Thermarest BaseCamp

My wife and I have been camping for more years than I can remember and have always used an air bed that doubles up for a spare guest bed in emergencies. One of my hobbies is vintage motor racing, and I go for 'Boys Weekends Away' using a two man tent, but I need a smaller, comfortable mat to sleep on. I have used Thermarest cushions, so was aware of the brand, but was hesitant at the cost of a mattress. I initially tried an Argos self inflating mat, as a cheap 'try out', but it ultimately proved useless, as the foam inner wasn't attached to the outer, causing the mat to balloon. However, I recently decided to take the plunge and invest in a large Thermarest Basecamp. I initially looked at my local outdoor shops' websites, but without success. I continued to search online and finally ordered one from Facewest. Not only were they very competitive, they were incredibly efficient, and dispatched the mat within hours of placing the order. I haven't been disappointed either. Inflating from new took a while and a few puffs, but this was to be expected. The instructions advised that this would reduce if stored correctly. It's also very comfortable to sleep on, despite being only a couple of inches thick. Although, to be fair, it has only been used indoors so far! Deflating the mat and rolling it up is so much easier and quicker than the air bed. Ideally the mat needs to be stored flat and inflated, but I haven't found it to be a problem - I store it on the spare bed, under the duvet.

Good quality product that does actually self inflate and is long enough for my 6ft 4in! Easy to top up with extra air by blowing into valves at one end. However I fond that too much pressure made the mat uncomfortable and had to let air out to allow a bit of give. My only concern with this product is that the air valves are exposed and vulnerable to damage in normal use. Otherwise I would have given it a 5 rating.

This is a really great mat. Plenty of room, comfortable and warm. As a first time user of self inflating mats (have always used air beds) I highly recommend and won't return to all that condensation and messing about with pumps. Too big to carry in a back pack but great for car camping.

I have used cheap airbeds for years, and finally admitted that they just are not for me; falling off them / air coming out overnight / condensation issues from using a pump / sheer size of the things when they are folded up. A friend persuaded me that I should get one of these thermarest mats, and I am over the moon with the one I have. So comfortable, self inflates, and really easy to deflate and roll up. This basecamp mat is a bit too big to put in a backpack, but shove it in the car and it will never fail you. I am now buying them for the rest of the family.

I bought three of these to take camping last week. They were delivered safely and on time by Interlink, which is the best delivery company I have come across. The Thermarests themselves were excellent quality and served us very well - they kept us warm and comfortable. Friends of mine have had them for years and have never had any trouble with them. At the time I ordered them Facewest was the cheapest supplier.

I bought this as a birthday present for my son who works in the outdoor industry and neeeds a matress for car camping and when staying in huts. The extra length of this mat is perfect as he is over 6 feet tall. The extra thickness of this mat should make it ideal for hard ground or winter camping and with Thermarest reliabilty we're hoping it will have a long productive life. It is clearly too heavy and bulky for backpacking, but the advertising makes this clear and he already has a lightweight one for this purpose. He is particularly delighted to get a free thermarest seat kit, which makes this a very good deal at present.

I bought two of these, which have principally seen family use - for our daughters or us when we visit friends and family, for (their) friends when visiting us, etc. They have been perfect for this type of use. They are extremely comfortable to sleep on - far more so, to my mind, than an unfamiliar, oversoft mattress - and very packable (given that they will be thrown in the car). If weight and ultimate packability are not an issue, they are excellent.

Bought one of these to use while working for 12 weeks camping in the Alps, very impressed with how comfortable it was and how well it held up to day to day use for over 70 consecutive days. Used camping from 1000m up to 1600m and had no issues with warmth, probably a big heavy to take along if you are moving camp every day but perfect for car camping or any camping where you are unlikely to break camp every day.

We bought 2 of these xl for festivals and staying over at friends for the kids. Or visitors at our house. It has performed well for visitors and visiting. We will be testing for festivals this summer. It is surprisingly comfortable and rolls up small enough to carry small distances. It has a moderate weight but would not be suitableto carry backpacking on a daily basis. I think it will be a good compromise for weight and warmth for camping and festivals

Very good mat for general purpose use. A little slow to self inflate and needs a small top up every couple of days. Very pleased with the product and the service from Facewest. Used it for a week so far and am looking forward to many years of good use.