Sleeping pad use in Roomette

[Eyegor]

Has anyone used an air mattress as a sleeping pad for a roomette lower bunk? The wife is concerned about getting good rest enroute. According to published dimensions it should fit and is sort of self inflating so that shouldn't be a problem. Likewise, I think that daytime storage won't be a problem. It fits in our carry on. Just wondering if anyone has given it a try.

P.S. 3 days till our 3wk Amtrak getaway starts. Thanks in advance.

 

[AG1]

I have no experience with a self rising foam sleeping pad on a train. However, I think that a 2 or 3 inch pad could work . You could place it under the made up bed mattress so as not to have to rearrange the sheets and blanket. A true "air mattress" without a foam core would be too bouncy and send you flying at some point.

 

[the_traveler]

I never have, but I'll tell you that the lower berth has much more padding then the upper berth. The reason is the lower berth is made up by combining the seats (in a Roomette) or extending the couch (in a bedroom) with their cushions - and then the mattress is placed on top of that. The upper berth only has the mattress.

 

[river]

I agree that the bottom bunk is surprisingly comfortable. The mattress goes over the cushioned seats--you don't need anything extra for comfort.

 

[Tennessee Traveler]

I'll be traveling July 24 to August 6 on Coast Starlight, Empire Builder, and Southwest Chief in Roomette. I am wondering if SCA will allow me to place the upper bunk mattress on top of or under the bottom level mattress to raise the height of the bed for "star gazing out my window". I have traveled many times in roometts and just would like to have my bed a little higher for looking out the window at night from the bed.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I'll be traveling July 24 to August 6 on Coast Starlight, Empire Builder, and Southwest Chief in Roomette. I am wondering if SCA will allow me to place the upper bunk mattress on top of or under the bottom level mattress to raise the height of the bed for "star gazing out my window". I have traveled many times in roometts and just would like to have my bed a little higher for looking out the window at night from the bed.

Shouldnt be a Problem! Its your Room, you're paying for it! Just ask the SCA to set up your Bed that way or its Easy to do it yourself if you make up your own Room!! SCAs have absolutely No Reason to Refuse Requests like this unless they are Lazy or Control Freaks! They Work for You, you Dont Work for Them! (and if they give you a hassle, go ahead and fix it yourself, then call Customer Relations and "Forget" to Tip!

 

[greatcats]

Just do it.

 

[AlanB]

I'll be traveling July 24 to August 6 on Coast Starlight, Empire Builder, and Southwest Chief in Roomette. I am wondering if SCA will allow me to place the upper bunk mattress on top of or under the bottom level mattress to raise the height of the bed for "star gazing out my window". I have traveled many times in roometts and just would like to have my bed a little higher for looking out the window at night from the bed.

Shouldnt be a Problem! Its your Room, you're paying for it! Just ask the SCA to set up your Bed that way or its Easy to do it yourself if you make up your own Room!! SCAs have absolutely No Reason to Refuse Requests like this unless they are Lazy or Control Freaks! They Work for You, you Dont Work for Them! (and if they give you a hassle, go ahead and fix it yourself, then call Customer Relations and "Forget" to Tip!

Actually I could see many SCA's not wanting to do it. Remember, the mattress is already made up with sheets & blankets. It's not just the mattress that they have to move. Furthermore, one has to sort of dig the upper bunk's mattress out of the bunk, since it's in a depression to keep it from sliding around. And the SCA will have to remake that bed, maybe even change the linens after such an exercise.

 

[OBS]

I'll be traveling July 24 to August 6 on Coast Starlight, Empire Builder, and Southwest Chief in Roomette. I am wondering if SCA will allow me to place the upper bunk mattress on top of or under the bottom level mattress to raise the height of the bed for "star gazing out my window". I have traveled many times in roometts and just would like to have my bed a little higher for looking out the window at night from the bed.

Shouldnt be a Problem! Its your Room, you're paying for it! Just ask the SCA to set up your Bed that way or its Easy to do it yourself if you make up your own Room!! SCAs have absolutely No Reason to Refuse Requests like this unless they are Lazy or Control Freaks! They Work for You, you Dont Work for Them! (and if they give you a hassle, go ahead and fix it yourself, then call Customer Relations and "Forget" to Tip!

