Hello Everyone! This is my first post. Thanks for this great forum, my husband Sheldon uses it a lot, and I will try not to embarrass him too much as I post in it as a total newbie to the forum.
I've read this whole thread as we prepare for a 12 day camping trip, and I just thought I'd post about the mattress we got, and the surprising conclusion of this mattress you mentioned, Smilepak. It turns out to suit our needs in the Model S perfectly--but not for the reasons you'd think!
As you can see from Smilepak's original photo of it above, it has cut outs for the wheel well. Those were what enticed us to get the matttress, and they would have worked just fine. They do fit the wheel well....
However, when you place the mattress in the Model S in this original orientation, there is a problem. That hump created by the seats folding down, is made worse, because the upper portion of the mattress is substantially
thicker than the lower portion:
But here's the thing: by simply turning the mattress around, one not only solves this problem, it improves it. THIS MATTRESS DECREASES THE HUMP, making it even more well suited to the Model S than one would think.
Note: there is still a hump, it is not entirely gone, but it is less extreme. Personally, as a woman with hips, I find the resulting small dip to be just right. It gives me a little support at the waist but not so much as to be uncomfortable on the lower back when laying on my back. At least, the test run felt good, for both my husband and I. We'll let you know after our trip how it faired!
Another note: this is a
thinner mattress than many, and the portion that is now at the top under the shoulders, is the thinnest area of the mattress. If you need a lot of give under the shoulder area, this mattress may not be for you. I'll let my husband Sheldon report on the comfort of the mattress for a man's shoulders.
Quality note: The material feels nice, but the durability of the mattress as a whole is a possible concern. It's not as heavy duty looking as some mattresses. It does come with a patch kit, as well as a pump.
As you may notice, the clever little wheel well flaps no longer line up, so they become redundant; they just lay down flat as part of the upper portion of the mattress. The section that is now squeezed between the wheel wells fits in just fine, though. It rides up a little bit on the sides, but not an issue, and one could deflate this middle section of the mattress a bit if one wanted to
. Here's a pic of the upper portion, being supported by a bin in the back seat. As you can see, the wheel well flaps are a bit thicker than this portion of the mattress itself, but they are inflated separately, so can be adjusted if it bothers you. They are a bit peripheral, so I don't expect to mind them. Here you can also see the valve location. Naturally I would push it in (it does recede) and also flip the mattress over so it's on the underside.
I appreciate that all sections of the mattress are inflated separately, so you can adjust the firmness of each. There are five valves total. Slower to inflate the thing I guess, but it makes for an excellent custom fit. Another nice thing is that the valves are all double valves: they have a fully open position, and a partially open position with a one-way valve that keeps the air in as you top it off. Easy to fill with our electric pump. We didn't use the one that came with it, as it is slower than the one we have, but it appears functional.
Oh, last point: I was originally concerned about it being too narrow for my husband and I, but we tried it out, and proximity to each other won't be a problem for us. We'll have room to sleep facing either direction. I'm optimistic that I will actually sleep on this trip! (Assuming the kids don't wake us up from their tent!)