weighs almost 2kg, needs to be packed inside the rucksack, and is as bulky as the z-lite.  There is no right answer, so you may as well let them be wrong on their own terms!

[edit, just seen alpkit do a Z-lite copy for a fraction of the price]

No idea – they just said ‘don’t use thin ones, like the ones used for yoga etc’

Might just be lost in translation either between the guidance and the instructor or the instructor and you.

Yoga mats are thin, ~5mm. Camping mats are ~15mm. I suspect somewhere in the communication someone’s confused the two.   But really unless the budget is so tight that they’re being considered as an option I’d put the alpkit z-lite copy as the basic option. You can actually use one in conjunction with an un-insulated inflatable mat and still be lighter and cheaper than some thermarest/exped options.

I got my son the Snugpak self inflating Midi mat, it is shorter than usual as your lower legs don’t really matter and wider where the body is for comfort. Makes it more compact than the usual shaped ones. Rolls up compact and is fairly light. He likes it.

Recommendations for lightweight, in-expensive self inflating ones ? Slight hijack, but my days using a foam roll are over and I’ll need a packable self inflating one for 5 days back packing – similar requirements to OP’s daughter – needs to be compact. My current self inflating mats are not that ‘portable’.

A foil sided roll mat from Decathlon should suffice. This item , like most of the gear you’ll buy them, will probably never see the light of day again. If on the other hand the DofE  sparks a sudden interest in the outdoor life, then young Jonny can sort their own gear out.

Recommendations for lightweight, in-expensive self inflating ones ? Slight hijack, but my days using a foam roll are over and I’ll need a packable self inflating one for 5 days back packing – similar requirements to OP’s daughter – needs to be compact. My current self inflating mats are not that ‘portable’.

I’ve got a vango 3/4 sized mat. It’s been fine within the limitations of that sort of mat and unlike the alpkit one it replaced hasn’t burst.  If you want small pack size though then the only option is the termarest / exped style inflatable mats which pack down to coke can / water bottle sized.

My daughter is doing her Bronze too in a few weeks. She has the added advantage of 20+ nights away with Scouts though. She’ll use a light weight foam job, 3 season bag and a rolled up fleece as a pillow.

Sleeping will be less of an issue than carrying loads of kit!

I suspect that your girls will be fine without any “Gucci” kit. They’ll be up all night talking anyway!

Right upto an Alpkit Dozer which if you find a properly flat bit of campsite is as good as seeping in a bed but weighs almost 2kg,

I’m thinking about getting one of these for scout camps. My current Alpkit Thermarest-a-like is pretty old now and has a slow leak, and isn’t particularly comfortable anyway, and it only needs to get from the car to the tent so weight isn’t really an issue

My eldest son used my Alpkit Dirtbag for his Bronze and Silver. Some of his mates had cheap foam ones and slept fine. After 8+ hours of walking I’d imagine they’d have slept fine in a ditch.

When I was a kid I used a foam mat. These days I’m wise to the fact that camping sucks and I use a hotel.

Top tip if they go down the foam roll route……roll it into a big cylinder and slide it into your rucksack so that it is right around the outside. Then stuff your kit into the middle – think cannelloni pasta with the roll mat as the pasta and your kit as the sauce stuffing. Takes up surprisingly little space like that and stays dryer than on the outside.

I’m not sure I’d give something that can be punctured to a kid- they are naive with their tent pitching and not great at looking after their kit. Foam is fine.

p.s. Again, DofE leader here. You main task is ensuring the kitchen sink is bolted down before they leave and doesn’t get packed. Over packing and carrying more weight than needed is the single biggest factor in DofE misery.

Convert +1

That is exactly what I do with a roll mat. I still use one occasionally despite also having a Gucci thermarest.

Madame has a silky little drawstring bag she stuffs her jacket in to make a pillow, it’s nicer against your face and keeps the pillow from falling apart or migrating.

*Over packing and carrying more weight than needed is the single biggest factor in DofE misery.*

I will be telling them to do what I was recommended to do when I went off InterRailing back in 1990 – pack everything they need, go for a walk around the block, take out the things they don’t actually need.

Given the number of DoE leaders on here is there a potential for an “Equipment kids bought on DoE thread” thread?

When my daughter did her Gold practice expedition one of the kids turned up with bags of microwavable rice for his meals!