Actually I could see many SCA's not wanting to do it. Remember, the mattress is already made up with sheets & blankets. It's not just the mattress that they have to move. Furthermore, one has to sort of dig the upper bunk's mattress out of the bunk, since it's in a depression to keep it from sliding around. And the SCA will have to remake that bed, maybe even change the linens after such an exercise.

I have to agree with Alan.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Actually I could see many SCA's not wanting to do it. Remember, the mattress is already made up with sheets & blankets. It's not just the mattress that they have to move. Furthermore, one has to sort of dig the upper bunk's mattress out of the bunk, since it's in a depression to keep it from sliding around. And the SCA will have to remake that bed, maybe even change the linens after such an exercise.

I understand your point Alan (and OBS also), but I'll still go with what I said,it's not that Hard to Do! As greatcats said (with Credit to Nike!) "Just Do It!" Often it's better to do things without asking than to Ask and be Denied!

 

[OBS]

Actually I could see many SCA's not wanting to do it. Remember, the mattress is already made up with sheets & blankets. It's not just the mattress that they have to move. Furthermore, one has to sort of dig the upper bunk's mattress out of the bunk, since it's in a depression to keep it from sliding around. And the SCA will have to remake that bed, maybe even change the linens after such an exercise.

I understand your point Alan (and OBS also), but I'll still go with what I said,it's not that Hard to Do! As greatcats said (with Credit to Nike!) "Just Do It!" Often it's better to do things without asking than to Ask and be Denied!

Then I would just add...Please be careful, the mattress on upper berth is rather heavy and awkward to handle.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Actually I could see many SCA's not wanting to do it. Remember, the mattress is already made up with sheets & blankets. It's not just the mattress that they have to move. Furthermore, one has to sort of dig the upper bunk's mattress out of the bunk, since it's in a depression to keep it from sliding around. And the SCA will have to remake that bed, maybe even change the linens after such an exercise.

I understand your point Alan (and OBS also), but I'll still go with what I said,it's not that Hard to Do! As greatcats said (with Credit to Nike!) "Just Do It!" Often it's better to do things without asking than to Ask and be Denied!

Then I would just add...Please be careful, the mattress on upper berth is rather heavy and awkward to handle.

:hi: Good point, maybe Newbies shouldn't try this, guess I should have said "Experienced" Riders can do this themselves!

 

[roomette]

Been there done that not worth the effort.

Edited to add that extra pillows are SO worth it. Bring your fav.

 

[Eyegor]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm pretty sure my better half will bring the sleeping pad no matter what. But hey, maybe I can "lose" it somewhere along the way if the cushions are working well. Great tip on bringing pillows. It was on my mental list but I've lost that page already.

 

[BCL]

Just curious as to what's meant by a "sleeping pad"? Are we talking maybe a thick inflatable air mattress like from Coleman or Intex? Or perhaps a self-inflating backpacking style sleeping pad like from Therm-A-Rest or Big Agnes? The latter is something that could be stuffed in a bag and handled pretty easily by oneself. I can't imagine an attendant really wanting to fumble with a real air mattress.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Just curious as to what's meant by a "sleeping pad"? Are we talking maybe a thick inflatable air mattress like from Coleman or Intex? Or perhaps a self-inflating backpacking style sleeping pad like from Therm-A-Rest or Big Agnes? The latter is something that could be stuffed in a bag and handled pretty easily by oneself. I can't imagine an attendant really wanting to fumble with a real air mattress.

Two different conversations going on in one thread.

 

[MiRider]

My husband is insisting on bringing a sleeping pad on our 6 night trip.

It's self inflating and maybe 1" - 1 1/2" thick.

He actually thought that he would fold it and use it on the seat too. :blink: :giggle:

He really doesn't remember how small a roomette is and how little room you have to play with.

A couple of pillows are about all you can use on the seat without making your (and your room mate's) comfort level worse.

As for sleeping, I'll take the upper and I think I'll be fine with the Amtrak provided accouterments.

 

[Mn Mother Mary]

My husband brought the self-inflating pad. It worked great. We just left it on the top bunk during the day and it was out of the way when the top bunk was lifted up for day use. When you are used to a 25 on a sleep number bed. The train is a little hard

 

[BCL]

My husband is insisting on bringing a sleeping pad on our 6 night trip.It's self inflating and maybe 1" - 1 1/2" thick.

