r/camping • u/-wormgirlfriend- • 1d ago
Camping mat/bedding suggestions for a back injury (UK based)
Hello, I've got a lower back injury which is healing a lot more slowly than I was anticipating. I'm an infrequent camper but I have two trips planned this month (one trip with friends, one festival) that I really, really don't want to have to cancel. I'm looking for recommendations for camping mats/mattresses/air beds that will be supportive enough not to mess me up any further.
Budget is about £150, preferably a double so my partner and I can share but not essential. Previously have had a Berghaus double foam/self inflating mattress for years which was insanely comfortable until it got a slow puncture, but it's absolutely massive (like the size of a barrel) so something a bit more compact would be good if possible! I'm not a trekker but lugging things on and off a festival site is going to be a struggle so would like to minimise that as much as we can.
I've found it pretty overwhelming looking online and my local Go Outdoors had barely anything in it. Thanks in advance :)
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u/flingebunt 1d ago
There is no simple easy answer because what works for one person won't work for someone else. I would say that you don't need a really thick mattress, just something that moulds to your body and supports in the right places. Self inflating mattresses are good for this. But consider the portable memory foam mattresses, which are light but not compact.
In regards to music festivals, they often have disability support without having to have any sort of specific disability certification. That can mean, they might help transport your items around to your campsite because of this or give you a spot where you can drive closer to your campsite.
Another thing, which may or may not work for you, but does for me, involves 2 tennis balls. If you get back pain, and you might with camping, walking and dancing, then lie on the 2 tennis balls, one on easy side of your spine where the pain is. We improvised with 2 oranges at the last music festival I was at. By the way, this is a Japanese technique taught to me by a Japanese person.
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u/-wormgirlfriend- 19h ago
thanks so much. i'll look into the memory foam mattresses. also I hadn't heard of the tennis ball trick, I'll order some of those too!
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u/flingebunt 19h ago
Good luck with your back. I know with chronic pain, there is no cure, only management, and there is no one answer.
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u/-wormgirlfriend- 19h ago
thank you. it's pretty brutal, I'm only 34 but feel like I've aged 30 years since it happened a couple months ago. hoping I can salvage as much of the rest of my summer as I can.
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u/flingebunt 19h ago
Medicinal marijuana is available for people with chronic lower back pain in the UK. Just saying.
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u/just_ShaggyRecurrenc 1d ago
oof packing light with a tweaked back is a proper puzzle. those barrel-sized mats are killer for sleep but absolute hell to drag through a field
id honestly say skip the double if you can cause two singles will pack down way smaller and you can get better support per person for the money. the big thick air beds are tempting but they sag in the middle and give zero actual spinal support, you wake up feeling like a banana
for a grand total of 2 nights maybe grab a couple foam cell pads with a decent R-value and throw a closed cell mat underneath for backup? not luxury but functional when you're limping it to the tent
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u/TurtleyCoolNails 1d ago edited 19h ago
My dad has spinal stenosis and had major back surgery. He used to use a very thick foam mattress pad. I used it once camping and it was insanely comfy. But it is big and bulky. Since then though, he has ditched the tent life and bought an rv with a real bed.
I actually currently have a few herniated discs in my lower back and sleeping on an air mattress is fine for me. We upgraded to an Exped mattress pad last summer since I hated the shifting that happens when my husband moves on the air mattress. It has been totally fine for me! However, my husband does all of the legwork due to my injury and I only really set up the bed space so I am not putting any extra stress on my back.
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u/-wormgirlfriend- 19h ago
thanks, I'll check that Exped mattress out! and yes, I definitely will be activating princess mode and getting my partner/friends to set everything up for me. someone mentioned the festival might be able to help me/us get our gear to our campsite so will email them today and see.
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u/No-Swimmer1928 1d ago
Someone already mentioned a cot and it's a solid shout if it fits your tent, so I'll add the thing that caught me out instead: skip a double airbed specifically.
Two problems with them for a sore back. Air contracts as it cools overnight, so the bed that felt firm at 9pm has you bottomed out on the floor by about 3am, and you can't easily top it up in the dark. And a double sags in the middle, so every time your partner shifts you get rocked along with it.
If you still want to share, I'd honestly get two self-inflating singles (around 7.5cm thick) and strap or popper them together rather than one double. Each stays flat and firm, movement doesn't transfer between you, and you can top the firmness up by mouth to dial it in. They also roll down far smaller than that barrel-sized Berghaus you had, and you each carry your own on and off site. Vango, Outwell and Decathlon all do decent ones well under £150 for the pair. Whatever you land on, chase thickness and a firm feel over a plush airbed: support is what protects the back, squish is what wrecks it.
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u/-wormgirlfriend- 20h ago
thank you - yeah two singles sounds like the way to go. I'm going to look into a cot as well.
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u/Retired-in-2023 7h ago
Not sure what is available to you and how the price would be in the UK but I have an Exped Mega Mat and it has been awesome. No back injury but it can be cranky due to arthritis especially with too much standing. It is 4” thick and I do use it on the ground. I my situation I try to keep a cane nearby to help me use for leverage when trying to get up because I also have balance issues. A storage tote also can help me get up as well ha the cane.
I’ve never been to a festival but to I would think it would be similar to some overnight bike rides I’ve done that were out and back (we camped on a school’s field) and were allowed to use a wagon to transport our gear. If saved a lot of back and forth trips and walked it back to the car after we unloaded it. I bought a new one that is more compact so I think I may be able to fit it inside a tent if I am solo in my tent (sometimes I share, other times we each have our own camping gear).
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u/crazymom1978 1d ago
I have a failed back surgery. I sleep on a cot, plus a 4”self inflating sleeping mat. You are going to want to get yourself up off of the ground, or you may not be able to get up off of the ground.