For twenty six years (the avatar is our engagement photo) Sue and I have
been on a quest for a comfortable bed. The Somma was very nice, but had
a short life span. We never have found a mattress that was perfect.
After I graduated from the tent to the storage shed I decided to use an air
mattress instead of a cot. I stacked one Coleman flocked ("Guaranteed to never go flat!" - HAH!) air mattress on top of the same type of mattress.
I needed some height to keep the bedding off the floor. It was almost as nice as the Somma! Warning; DO NOT OVER INFLATE! The matresses
have baffles. When a baffle blows it can almost dump you out of bed! It
always happens at the worst time, and without warning. These stacked matresses are just wonderful for one person. We tried it with two people. Just miserable.
In the winter I open a sleeping bag and lay it on the stack of matresses.
I then put my extra wide and extra long bag on the open bag. I then un-
zip another sleeping bag and lay it over my bag, and follow all this with a
blanket. Even at 12 F. (inside is about the same temperature as outside) I sleep like a baby. Better than the "Astronaut foam" matress back home.
Our bodies may be sore, and the condtions less than ideal when we're building away from home, but these mattresses are really appreciated when luxury is needed most.
-Rick
Comments
unique bed
When I was at the class I slept in a maple tree over the river south of skip's cabin. It was pretty comfy; nice and mossy, and free.
That is some great stuff!!!
That is some great stuff!!! My wife and I have the Tempurpedic mattress. It is so heavy that we have already worn out one of our foundations (box spring - bought theirs with the mattress) but they replaced it under warranty (10 yr replacement 20 yr prorated). It is great to sleep on. When we go camping, staying in KOAs, etc., we do the air mattress thing too but only have one. Maybe I will buy another and throw it on top. I too have some good sleeping bags which come in handy when the temp dips down.
Take care,
Jeff
Nuthin' beats my Simmons...
We have the decadence king size. Pure bliss. I've slept in more hotels than I can to think about in the last couple of years and nothing comes close. If I could take it with me I would.
best bed
I have slept on plywood sheeting with 3 inch foam padding my entire life. I sleep well, have no back problems and IMHO this is the best way to go.
Kola
mmm...firm.
Kola
LOl sounds firm!
Some of my best sleeps have been on a carpeted floor & a blanket on top.
a little TOO firm?
You guys are tougher than I... Every time I've slept on carpet I woke up stiff and sore.
I dont even like those "firm" mattresses. Give me the "extra squishy sink in until you have to get a block and tackle to get out" mattresses and I'm happy. :)
sleep comfort
When I was in Air Force Basic Training, I remember waking up on a cold linoleum floor and was grateful to have caught a few z's. Now I am the ecstatic owner of a Tempurpedic and my lower back thanks me every morning for the gift. I spent my entire tax return on it and hope it lasts me for the rest of my life. I bought one of the Tempurpedic pillows for my dad after his brain tumor surgery and he was so happy he was in tears. Even my dogs seem to like my bed more than before. I guess when you have pain, you are willing to pay for relief. I guess I can sleep on an army cot with a bedroll of Mexican blankets again like I did when I was in college but why pretend that your connective tissue is still in its twenties?
the reason i cannot sleep on the floor.....
......i'm a girl and my hips stick out! ;( my grandma had 9 kids. i think i inherited her pelvis. ;p
my husband thinks sleeping on the floor is great, but then again the floor matches the curve of his butt... FLAT!
i like to sleep on my back.... on a mattress.... with a big ol' pillow under my knees! only way it works for me.
to each his (or her) own.... :)
2 cents
sleep
I get my best sleep on a military cot, nice and firm. My wife likes a soft mattress, so we compromized, ended up with the soft mattress;}
Stu
sleep
LOL- Stu, that's great. :)
I slept really well in the
I slept really well in the back of my pickup, on a few layers of carpet padding while I was up at Lester's to help out.
