flyerbjorn

Starting in the United forum since I'm trying to improve my sleep in Polaris business.

I just flew ANA in C on the 787-9 for the first time and had one of the best sleeps in C ever. I generally struggle to sleep on planes, even in C. NH provided a thicker and more comfortable sleeping pad (picture below). Most of my flying is on UA SYD-SFO, currently operated with a 787 in 2-2-2 C configuration. I find the seats too hard to sleep on for a long time. I'm fine for the first few hours, but then I get uncomfortable.

This got me thinking. What if I bring a self inflatable hiking mattress? I quite like the idea of a softer bed to sleep on. I'm mainly a long haul flier and bring a lot of stuff. Adding something bulky to my carry on is fine. These days, hiking mattresses are pretty small and lightweight.

Has anyone else thought of this, or tried it? How do the 2-2-2 and 1-2-1 seats compare for sleeping? According to United, both seats are 6'6" long, but differ in width: 20.6" vs. 23".



ANA sleeping pad.

anc-ord772

You might find this travelsort post useful.

Kacee

I also loved the NH mattress pad, wish more airlines provided something similar.

The Polaris seat is better cushioned than the B/E Diamond seat on the 788/9 (but not as well cushioned as the old sUA IPTE seat).

I could see one of the ultralight Thermarests (or similar) improving the cushioning, but note those things can be a little challenging to deflate in a confined space.

mduell

I agree the B/E Diamond is too hard for sleeping, I prefer the IPTE J for sleeping.

WineCountryUA

An older thread from Travel Products forum, Bring your own mattress pad onboard?, also mentions Thermarests

GoSh4rks

Inflating it isn't as big a problem as deflating it and storing it. It takes me easily 5 minutes to deflate and pack my Thermarest Neoair when I'm out backpacking - and a smooth hard surface is very much preferred.

flyerbjorn

Thanks for all the suggestions. This is starting to sound like a good idea, so I'll stop by a well stocked camping store later in the week. I'll make sure to try inflating and deflating before buying.

jsloan

You might also want to check with the TSA and ensure that whatever inflation mechanism it uses is allowed past the security checkpoint. Manual pumps are likely OK; compressed gases may not be.

Kacee

REI will have a good selection. The Thermarest neoair is the original ultralight. Big Agnes makes a similar product. They are not cheap.

These products don't have inflation mechanisms. Lung power.

chrisl137

I have an Exped and my GF has a Sea to Summit, both are very easy to deflate and you can just stuff them into their tiny stuff sacks without having to roll them like a thermarest that has the internal foam. The Exped has a tiny little plastic stick tethered at the valve that you can use to lodge the valve open while deflating and packing it. They fit approximately into a volume a little larger around than a grande, and maybe a little taller than a grande and shorter than a venti.

fumje

Technically, diaphragm pwer.

I never felt the seat needed more padding, but especially in the new Polaris cabin, I think deflating is probably not too difficult. The trick is to roll it up, kneel on it, and then cap it. Then it slides back into its sleeve easily, and there is enough space to do that in the new seat. In the old seat, I imagine the legrest must be down to have enough space for that.

Kacee

Don't know about you, but those last 20 minutes before arrival after an overnight, I am not at my best. This is when I leave stuff on airplanes (by mistake). Not sure I'd want to be battling a thermarest.

Interested in the pads mentioned by chrisl137, which sound considerably easier.

fumje

I have learned to make a packing routine for the last 20 minutes, but that comes after having left several things on board at various times. Agree that adding one more thing could be a problem.

I'm not specifically familiar with the ones chrisl137 mentioned, but they sound similar to the ones REI sells (Airrail?). As long as there is a valve that can be manipulated, I think the packing procedure can be made relatively easy.

tarheelnj

Just curious - if you use one of these on a seat in a lay-flat, non-Polaris aisle seat next to a window seat (e.g., "B" or "K" seat on a PMCO 772), would this make it harder for the passenger by the window to step over you to get out of their seat while you're sleeping?

Obviously not an issue with Polaris, all-aisle-access, seats.

chrisl137

They're basically old-school air mattresses redesigned using modern plastics and manufacturing methods. The plastic is superthin (but tough) and they have welds between the layers in patterns that let them be very thin, even after inflation, but still very comfortable. The first few times I packed it by trying to roll it back the way it came, but realized that like a tent or a sleeping bag, it was better to use the stuff sack as a stuff sack, and just start from the bottom and work it in, letting the residual air out the top. Doing it that way helps keep from putting creases in the same places every time. They're generally bright colors (blue, orange) to make them harder to lose track of. Both the ones I referred to came from REI.

ETA: here's an example with stowed and deployed dimensions