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I suffer with hip pain when camping - we tried several air beds incl. an aerobed and I still had to take pain killers each night.

We bought a pair of 2" Memory Foam Toppers for our Penning Sterling FC.  They are wonderful - even more comfy than our bed at home (the small double size fit perfectly).  We had ours from snugmattress.co.uk - they are not cheap, but worth it. I didn't want to get up in the morning as they felt really nice . 

My "Better Half" suffered badly with her back for the first two years we had our Conway Countryman (1995). We bought a 2" memory foam topper last year and all her back problems have gone.

We put our topper on the matress to travel (no problems with folding up the camper) and remove it after we return. This will keep the topper in good condition.

It is expensive, but what price do you put on your health?

Happy camping!!!

I've been in a quandary since we discovered to our horror, (in our first outing with our new tin tent back in 2005), that our new rear dinette small double was THE most uncomfortable sleeping arrangement in the w-h-o-l-e world! First year, we had to suffer, (and I MEAN suffer), it so the second year I decided to try an idea suggested by other ukcs peeps, which was shoving a single duvet beneath our sheet coz a single duvet is the perfect size to cover our 3' 7" bed, (we're very 'cosy' on that let me tell ya!), but it was still really uncomfortable and even hubby was complaining about his back and he doesn't even have a back problem, (unlike yours truly along with l-o-a-d-s of me other tender bits), so I knew it must be bad! So...next outing comes and I have the brainwave, (ok so it's a small brain!), to use two of those single foam jobbies that you can put under sleeping bags plus the single duvet still on top of those before the sheet and they were a perfect fit side by side but........no better, infact, I'd say it was worse coz they made us sweat even more.

Now, I'd get a memory foam topper in an instant coz we use one at home and love it, however there's one major thing stopping us.....the weight! Our tin tent aint exactly a lightweight and as it is we're very concious of what we pack because of that and even the thinnest 1cm memory foam topper weighs a ton! I can barely lift one, (and I've only tried lifting a single in the shops! Hubby has to lug our double one about at home when I want to remove the cover for washing), so gawd knows what we'd have to leave at home to be able to accommodate it in our payload...hmmm....hubby maybe? 

But seriously....this year I'm still desperate for an ideal solution that doesn't weigh a ton but is still dense enuff to hide all those bl**dy joins in the mattress arrangement and that doesn't disappear to nothing when you lie on it.

I think.....I've finally come up with a solution.......gawd I hope I have or it's another 2 weeks of purgatory for the last 2 weeks in August this year. And that solution may well be....a different sort of mattress topper.

I've been researching all things on offer in IKEA, (got some funny looks testing 'em too I have to add), but nowt is suitable so the internet search it was and I am now hoping it's come up trumps with a feather topper?

According to the 'boxed' weight of one that seems ok was a mere 4kg but coz I can't physically test it out through the lappy, I'm still not convinced it will disguise the awful lumps in our mattress arrangement......

I am, as we speak, thinking about finding a feather topper in a shop somewhere close to be able to get to grips with coz IF one of them would do, and I still can't get one to fit exactly, I may even be better off, (not thinking about cost where me comfort's concerned, just don't tell hubby), getting two single feather toppers and having them overlapping in the middle and tucked under a wee bit at each side too?

I'll let ya know if this idea works out after me hols, always assuming I can now get them in time otherwise...ohhhh we're in for a painful 2 weeks again.

Btw for anybody who is after cheapy memory foam toppers, then you might be interested in this place where you can get a double 3cm deep memory foam topper for a mere £49.99 with FREE p&p!:

http://www.factory2u.co.uk/prodtype.asp?PT_ID=327&strPageHistory=cat

I only found it whilst searching for other sorts of toppers and I have seen them even cheaper on some other sites but blowed if I can find them again now .....sorry.....

Here's hoping my duck and feather topper idea works for us......heaven 'elp us! Our old tin tent was always soooooo comfy to sleep in, I really miss that.

Only NINE more sleeps till Mevagissey....whey heyyyyy

Quote: Originally posted by mikelast on 03/8/2009

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we take all the mattresses and use them on one side of the TT and then use an inflatable in the empty side, giving 4 fairly good beds.

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Yet another idea for me to try. Thinking i could have the aerobed on my side just need to do trial and error as size of aerobed.. I've seen comments re slatted bases. I don't have a slatted base do i just need to air it in the morning? 

Thankyou for taking the time  to read.

Glad its not just me then!

First outing in our new camp-let last week, after 4 nights, I was in the worst pain ever with my back! Better now but still not back to normal

I'm too thinking of one of the double size inflatable mats for under the bed, then maybe a mattress topper too, as we are off for 2 weeks in the summer and no way I could do it with that pain!

Anyone know if they do double size foam mats (like the ones kids sleep on in tents?) just trying to think of the cheapest way of doing it.

Quote: Originally posted by fatbloke28 on 02/8/2009

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found a set of caravan seats that were 6" deep for a quid which we cut up (not easy) to fit so all now match.

Post last edited on 02/08/2009 11:51:23

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Quote: Originally posted by special_k on 13/4/2010

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Quote: Originally posted by mikelast on 03/8/2009

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we take all the mattresses and use them on one side of the TT and then use an inflatable in the empty side, giving 4 fairly good beds.

---

Yet another idea for me to try. Thinking i could have the aerobed on my side just need to do trial and error as size of aerobed.. I've seen comments re slatted bases. I don't have a slatted base do i just need to air it in the morning? 

Thankyou for taking the time  to read.

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ok so not too much laughing   i am really new to TT and having looked at ours in great detail

Everyone seems to be advising slatted bases and ikea, is this just from an airing point of view? or am i missing something?   

this is my maybe silly idea   can i not use a wood drill bit and put loads of holes in my base for air?

Just wondering about the memory foam toppers - how well do they stay on the bed, do you use anything to hold them down or does body weight do that anyway?

Like i said very new to this and all being well get to take the TT out next weekend for the day to pitch her and learn all nooks and crannies etc.

So the slatted bed thing do you put/fix these to the already fixed bases i have?

  i suggested drilling holes as i thought the suggestion on here was to remove the big bed base boards and replace with slatted base        but i'm hoping i was VERY wrong an i do the above.............attatch to what i already have.???