Of course, I'm sure pounding rebar all day may have had some effect on my sound sleeping. ;-)
Wool mattress
My wife is one of those crazy organic ladies. She wants everything to be organic.
Recently we bought a custom made wool mattress and bedding set. I have to admit it's the best bed I've ever slept on. The wool is a great insulator but it also breathes really well. It never gets too hot. I don't know if I could ever sleep on a normal bed again.
Beds
When we went to pick out a mattress, I made a decision. I figured, I was going to have this thing for 10 years or more, probably, and spend close to a third of my life on it. So I decided that I didn't care how much it cost, I was going to get what I really wanted. We laid on a bunch of mattresses in the store, never asking what the cost was.
We did end up dropping a pretty large chunck of change to buy it. But I have never regretted the decision.
Some things I have no problem going cheap on. There are a few things, however, that I will live with for a LONG time, and will greatly affect my comfort. I never skimp on those things. Shoes fall into this catagory too. I own some very expensive shoes and have them re-soled when needed. Having owned them for more than 10 years, however, they really aren't that expensive -- and my feet don't hurt.
SLEEP NUMBER
I have a king size Sleep Number bed, however, i never sleep on it. It would be great if it was all one piece, but they don't make a one piece in the king. The king has two mattress' so each person can adjust their side of the bed thus the problem. My wife works out of town all week which means I have the bed all to myself, and I want to sleep in the middle, not on just one side, herein lays the problem. No matter how you adjust the two mattress' there is still a seperation that you can feel from one side to the other and it drives me crazy, here I have a king and I'm restricted to just one side. So we bought a Serta, added 3-4" of that memory foam stuff and now everything is fine. We keep the sleep number in the guest bedroom, everyone loves it but if your sleeping alone it's another story. A friend of mine had the same problem and hates his too. If you can contain yourself to just one side it does sleep good though. I had several water beds in the past, and they slept the best, as long as you kept them burped, I just got tried of burping the dang thing all the time............>>>>>>>>>>>>> :-)
shoe repair, a thing of the past
It sure is good to see someone else re-soles their shoes and boots!
I even get my moccasins re-soled when they wear out. My Grampa was a shoe repair/leathersmith. It USED to be very popular and he had quite a busy little shop. He wore the lil leather visor cap and leather apron and his hands were stained black and brown. I loved going there and smelling the leather scent and watching him work with his hands. He was a very quiet reserved man and rarely talked. Maybe thats what happens when you have raised 12 kids.
Kola
Shoes
Shoes have been a mixed bag for me. Sometimes expensive works great, sometimes not so great, and other times cheap lasts a really long time.
I tend to wear out shoes quickly, so I'd love a workable solution. I really don't know what to do.
Nowadays I just buy based on what I like. I don't pay too much attention to the price.
Army Cot was the best!
Attended Class March 25th/26th of 2006.
Back in 1991 when I was in Ft Irwin for a few weeks my unit would be out in the field for 2 days then back for 1 day of down time, and that old army cot with a simple pillow and a fart sack (sleeping bag for those who do not know) was some of the best rest I can ever remember getting. Of course I was worn out form playing with firearms, going on patrols, raids and little to no sleep oh and GREAT FOOD LOL !!
fart sack?
I never heard a sleeping bag called a fart sack!
I am roaring with laughter!! OMG
Kola
back sleeping best
You will get a ton of opinions about the best sleeping position but IMO sleeping on your back is the key. I roll around a bit, but spend most of my sleeping hours on my backside and always try to avoid side-lying and stomach sleeping. When I travel I take my own sleeping bag and pillow and never sleep on motel beds. I sleep on the floor. I also believe many back, neck and spinal problems are directly related to poor sleep habits and too soft beds.
Those Tempurpedic models are THE best but very pricey. OTOH 1/3 of our lives are spent sleeping, so we should have something very good.
Crocodile Dundee slept on the floors too.
Krocodile Kola Jr.