Car camping bed needed

[Moondog55]

Double or Queen sized
Strong and comfortable
Also a mattress to match and not a open celled Clark rubber foam at this time, something a little less bulky and with more support would probably be better

Both Cecile and I are getting old and stiff and we need something reliable and strong and about 450 to 550mm off the ground
Any ideas or recommendations?
Will be carried in the trailer or the back of the ute so weight isn't the big issue it would be otherwise.

[oldpiscator]

I have a Wild Country self inflating 4WD mattress I bought from Rays a few years ago. Heavy but rolls up into its own bag and inflates to 10 or 12cm from memory. Very comfortable - mine is only a single but I am sure that they make doubles as well. Would be worth a look in the outdoor shops - that one down in Leather St South Geelong has a lot of stock and may have something suitable.

[Empty]

I also have one of those 4WD mattresses in QB size. Absolutely fantastic and warm to sleep on by bulky to cart and you are not off the ground. You are welcome to borrow any time to trial as we seldom use it.

I also have a very high quality large single collapsible camp stretcher which is marvellous to sleep on with a swag or mattress. Very flat and supportive, takes up about he same space as camp chair when collapsed and seconds to assemble.

I think you would be better off with 2 good quality large singles as they are easier to cart and give you more flexibility. Most of the older folk in the 4WD club of which I was a member used this setup.

The collapsible doubles are expensive and a bit dodgy in my experience.

[Moondog55]

We have a QS Aerobed but the pump has never worked properly. Maybe we should start by spending $70- on a new pump
I did think about buying a cheap QS bed from IKEA and putting it on the top rack of the trailer; I have seen that done often enough

[Travis22]

Stretcher beds?

I swear by them for car camping, heck even all the 'boys' and i now roll our swags out on stretchers when we get away.

So much more comfortable not having to get down on/ off the ground. And in the tent you can utalise all of the space under the stretchers for your gear.

We put thick 9cm black wolf inflateable mattresses ontop of the stretchers then sleep in a sleeping bag on top.

Travis.

[Moondog55]

I've been using the old Army cot for a while but I now need something wider; taller and stronger as does the Boss
I agree separate stretchers are stronger BUT

[Travis22]

We have the OzTent King Goanna stretchers. These are the toughest stretchers i could find. Very well made.

They weight about 3 times as much as the stretchers from Rays/anaconda etc.

Travis.

[Moondog55]

Googled it and found this Darche also
http://www.tentworld.com.au/products/be ... tcher.aspx

The extra width makes it interesting but do Darche exaggerate its strength?

[Alittleruff]

A 4wd mattress from Aussie Disposals would be my pick. I LOVE ours, best night snooze on it

[Alittleruff]

And twin swag bags that zip together so you can cuddle up
Much more romantic compared to stretchers.....

[Moondog55]

Unfortunately we both need the height off the ground, perhaps 2 large single cots with a QS mattress over a thick CCF pad?

[photohiker]

How about this:

http://www.tentworld.com.au/products/be ... tcher.aspx



Dimensions: 200 x 144 x 42cm
Weight Rating: 200kg
Warranty: 12 months manufacturers warranty.

[Moondog55]

Not quite strong enough
PM incoming

[photohiker]

Ok, then I'd ditch camp stretchers altogether.

How about using something like this ingeniously:




Ikea LURÖY Slatted bed base, Queen Size, $60 (Double is $50)

http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/produ ... #/00160215

All you need is a dismantlable frame, put a 4WD camp mattress on top of that and you'd be in heaven.

[Moondog55]

See post 4 above, I had the same idea, the cheapest IKEA bed and sprung base is the same cost as two decent cots/stretchers and would easily fit on the trailer frame

[MartyGwynne]

I have a double bed size air mattress which is on a stand/frame which stands as high as a normal bed and if it goes down on you the supports are sleep able upon.
I also have a double blow up mattress which is only 240 v but does blow up to a normal bed height and it vacuums itself down to a smallish bag depending upon how good you are at packing it away (I can get it to less than "carry on" size). not sure if it comes with a 12 volt set up though (I think I got it from Aldi do di).
Marty.

[Moondog55]

These are cheap and would fit on the trailer top I wonder how strong they are, after all I weigh 95 kilos and tossanturnabit at nite
http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/00180567/

[stry]

These are cheap and would fit on the trailer top I wonder how strong they are, after all I weigh 95 kilos and tossanturnabit at nite
http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/00180567/

I've yet to see a chain store bed that didn't bend, bow, or crack. I've sorted out a few with the welder and some judicious additions.

If you are happy with the standard 1200 trailer width. I would look at knocking up a light tube frame that lay upside down in the trailer, with a leg in each corner. Slats across the top of the frame. A bit of innovation may be needed to accomodate any necessary extra length.

Even as a DIY, the materials would cost more than something from the chain store - which tells you how crappy something from the chain store is.

Don't own an inflatable double mattress, but have seen one cheapy in use, and was surprised at how good it seemed to be.

[Moondog55]

I'll start looking at the local Op-Shops for an old Joyce Pipeline frame, Those were as strong if not stronger than some houses I have lived in Otherwise a DIY solution is an option

I just spent a couple of hours repairing the one that collapsed on the week-end [ already been refunded ] and QC was totally non-existent; it should be about twice as strong now but the Boss won't ever trust it again