350 grams isn't the lightest in terms of modern inflatable camping mats, but it's in the right ballpark. What's more, the combination of weight, packsize and - crucially - price, is certainly one of the best available.
Alpkit's Numo is very stripped back; this is inflatable, not 'self inflating', so you'll need to provide all the lung power. Luckily it takes a matter of seconds to inflate which is a bit of a surprise given it blows up to 8.5 cm thickness. The Numo also does away with any form of insulation, so it's nothing but air between you and the cold ground. But as mentioned, this keeps the packsize miniscule and the price under £50.
The most daunting cut back is in width; once inflated, the Numo appears to present a challenge of balance as much as anything. We were quite convinced the night would entail realignment of body and bed on many occasions.
We were wrong. Perhaps the thickness of the Numo helped deepen our sleep, or maybe the oversized air chambers on either side of the mat help to keep the sleeper centralised. Whatever the reason, a sound sleep on a very chilly autumn night (frost was evident in the morning) was most welcome.
One minor grumble is the positioning of the valve makes it tricky to roll out every bit of air when deflating, but for comfort and convenience it scores very highly indeed. When you throw that low price into the mix, the Numo begins to look like a must-have piece of kit for any non-car-based camping trip.
