Rooftop tent mattress not soft enough

[Matrid]

Hi all. We have recently bought a 2nd hand Challenger that came with a well-used Adventure Kings rooftop tent.
We have now slept about 12 nights in it (over 3 quick trips away) . We quickly identified moisture under the mattress as an issue so have added the Darche anti-condensation mat, plus a few of the "outdoor flooring" tiles - that interlock - under our hips for comfort. Still not enough in the comfort stakes so we need to spend a bit more to get that good nights sleep....

So I am hoping someone else has been here before....... I guess the 2 options will be a memory foam layer or a thin inflatable queen mattress on top of the existing one.
The key here will be thickness as when the tent is packed down, this will double so it needs to be on the thin side when flat.....

Any experienced RTT campers out the there who have solved this one?


Cheers,

[Two Emms]

In my experience, sleeping on inflatable mattresses can be a bit cold. Well around here anyway

Personally I would put an inflatable mattress under the current one. Should increase the comfort without adding permanent bulk.

[Two Emms]

Sorry, some clarification. I was referring to simple inflatable mattresses not self inflating. The self inflating types contain foam and are comfy and warm. But.....They don't pack down as small (thin) as those which contain air only.

[insect_eater]

There have been good reports on the forum about Exped Megamats, like this one: https://www.snowys.com.au/megamat-10-duo. I imagine that you replace your whole mattress with it. There are other brands available as well, but this one seems to attract very good reviews.

Browsing around Snowy's I saw that Darche make a self inflating RTT mattress. https://www.snowys.com.au/roof-top-t...tress-rtm-1400

Alternatively, if you're happy to inflate and lift your existing mattress each time to slip under a couple of single mats underneath, there are plenty of non-self inflating mats that have decent R values (a measure of insulating property). This could be a useful option if you hike as well, as you'd be able to use them for both purposes.

Outdoorgearlab have great reviews to help make choices:

review of hiking pads: https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topic...t-sleeping-pad
review including car camping pads: https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topic...mping-mattress

[Pushbike]

Mattress not soft enough

My two bobs worth,

I use an Aldi, 35mm,"self inflating", inflatable mattress with an old wool blanket, doubled, on top. Doesn't get clammy and very comfy.

I inflate the mattress, if necessary by a few puffs on the valve, only enough to stop "grounding" hips, knee or elbow. Not rock hard.

A simple test is to inflate such that you can poke a finger through to the bottom/floor/ground. Adjust as necessary.
So when you roll over you don't hit hard surface, also if lying on back it is easier on heels.
A pad, pillow, under ankles (elevation), can also take the pressure off on heels and toes. Or let your feet overhang.



Also when I pitch my tent I place a closed cell foam pad under the floor of the tent, not directly under the mattress. Protects the waterproof tent floor from stones etc.

[Scrambler]

Also when I pitch my tent I place a closed cell foam pad under the floor of the tent, not directly under the mattress. Protects the waterproof tent floor from stones etc.

A rooftop tent has a few other features under the tent floor protecting it from stones etc.

With a similar issue of comfort in our camper, I'll make a couple comments there:

Memory foam will (slowly) flatten, and readily reinflate.
But for cushioning you want the right density of mattress so some trial-and-error might be required. Consider a thin layer of dense foam and some moderate density over that. And memory foam over that.

[old Jack]

Would this size self inflating mattress work?
It is only 5kg in weight do that is a good thing!

https://www.tentworld.com.au/buy-sale/zempire-monstamat-twin-self-inflating-mattress?utm_source=Tentworld+Club&utm_campaign=3e631ef06f-September-2020-edm-top-sellers-mid-sept&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e5f48677ac-3e631ef06f-61990745&goal=0_e5f48677ac-3e631ef06f-61990745&mc_cid=3e631ef06f&mc_eid=463ee7eafc#anchorvideo

OJ.

[willneill]

I have a double bed platform in the back. I have three layers, the mesh anti-condensation matt, a Clark Rubber high-density foam mattress (about 30-35mm) and then an Ikea foam mattress topper (about 35-40mm).

In winter I also use a thick wool underblanket.

I highly recommend an Ikea topper, mine is regular foam not memory foam. Memory foam gets hot, when sleeping in a confined space in summer, that's the last thing you want.

Not sure if this will work with you RTT though.

[Matrid]

Thank you to all for your collective input - and for providing the links. This is great information for me to have to process and investigate!
Cheers

[Brownie]

What is the maximum height of mattress you can have in your roof top tent, allowing for the fact that it has to be doubled over when its folded?

I have been let down (pun intended) by deflating air mattresses on a number of occasions, and if given an option, would always go for a foam mattress. Aim to have three layers - a firm base layer to protect you from the base of the RRT, then a medium density foam to provide support whilst sleeping, and finally a low density top that provides the comfort layer. You could get Clark Rubber to make up all three layers and glue them together, or keep the top layer as a separate 'topper' that can be periodically replaced when it fails/compresses/gets dirty.

Also consider cutting the mattress in half, to avoid the extra bulk at the fold point - but this slows down and complicates the packup, which might be ok if using sleeping bags, but less practical if using sheets.

How much height of mattress you have available, and the weight of the heaviest person sleeping in the RRT will dictate the thickness of each layer - its a bit of trial and error to find what will work for you.

[Yupder]

Buy a fold-up bed, the foam is very soft and easy to carry, I did just that.

[oldn64]

Air mattress can get cold or hot dependent on the outside temperatures. best way is to insulate using a wool blanket or wood batten quilt. that way there is a barrier and you are then comfy.

My partner did not like the foam mattresses and was upset about the idea of air mattress because of temp... placed my old scout wood blanket on it and she was over the moon. Win and win.

Cheers

Oldn64

[Turorit]

In our Gordigear Explorer tent I found the supplied mattress too firm, so I used my Exped Megamat Duo. We did try a queen sized eggcrate foam topper but then the tent didnt close with all of our sleeping bags etc. Could have packed the sleeping stuff in the car but that would have defeated the purpose of the RTT.
The Exped was about 20cm narrower in width but this gave us a bit of space either side of the mattress to put drink bottles/other personal items. I find it pretty comfortable & can inflate (using battery powered air pump, or the supplied hand inflator) /deflate depending on how my body feels.

A few friends have good things to say about the Zempire Monstamat, basically a direct copy of the Exped and a fair bit cheaper