No idea – they just said ‘don’t use thin ones, like the ones used for yoga etc’

Sleeping mats are usually a good bit thicker and more dense than yoga mats.

When my daughter did her Gold practice expedition one of the kids turned up with bags of microwavable rice for his meals!

I do that – it’s precooked so just gets heated up in a mug with a small amount of water.  Saves a lot of time and fuel cooking raw rice.  Instant mash and cous cous for the lightweight option.

My lad did his Silver in February. He took MRE, both military and Go Outdoors’ own. Said it didn’t taste great but he didn’t have to lug bags of pasta about or have the faff of actually doing any food prep or washing up.

Slept on a foam mat and got everything into a 45l rucksack.

***I do that – it’s precooked so just gets heated up in a mug with a small amount of water. ***

And can also be eaten cold, straight from the bag if you wish. We had a Looked After Child with us for a while who did that all the time.

Edit – and one of my daughters loves it too so she will be taking some with her.

Microwavable rice is a decent call – a bit of extra weight but much less faff to cook. I generally find that by the time gold rolls around the kids have a good idea of what works for them and what doesn’t.

Back to the OP, I forgot to add something about pillows. The stuffed packable ones are a waste of time – if they’re going to squish down into a pack just exactly how much support can you expect them to provide? Different folk have different pillow needs (I’m a side sleeper so a decent pillow makes a big difference to me) but most folk end up with clothes in a bag of some sort or an inflatable one.

Interesting to see that DofE are recommending inflatable mats now – the cost/quality of these has improved a lot in recent years. If you kids are likely to look after them then whatever decathlon or go outdoors’s second cheapest option is probably the way to go. If your kids are of the less careful type then punctures are a danger so foam is the way to go.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0BLNKR14R?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_titleI got one of these to use on the rib bed in a camper van

I can confirm it does pack small, is not heavy, very easy to inflate with built in pump (which is like a squishy pad at one end,) deflates and packs up very easily, had held air without deleting for three days, is very comfortable if you inflate to full then let some air out to allow some squish.

However, I’m a mid 40’s man using it in a van, whether it’s genuinely suitable for a teenager to carry in a back pack on DofE I don’t know. But I’m genuinely surprised by how good it is for just over 20 quid.

^^^ those ones are not insulated so I wouldn’t recommend them for sleeping on a cold floor.

Always found the air and no foam ones cold. Thermarest on the other hand very good.

I’d recommend a multimat summit 38/25(38mm at the top, 25mm at the legs/foot end. I’ve had one i’ve used for years. It’s certainly padded enough- internal foam, and folds down quite small. 760g

Stuff sack is microfleece lined so you turn it inside out and stuff in a bit of clothing for a comfy pillow.

https://outdoorgear.co.uk/multimat-summit-25-38-self-inflating-mat/

https://www.arrse.co.uk/community/reviews/multimat-summit-25-38-self-inflating-mattress.241/

Given the number of DoE leaders on here is there a potential for an “Equipment kids bought on DoE thread” thread?

When my daughter did her Gold practice expedition one of the kids turned up with bags of microwavable rice for his meal

I had a kid bring steak and scallops.

Cans of squirty cream are pretty common.

MUltimat Summit…. There’s no way I am spending £200 on camping mats for a total of two nights DoE!!! (even if they go on to Silver and/or Gold I would struggle with that)!!!

When my daughter did her Gold practice expedition one of the kids turned up with bags of microwavable rice for his meals!

That’s a pretty decent option. What’s your issue with it?

You can get a thermal foam one from Amazon for about 8 quid.

After 10 years as a Scout Leader and with two kids who have 50+  nights away between them and are well on with their DoE you don’t need any more.

Kit gets lost / ruined. And, most importantly for DoE, it has to be carried. Cheap and light.

I am looking for something similar for a bike packing trip

Our local camping store has these available (not this seller). What would these be like?

https://www.outdoorgb.com/p/multimat-superlite-25-self-inflating-camping-mat/?currency=GBP&country=GBR&SelectedBundle=208227&SelectedItem=957248&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlN6wBhCcARIsAKZvD5ipFN8uwzkvLPOdFt7UvqSGRCLgDvyGuyU69zM0C_VoSOgEctTDOVIaAlyOEALw_wcB