For some travellers, camping doesn’t always conjure up the best memories, and certainly not the most comfortable ones. We’ve all turned in for a night’s sleep in the refuge of a tent only to find a faulty zip or a mattress so thin you could count the exact number of stones and sticks you are lying on. The truth is, real campers have the very best equipment to make their adventures fun and comfortable, and these products are not as expensive or hard to come by as you would think. So let’s get to know what the best self inflating mattress is.
After a recent camping trip with experienced happy campers, we were blown away by the Wanderer self inflating mattress they had. This queen mattress made a few nights away more than comfortable, and the minimal set-up time was just the icing on the cake. If you’re an outdoors adventurer looking for a recommendation or a one-time camper who is ready to get back out there, here is our Wanderer self inflating mattress review.
Compact and easy self inflating mattress
Trying to pack a tent into a small bag is a special kind of hell, but you won’t find that with the Wanderer inflatable mattress. After you return to your mattress that has been deflating with the caps off, you just need to roll it up slowly ensuring that the remaining air is pushed out as you go. It’s very easy to do with two people but you will manage to roll it up on your own too.
The mattress comes with straps as well as a bag, which is hand to have both, and the bag is nice and roomy so if you haven’t got all the air out of the mattress you should be able to still get it in comfortably.
If you are a very savvy camper you may wish to also buy a deflate pump so you can get all the air out and have an even better chance at strapping the mattress and fitting it into the bag. When reading other self inflating mattress reviews, some customers have reported a ripped bag due to poor stitching, although ours seems durable so keep note of this.
Why the Wanderer self inflating mattress over Coleman air mattress’ and others?
The Tourer Wanderer self inflating mattress comes in single self inflating mattress and double self inflating mattress sizes also. So why buy the queen inflating mattress and why buy the Wanderer over the Coleman air mattress over or others? The Coleman air mattress is also self inflating, but it is not as thick as the Wanderer camping mattress, and the top layer does not feel as soft.
Another popular option is the Zempire Monstamat and Zempire Bomber 3D self inflating mattress which is a quality make and feel, but it is more expensive than the Wanderer camping mattress. XTM 4X4is another quality brand and is often compared to in Wanderer self inflating mattress reviews, but it is 8cm thick so only 2/3 the thickness (and presumably comfort) as the Wanderer self inflating mattress.
We love how grippy the bottom of the Wanderer self inflating mattress is, which means that it doesn’t move through the night or when you are getting in and out of the tent during the night. The soft top also feels pretty luxurious, although we brought a fitted sheet so we could sleep on cotton as other materials can get sticky overnight. If you travel light though, you can sleep comfortably without the fitted sheet. Ultimately, there are so many different terrains when it comes to camping in Australia so you really do want to have the softest support.
The Wanderer self inflating mattress specs
The Wanderer self inflating mattress that we use is the Wanderer queen mattress, making it 195cm long and 150cm wide. It weighs in at 9.5kh, but that’s on the lighter side compared to other camping mattresses. The mattress is 12cm thick, comprising three layers, including a high comfort self inflatable foam and a PVC bottom lager. The storage bag is 1.4 metres so if you have a small car – you may want to measure before you get one.
There are 4 inflating value ports so that you aren’t waiting around with only one valve to fill up the mattress. Due to the memory foam and PVC materials, you cannot fold the mattress in half – it must be rolled up which has been called out in Wanderer self inflating mattress reviews.
Where to buy the Tourer Wanderer self inflating mattress
If you are sold on these Wanderer self inflating mattress reviews, then let’s get into where you can buy it/ You cannot buy the Wanderer self inflating mattress directly from Wanderer, as they are a B2B business. Where you can find and purchase the Wanderer is BCF, Macpac, Tent World, Amazon and some other local retailers. We’ve also seen that there are some second-hand camping mattresses on Marketplace and gumtree, buy you cannot always rely on the condition of these goods and if you do choose to buy from here, just make sure you inflate the mattress and give it a test-run before you take it out camping.
How to deflate Wanderer self inflating mattress
The Wanderer camping mattress inflates and deflates automatically through the four ports that are located on the side of the Wanderer mattress. This makes camping incredibly easy as you can have your mattress inflating while you organise other parts of your tent and campsite without losing your breathe!
Where is your top camping spot in Melbourne and Victoria? We want to hear from you! If you have personal Wanderer self inflating mattress reviews or any other camping must-haves, we want to know what you cannot camp without. Be sure to check out our Melbourne travel spot, or see what’s on in Melbourne.