Planning for an upcoming camping trip Amy and I decided to purchase a sleeping bag and pad wide enough for both of us. We ended up with a Guide Gear self inflating pad and a King Camp Snowflake 300D
To make a comfortable bed for my wife and myself, we purchased a Guide Gear self inflating double sleeping pad and a King Camp Snowflake 300D double sized flannel sleeping bag.
The Guide Gear double sleeping pad measures 77″ x 51″ x 3″. The first question to address was would there be any room inside in the tipi with our bed set up?
The top of the sleeping pad is a soft, tan micro-suede and the bottom is a rugged polyester pack cloth material. “Self inflating pad” is a bit of a misnomer. It actually took quite a bit of effort to get it blown up, but once done, it was very comfortable. There are two chambers, each with its own inflation valve. The foam expands when you open the valves, self inflating, but to achieve a firm mattress you need to either blow more air into it or hook it up to a pump.
My wool blanket was big enough to cover the pad, which is important to protect it from sparks from the fire.
The flannel Snowflake 300D claims to be a 3 season bag. In fact it is a very comfortable, light weight summer sleeping bag. It unzips completely to make two quilts or two separate bags.
It was 58f (14.4c) when we went to bed and dropped to 50f (10c) by morning. We were cozy and warm in our new sleeping bag, but would have been uncomfortable if it had gotten much colder. Good enough for summer, but certainly not a three season bag.
A problem with cheap, fiber-filled sleeping bags is getting them back into their stuff sacks. This is twice as hard with a double. Unfortunately, the King Camp stuff sack is also cheaply made – one of the compression straps ripped out when I stowed the bag.
It was just as difficult to get the Guide Gear double sleeping pad packed. It took me three attempts before I managed to squeeze enough air out to roll it up as tightly as I needed to get it back in the bag. The pad and the bag are comfortable and will serve our needs well, but don’t expect to take them back packing. They are too heavy and too bulky for anything but car camping.
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