Sea to summit self inflating mattress good price

I doubt it will, I struggle with a very thing mattress topper. The issue is the final bit of at the back where there is the mattress cushion, there doesn't seem to be much space there.
How thin is your mattress topper? However, from what I have read i think it will be replacing the standard VW rather than augmenting it
 
How thin is your mattress topper? However, from what I have read i think it will be replacing the standard VW rather than augmenting it
I'd say less than 1cm. It has helped so we're sticking with it (it was a cheap one from Dunelm). This SIM does sound good, as you say removing the current mattress might be the solution.
 
Ah I would love to know whether it could be left up there with an ISOTOP and the VW mattress as that was my plan. If it cannot could it be left there at least without the VW mattress and if so how much more comfortable is it than the VW mattress ... didn't realise the ISOTOPSs took up so much room ! Will put my order on hold if I can to I have a better idea about this ...
I think with the Cali original mattress, No. But on its own and deflated, YES.
I have an isotop on preorder so will hang fire on getting a mattress too unless I just get one for downstairs and keep it on the back shelf (which was actually plan A anyway). I just need to know it’s folded dimensions and how much space it takes up in the back.
We have the Sea to Summit SIM and have only used it up top with the valves located towards the front of the van. We have a Woolroom mattress topper (queen) on top and have ditched both the upstairs and downstairs VW mattresses. You are advised to deflate the mattress during the day as the heat could increase the pressure. Therefore you will need to top it up each evening to your preferred pressure. When we are on the road we take the topper off and store downstairs, then release the air from the SIM (leaving it upstairs) before closing the roof. In our opinion it really has been a good purchase especially when used with the Woolroom topper. The benefit of ditching the downstairs mattress means we can raise the rack in the boot and get greater storage flexibility, a small win but in the scheme of things a massive help. The mattress when deflated can also be put back in the storage sack that doesn't take up much space. Wishing you happy comfortable sleeping.
Hi Billylou. That all sounds brilliant. Do you know the dimensions of it when packed down? Or a have photo?
 
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That’s brilliant, Billylou. To get it in the bag do you fold it in half lengthwise (side to side), then roll it up?

BTW, love the milk bottle for scale :thumb .
 
Bought one of these and used it the house as we had an overflow of visitors. According the lady that slept on it - it was the best night sleep she had in ages - really comfortable ! Just need this weather to improve to try it out in the van
 
Costco are selling a Lightspeed self inflating sleep pad for £23 and its seems pefectly capable for one.
 
I find this to be effective for inflation and deflation. It’s got enough puff to inflate the mattress while lying on it (to reach the the valves at the back when the weather feels too bad to go outside.)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07XJY2TCW/?tag=vwcalifornia-21
 
Like the idea of the second one - that is the Tomight Electric air pump- with the inflate and deflate option but would prefer to plug it in rather than have a battery.

Anybody using something similar with the Sea to Summit VW mattress ?

Seen the first one(Sea to Summit Jet Stream) being demonstrated on You tube and it seemed a bit of a palava .
 
Like the idea of the second one - that is the Tomight Electric air pump- with the inflate and deflate option but would prefer to plug it in rather than have a battery.

Anybody using something similar with the Sea to Summit VW mattress ?

Seen the first one(Sea to Summit Jet Stream) being demonstrated on You tube and it seemed a bit of a palava .
It will fill and deflate the mattress more times than I’ve needed it from a single charge. It charges from USB. Why would you like a wire?
 
It's not that I would like a wire its that I don't want a Lithium battery

https://viceprovost.tufts.edu//ehs/files/The-Hazards-of-Lithium-Batteries.pdf

Do you know whether the battery is removable so I could perhaps replace with a better quality branded battery - though I would still prefer one without a battery though I guess i would need a 12v connection as oppossed to a USB point (only 5 volts i think).

