REI Camp Bed 3.5

Summary

Great car camping / base camp pad.

I went into the REI store and tried out all of their pads. The only pad that I felt was more comfortable in the store was the Exped Comfort MegaMat 10, but it is over $200. The extra comfort wasn't worth the extra $100.

I help out with the Boy Scouts and have been using this for about 2 years on a monthly basis. It is very comfortable and great for car camping. I haven't noticed any significant wear either. It is a warm pad too, I have been camping in some cold conditions and I have never felt cold from the ground.

Summary

Almost perfect. This is the runner-up to the Thermarest Dreamtime. Fast self-inflation, thick comfort, low noise and high insulation.

The REI Camp Bed 3.5 is an easy choice for car camping. Easy on space, easy on the eyes, easy on my wallet. I found one at the REI garage sale, and it was great.  I have yet to sleep on it outside, so I'll just say that it feels nice and thick, my kids like it, and it inflates faster than the old Thermarest I used to have.

Summary

I sleep more comfortably on this bed than I do on my bed at home.

I bought this pad for the purpose of sleeping on the snow should I ever want to. I tried it out one night in the snow in the backyard and I was toasy warm. For me, paying the extra bucks was worth the comfort.

While very comfortable, it is a bit bulky for backpacking but it is great for kayaking or car camping. I bought the extra large size, not because I am large, but because I like to roll around and stretch out in my sleep.

For kayak camping, stow it in the kayak cockpit underneath your legs if you have a larger kayak. If your kayak were to flip then it would provide about 65 pounds of floatation.

In conclusion, this pad is so incredibly comfortable to sleep on; you'll never want to sleep on another bed.