He actually thought that he would fold it and use it on the seat too. :blink: :giggle:

He really doesn't remember how small a roomette is and how little room you have to play with.

A couple of pillows are about all you can use on the seat without making your (and your room mate's) comfort level worse.

Therm-A-Rest has seat cushions too made just like their self-inflating and closed-cell accordian sleeping pads.

I've also got something like three of those Therm-A-Rest collapsible pillows. They're actually stuffed with the little pieces of foam cut out from the big sleeping pads. These are really nice though. I've taken them with me on trips and it's nice having a reasonable sized pillow that I can compact into something about half the size of a pillow.

 

[MiRider]

My husband is insisting on bringing a sleeping pad on our 6 night trip.It's self inflating and maybe 1" - 1 1/2" thick.

He actually thought that he would fold it and use it on the seat too. :blink: :giggle:

He really doesn't remember how small a roomette is and how little room you have to play with.

A couple of pillows are about all you can use on the seat without making your (and your room mate's) comfort level worse.

Therm-A-Rest has seat cushions too made just like their self-inflating and closed-cell accordian sleeping pads.

I've also got something like three of those Therm-A-Rest collapsible pillows. They're actually stuffed with the little pieces of foam cut out from the big sleeping pads. These are really nice though. I've taken them with me on trips and it's nice having a reasonable sized pillow that I can compact into something about half the size of a pillow.

Thanks for the info, checking the pillows and seat cushions out on Amazon right now.

 

[chakk]

I'll be traveling July 24 to August 6 on Coast Starlight, Empire Builder, and Southwest Chief in Roomette. I am wondering if SCA will allow me to place the upper bunk mattress on top of or under the bottom level mattress to raise the height of the bed for "star gazing out my window". I have traveled many times in roometts and just would like to have my bed a little higher for looking out the window at night from the bed.

Shouldnt be a Problem! Its your Room, you're paying for it! Just ask the SCA to set up your Bed that way or its Easy to do it yourself if you make up your own Room!! SCAs have absolutely No Reason to Refuse Requests like this unless they are Lazy or Control Freaks! They Work for You, you Dont Work for Them! (and if they give you a hassle, go ahead and fix it yourself, then call Customer Relations and "Forget" to Tip!

Actually I could see many SCA's not wanting to do it. Remember, the mattress is already made up with sheets & blankets. It's not just the mattress that they have to move. Furthermore, one has to sort of dig the upper bunk's mattress out of the bunk, since it's in a depression to keep it from sliding around. And the SCA will have to remake that bed, maybe even change the linens after such an exercise.

I certainly hope the SCAs are changing the linens on EVERY bed in a sleeping car room after each use, regardless of how many passengers were booked into the room. Whose to say which bed the passenger chose to sleep in -- maybe even both during a trip by a single passenger?

 

[AlanB]

Actually I could see many SCA's not wanting to do it. Remember, the mattress is already made up with sheets & blankets. It's not just the mattress that they have to move. Furthermore, one has to sort of dig the upper bunk's mattress out of the bunk, since it's in a depression to keep it from sliding around. And the SCA will have to remake that bed, maybe even change the linens after such an exercise.

I certainly hope the SCAs are changing the linens on EVERY bed in a sleeping car room after each use, regardless of how many passengers were booked into the room. Whose to say which bed the passenger chose to sleep in -- maybe even both during a trip by a single passenger?

Nope, the linens would only be changed if the upper bunk showed that it had been disturbed by the passenger. In most cases the SCA makes up the bed(s) at night an knows which bed was used. Additionally, one can't use the upper bunk without disturbing the kit for the lower bunk.

 

[Eyegor]

Wanted to update everyone on this experiment. The wife reports it makes a nice improvement for the bottom bunk. Wee only inflate it half way and it fits and feels great.

P.S. saw a couple traveling in coach doing the same thing in their seats. I think if I was in coach and had an air mattress I would be loking for floor space but c'est la vie.

 

[rrdude]

Wanted to update everyone on this experiment. The wife reports it makes a nice improvement for the bottom bunk. Wee only inflate it half way and it fits and feels great.P.S. saw a couple traveling in coach doing the same thing in their seats. I think if I was in coach and had an air mattress I would be loking for floor space but c'est la vie.

After a few beers on NYE, I found the luggage racks in the Superliners a nice place to nap for the night, of course I was only 18 years old, but "a flat-space is-flat-space".....