I take it you are using it to inflate and deflate the Sea to Summit Comfort mattress and it is compatible with the valves? Must admit the hardest bit using the STS mattress when inflating and deflating it manually so far is the deflating bit though it is supposed to get better over time
 
Hi all,

I'm getting my own Cali in two weeks :) , we rented some cali's last year and the thing i didn't like was the size of the vw mattress downstairs.
So when I ordered my cali i didn't opt for the optional mattress downstairs.

This leaves me in a quest for a good alternative. The main features that are important for me are, compact size and decent comfort.

I was reading through the forum, and saw the Sea to Summit solution. Looks like a winner.

However has anyone ever tried to fit two single one's downstairs?

It's 64cm's in width, I thought the downstairs mattress is about 120cm?

This way you have two smaller packages that are more easy to handle.

Greetings
Leo (Belgium)
 
Hi @Racerke600, I have the Sea to Summit SIM specifically for the camper (with the cutout in the corner) and in my Ocean it fits beautifully when mostly compressed and just folded in half on the rear shelf.
 
Dead simple, trip to IKEA 140cm mattress topper, home unzip cut foam to size, sewing machine, cover inside out, refit foam, sew around to suit foam (watch the zip your gonna off), cut excess off zig zag the edge, turn right side out, put foam back in zip up, job done.

It does help the T4 Cali having a totally flat bed... it’s comfy and warmer in winter.
 
Hi @Racerke600, based on your post I would assume you are concerned about saving space. The deflated SIM can be left up top with the roof down /up which means it'll take up no additional storage space in the van. This assumes you'd be leaving the upper mattress at home and that you'll only being using the top or bottom bed and not both at the same time. Sorry this doesn't address your question regarding dimensions. I'd guess you could lose 8cm through compression across the 2 SIM's but that is quite an expensive gamble. If only 2 of you will be sleeping in the van and you plan to sleep together you might want to consider the double SIM with cut out as it can be used up and downstairs.

Indeed if it were just the two of us, that seems a good solution.
And if we take the teenager with us, we can always rearrange it a bit. Throw the SIM folded up in the back and have the standard mattress at the top, or vice versa.

I've been looking at other solutions also, like the mentioned Ikea toppers. But when I was at Ikea's they seemed so thin. Can hardly imagine this will give me the comfort i'm after.

To be honest the standard VW mattress for the bottom was also a bit disappointing.

How well would you rate the SIM over the standard VW mattress.

Thanks
 
Some good info here re Sim - especially from Roger

 
Indeed if it were just the two of us, that seems a good solution.
And if we take the teenager with us, we can always rearrange it a bit. Throw the SIM folded up in the back and have the standard mattress at the top, or vice versa.

I've been looking at other solutions also, like the mentioned Ikea toppers. But when I was at Ikea's they seemed so thin. Can hardly imagine this will give me the comfort i'm after.

To be honest the standard VW mattress for the bottom was also a bit disappointing.

How well would you rate the SIM over the standard VW mattress.

Thanks
The deflated Sea to Summit and a wool topper folded up on the back shelf don’t take up a great deal of room in my opinion and I have not found a more luxurious and comfortable setup in a campervan yet.

1246CD2B-38A3-4BC5-9FED-8713629E0B14.jpeg
 
Hi @Racerke600, I have the Sea to Summit SIM specifically for the camper (with the cutout in the corner) and in my Ocean it fits beautifully when mostly compressed and just folded in half on the rear shelf.
What is the height of it when folded in half and mostly compressed, SailSki?
 
Hi, I have the Sea to Summit SIM and have removed the IExtend mattress that I had downstairs and the SIM is super comfortable just on the folded down seat.
I squeeze much of the air out of it and it then sits very happily folded in 3 on the rear shelf. I can also used it upstairs, on top of the standard VW mattress and small end part.
I have an internal isotop and I wasn’t sure if the roof would close with the SIM deflated and the isotop in place even if the VW mattress were removed, but in any case for now I prefer to have the SIM on the rear shelf so I can sleep downstairs without needing to put the roof up to retrieve the mattress if trying to keep a low profile.
Fully recommend the STS SIM
Good point about not needing to raise the roof to retrieve. We find the upstairs mattress okay and only sleep downstairs if the weather's bad or if we need to stay low profile (like SailSki) in either situation we don't want to have to raise the roof so back shelf would be good for us too.

