Forget the air mattresses, self inflating or blow up.
Try this instead.
http://www.luxurylite.com/cotindex.html
It keeps you off the ground, very important.

 

Also...I use to backpack a bit, weight was a very important factor in my gear selections.
Now it's more about how small it packs, smaller is better.
I also suggest getting at least a 0 degree bag that has a cotton or poly-cotton liner.
Nylon gets clammy due to persperation by morning and to me it's just slick and uncomfortable. It can actually get downright slimy by the end of a week.
I also have gone to a tent I can stand up in, the Foundation Four by NorthFace.
It packs small enough to fit on my luggage rack and it gives me plenty of room to stand up in, makes putting on and taking off your clothes much, much easier. If you've ever had to spend 2 days in the rain in a tent you'll appreciate the room, so will your friends.
It takes about 20 mins to set up, big deal...I'm stopped for the night anyway and a'int doing nothing else.
Bottom line is if you don't sleep good at night and aren't comfortable the days get longer and harder quicker.

 

I usually prefer a nice Bed & Breakfast with a chef trained in the South of France.

 

2 words here.

North Face

Expensive...yes, it is. Bombproof? Just about. I have a pair of their tents. One is what they call a "3-season" tent which you can cram 2 people into or 1 very comfortably. The other is a full blown mountaineering tent (Mountain 25) from a lot of backpacking that will hold up under just about anything weather wise. Both pack down to very small rolls. I have a NF down bag good to -15 degrees. Down is expensive...but again more than worth the return and down bags pack down very small. Good thing about down is it packs down small. Bad thing is that when it gets wet, it will not insulate whereas polyfilled bags will keep you warm even when wet, however poly-filled bags are bulky.

Therma-rest pad is worth the space given the comfort you get out of it.

Stainless Steel cookware (don't even think about going cheap and buying aluminum), and a MSR XGK EX Stove that will run on any fuel from Coleman White gas to Diesel fuel and anything in between. I don't like the Butane powered stoves because once the temperature drops low, I think below 40 degrees it won't go from liquid to gas so the stove is worthless. Most of the stoves that MSR (Mountain Safety Research) makes run from an aluminum fuel bottle that you fill with whatever the stove will run. Also their stoves usually are sold with a spare parts kit, so any problems can usually be fixed on the spot, although I have never had one fail to work, plus their stoves (most of them) fold down to nothing, so space is saved.

One other item I will take if I am going to "tent it" is an REI candle lantern. Very small and enough light to be able to find your way around the inside of a tent with. Obviously no batteries or fuel to worry about carrying for it.

 

And size is try a cabelas, the one here in omaha has sleeping bags that roll up to the size of a pair of rolled up jeans. The also have some very compact tents, but they are not cheap. I found a cheap 2 man dome tent in a case about the size of a 1 cue pool stick case - I fit it between my luggage bag and sissy bar then my sleeping bag(regualr size) straps to the front of my lugage bag giving me a back rest.

 

I use a Sierra Designs Nightwatch tent. It's a 2-person, 3-season tent. I've had this thing for 13 years and I swear it is bulletproof! Sleeping bag is by Marmot. Not sure of the style.

The tent will store in a saddlebag along with my therm-a-rest. The sleeping bag is goose-down and will pack pretty small. I learned a while ago not to skimp on camping gear. Just like rain gear - you get what you pay for!

 

+1 on the MSR stove. It will work on reg unleaded which can be handy if ya run out of gas on the bike. Here is the one I use. Very small, light and sturdy. Will aslo run on kerosene, white fuel, diesel, and jet fuel (if got some of that laying around).

http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/stoves...xgk-ex/product

 

Tetragon 5 tent. Don't carry a sleeping bag, just a Thermarest mattress and a blanket (I don't camp when temps get down below ~40F).

 

Looks pretty comfy. But I could pay for a cheap hotel for several days for the cost. But Lifetime warrenty aint bad.
T