Red Ring Tupperware Party, Autumnal Equinoctal Edition (24)

Jill-of-all-Trades wrote in post #17562578
That's not silly, I "camp" in the yard with the rug rats. It's just sleeping in a tent for the night. Mini vacation.

Kind of handy to run home for a shower before bed. I hate going to bed un-showered.

Mother Nature is cruel. Slammed with allergies on the day I reserved for handing out resumes.

Alergies suck. I am blessed as I'm not aware of any. From time to time I get a runny nose and itchy throat which my wife says is allergies, but it usually goes away in minutes. SHe on the other hand suffers for weeks.

I used to spend a fair amount of time motorcycle camping. I'd take 7-10 days a year, load up the motorcycle with the camping gear and head out in whatever direction I felt like going at the time. Over the years I've camped in most western states and 3 Canadian provinces. The combination of days alone on the roads and nights in campgrounds with others around a fire or BBQ suited me. Those were good times.

Unfortunately, even with modern sleeping bag pads, my old arthritic bones don't like sleeping on the ground anymore.

Timphoto wrote in post #17562732
Unfortunately, even with modern sleeping bag pads, my old arthritic bones don't like sleeping on the ground anymore.

That's what those air beds were invented for and not those thin ones that look like pool floats, the real bed kind. They blow up to over 12" thick or more and some are more comfortable than hotel mattresses.

gjl711 wrote in post #17562741
That's what those air beds were invented for and not those thin ones that look like pool floats, the real bed kind. They blow up to over 12" thick or more and some are more comfortable than hotel mattresses.

I love air mattresses. I have two Coleman mattresses, a single and a double. I pump them up full so my butt's not on the ground and they have rather good support. If I'm camping in warm weather I just bring a fitted sheet and end up using my sleeping bag as a blanket.
The downside to them is they are bulky and heavy.

I've experienced some pretty dismal hotel mattresses. Reviews said they were great, but they certainly were not. I stayed at one place that had those sleep number beds, I would never want to sleep in one of them again. I'd take my old waterbed far over them.

gjl711 wrote in post #17562741
That's what those air beds were invented for and not those thin ones that look like pool floats, the real bed kind. They blow up to over 12" thick or more and some are more comfortable than hotel mattresses.

How small do they pack down? I need it to be no larger than a small tight roll that can easily be carried on the bike.

What I have now is a bed roll that's mostly foam but also inflates to about 2.5 inches thick. It packs down into a 14"x 6" roll.

We've a couple of those air beds. 2 kings, which are really heavy. A queen with a built in pump. A single that isn't too bad. I wouldn't want to back-pack it but it fits nicely in the car. And we have this one that's meant for back-packing. It's only 1 1/2 pounds but much thinner that the regular ones. It does keep your back off of the cold ground though.

Timphoto wrote in post #17562761
How small do they pack down? I need it to be no larger than a small tight roll that can easily be carried on the bike.

What I have now is a bed roll that's mostly foam but also inflates to about 2.5 inches thick. It packs down into a 14"x 6" roll.

A single air bed can pack down quite small. Maybe 12x12x2? 18x6x2? or there abouts. The king is a but bigger but not by as much as you would think. I've never tried to roll one though. Or better yet, you might be able to roll it up with you sleeping bag.

If I was car camping, I'd do the same, but the bike is kinda space limited. It's not like my SUV where I could haul everything including the kitchen sink.

Some of the newer back packing pads max out at about 5 inches think. Which may be enough. REI has a pretty decent return policy, so its worth a try.

Unless you are sleeping on very warm ground, most air mattresses are really cold to sleep on, as they have no insulation.

What we use, are Exped Downmats. Though not cheap, they are the number one biggest improvement to our tent camping experience. They use a good quality down for warmth, are very cozy, and pack down to an extremely small package. I doubt my wife would even come with me any more without them.

Not cheap, but one of those things that when it gives you a quality sleep, it is well worth it. I have slept on many a snow pack, at really cold temps, and have been cozy in my sleeping bag.

http://www.exped.com …gory/mats/downm​at-xp-9-lw

Timphoto wrote in post #17562774
If I was car camping, I'd do the same, but the bike is kinda space limited. It's not like my SUV where I could haul everything including the kitchen sink.

Some of the newer back packing pads max out at about 5 inches think. Which may be enough. REI has a pretty decent return policy, so its worth a try.

Here it is at REI. Check out the video there.

http://www.rei.com …ed-downmat-xp-9-with-pump

BearLeeAlive wrote in post #17562789
Here it is at REI. Check out the video there.

http://www.rei.com …ed-downmat-xp-9-with-pump

REI just mailed me a 20% off coupon. I'll check it out at the local store.

Being cold has not been an issue for me when camping since I generally don't ride the motorcycle in the winter.

You're fortunate your wife likes camping out in the wild. My wife's idea of roughing it is a Holiday Inn Express without room service.

Well it was another chilly night at baseball. It's only 7C out here. But we played a great game, won 27-1.

Tomorrow morning, at 10:30, I have an interview at the Toyota dealership.

I worked there 12 years ago while I was in college. All was going good until they got a new service manager, he was not interested in working with my part time schedule, was well known for firing all females that he could, and was an all-around not great guy. I survived 6 months under him until he, on a lie, fired me. I didn't care much at that point, I was quite busy with school.
A few years later, while I was working at the GM dealership, they called me back temporarily. The two dealerships are owned by twin brothers. They had a guy leave for trade school, with parental leave to follow after that. The guy that was supposed to replace him never showed up. They were left rather short handed with a full schedule. I moved back over there for two weeks to help them get caught up.
Hopefully they have happy memories of me and want me back.

They just built a new shop, which is big, bright, clean, and air conditioned.