Now I've decided to order one though, you can't get one for love nor money!
 
Hi all,

I'm getting my own Cali in two weeks :) , we rented some cali's last year and the thing i didn't like was the size of the vw mattress downstairs.
So when I ordered my cali i didn't opt for the optional mattress downstairs.

This leaves me in a quest for a good alternative. The main features that are important for me are, compact size and decent comfort.

I was reading through the forum, and saw the Sea to Summit solution. Looks like a winner.

However has anyone ever tried to fit two single one's downstairs?

It's 64cm's in width, I thought the downstairs mattress is about 120cm?

This way you have two smaller packages that are more easy to handle.

Greetings
Leo (Belgium)
The downstairs bed in an Ocean is only 110cm wide. If the Coast you're getting has the kitchen, like the Ocean it'll probably be the same.

We had 2 Thermarest deluxe singles that are 65 cm wide (each) in our old Toyoata Hiace. We tried them in our Cali Ocean today. They go up at each side by about 10 cm and at the curved corner even more. It's doable but a bit of a nuisance as it means a little less space to sleep in.

I want to order the STS anyway but there are none to be had at the moment (UK ordering). We usually sleep up top but will be camping where the weather can be notoriously very windy, so we may have to take the Thermarests and use them for now.

I think because the STS is only 110 cm wide it will be easier to deal with than 2 x 64cm mattresses.
 
How well would you rate the SIM over the standard VW mattress.

Thanks
The SIM has proved to be much more comfortable than the VW mattress. You have the ability to determine how firm or soft you want the SIM which you can't with the VW mattress. You will have to go through some learning in terms of inflation and deflation and how firm or soft you need it, that takes a while but is worth it. We do put a wool topper on it, not that it's needed but it adds to the comfort. We leave it up the top saving space. I'd say it's worth taking a chance, if it doesn't work i'd say you'd have a good chance selling it on the forum.
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Where was your wool topper from, BillyLou? Do you still stay cool if the weather's hot?
 
Hi @Elly Swanson, from our experience I can confidently say yes. However if its a hot evening/night it doesn't matter what you're laying on I guess you'll always feel hot. The topper is fixed to the SIM using the elasticated straps and then we put a sheet over it.
Thanks Billylou. I had a look at the woolroom site via the link you post. They do some lovely stuff. We're sorted for quilts and blankets and, like you, have different thicknesses so we can layer up when cold or strip back if hot. Just need to get an STS and suss it out in situ now before thinking of a topper. Personally I like a really hard bed so a well pumped up SIM is great for me but my hubby's back likes it just a tad softer. For now it looks like we'll be taking our Thermarest Deluxe single SIMs, which are fantastic but combined are 20cm too wide for the downstairs bed, so a bit of a squeeze (especially at the corner).
 
The downstairs bed in an Ocean is only 110cm wide. If the Coast you're getting has the kitchen, like the Ocean it'll probably be the same.

We had 2 Thermarest deluxe singles that are 65 cm wide (each) in our old Toyoata Hiace. We tried them in our Cali Ocean today. They go up at each side by about 10 cm and at the curved corner even more. It's doable but a bit of a nuisance as it means a little less space to sleep in.

I want to order the STS anyway but there are none to be had at the moment (UK ordering). We usually sleep up top but will be camping where the weather can be notoriously very windy, so we may have to take the Thermarests and use them for now.

I think because the STS is only 110 cm wide it will be easier to deal with than 2 x 64cm mattresses.

Meanwhile I bought and tested the sea-to-summit vw specific mattress , it's verry comfy :cool:
 

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