Camping can be one of the most memorable experiences with your friends and family. Spending time in nature, and sleeping under the stars connects you with the universe. One of the most important things for a comfortable night’s sleep is your camping sleeping pad. Nobody wants to sleep with a stone, pinecone, or stick poking them while they sleep.
That’s where choosing the best camping sleeping pad for your adventure is crucial. But how to choose? No need to worry. We’ve spent nights, days, and weeks testing sleeping pads. And are here to help you determine which is the right pad for you to have a memorable experience in the outdoors.
In choosing the best sleeping pad (sometimes called mattresses, or mats), it helps to understand the three types.
Camping Sleeping Pad – 3 Types
1. Closed-cell foam
These mats are what you might think of your Dad sleeping on back in the day. A closed-cell foam camping sleeping pad is great because they are exceptionally light. They are also water-proof. Meaning, if you sit or sleep on wet ground, the moisture will not transfer through the foam.
They also provide fantastic insulation value. It’s similar to using closed-cell foam to insulate your house. If you are sitting around a campfire in the winter, sit on one of these pads. Your bum will stay warm and dry.
Durability is also a plus. A closed-cell foam pad will not puncture and deflate while you are sleeping. Lastly, they are super quick to set up – simply unroll or unfold, and it’s all done. Because a closed-cell foam pad only has 3/4 – 1 inch of padding, they are not as comfortable. Also, they are bulky. Typically, you’ll see these camping sleeping pads strapped to the outside of a backpack. That’s because there is not enough room inside the pack.
- Pros: Inexpensive, durable, waterproof, quick to set-up, provide insulation
- Cons: Bulky, not as comfortable
- Best Use: Ultralight minimalists who want a quick set-up/pack-up solution
- How I Use Mine: I use my Thermarest Z Lite SOL for winter camping under my Thermarest NeoAir XTherm. The Z Lite SOL provides extra insulation and protection against moisture.
2. Self-Inflating
Self-inflating mats utilize open-cell foam on the inside with an exterior fabric. When you open the valve, air enters the open cells and fills the pad. Hence, the category name of self-inflating. This type of camping sleeping pad can take a while to inflate. Therefore, it’s best to store it with the valve open so that the foam doesn’t compress and fills quickly.
These pads range in thickness from 1.5 – 4 inches thick. Similar to closed-cell foam, when rolled up, they take up quite a bit of room. Therefore, they are typically used for car camping. Due to the nature of the foam and air, open-cell pads provide a ton of warmth. Therefore, they can be used as a 4-season pad. The downside is that they are less durable and heavier than closed-cell, and heavier than air-filled pads.
- Pros: Ultra-comfortable sleep, easy to inflate, warmth, still provides some cushion if it gets punctured
- Cons: Heavier and bulkier than closed-cell and air-filled pads
- Best Use: Car camping or someone not worried about weight or bulk when backpacking. Four season camping.
- How I Use Mine: I prefer to use my Thermarest Luxury Map Sleeping Pad in conjunction with my Helinox Cot on car camping trips. It provides an awesome night’s sleep!
3. Air-Filled
There are tons of different types of air-filled camping sleeping pads. Over time, they have become lighter. Nowadays, they often contain insulation, whether that’s PrimaLoft™, or a metalized film to reflect your body heat. An air-filled camping sleeping pad can range in thickness from 2” up to 4” and the quilted baffles are designed to provide support.
Before sleeping on an air-filled camping sleeping pad, you must inflate it. The thicker or larger the pad, the longer it takes to inflate. Most pads will inflate in less than 3-minutes. Additionally, many will come with a pump sack so that you don’t get dizzy inflating the pad. When rolled up, they are typically the size of a Nalgene bottle. So, they take up very little room in your backpack or car.
One downside of an air-filled sleeping pad is the fabric can be noisy. If you toss and turn a lot in your sleep, it could be disturbing to your partner. Also, if you get a puncture, they deflate and provide no support or insulation. So, you always need to carry a patch kit.
- Pros: Ultralight, small size when rolled up, various levels of insulation, comfortable.
- Cons: More delicate, need to be careful not to puncture them, can be more expensive, can be noisy
- Best Use: backpackers or car campers not looking to take up a lot of space in their vehicle.
- How I Use Mine: For 3-season backpacking, I’ll use my Nemo Equipment Tensor Insulated. For 1-season ultralight trips, I’ll use my Thermarest NeoAir UberLite. For winter or cold camping, I’ll use my Thermarest NeoAir XTherm for max insulation.
Things to Consider When Buying a Camping Sleeping Pad
Now that you’ve got the basics of the three types of sleeping pads, it’s time to consider a few things before making your purchase. The last thing you want to do is get the wrong sleeping pad, be miserable on your trip, and have to buy the right one, later on.
1. Types of Camping
Car Camping
The first thing to think about is what type of camping you are going to be using the sleeping pad. Will this be for car camping? If that’s the case and space and weight are not an issue, then an open-cell foam pad will provide a ton of comfort and warmth. If you have a smaller vehicle and space is an issue, then maybe you’ll want to use an air-filled pad because it rolls up nice and small (around the size of a Nalgene bottle).
- My choice: Thermarest Luxury Map Pad
Backpacking
Will you use the sleeping pad for car camping and backpacking? If that’s the case, then I’d suggest a thicker air-filled pad that will provide a ton of great comfort, but also doesn’t take up a lot of room in your backpack.
Ultralight
If you are more focused on backpacking, go with a lighter air-filled pad that takes up less space when rolled up. If you are doing a long-distance thru-hike, you’ll want to look at the lightest options for air-filled and closed-cell foam pads. You can also choose a short pad that is around 48 inches long and use your backpack under your feet.
- My choice: Thermarest NeoAir™ UberLite
2. Insulation
What time of the year will you be using this sleeping pad? Will you only camp in the summer when it’s warm outside? If that’s the case, an insulated camping sleeping pad isn’t as important. Whereas if you’ll be camping in the spring and fall, or at high elevations where temps can still be cold in the summer, an insulated option will be your best bet.
Insulation in a camping sleeping pad is essential because when you use a sleeping bag, you are compressing the insulation below you. When Insulation is compressed, it loses its thermal properties because it can’t trap air to keep you warm. Heat travels from warm to cold. By slowing the transfer of your body heat to the ground below, your sleeping pad acts as an insulation barrier. The higher the delta between your body temp and ground temp determines the R-Value you will need.
Camping during the winter on the snow? Then you’ll want the max insulation you can get. I use the Thermarest RidgeRest SOLite with the Thermarest NeoAir XTherm for maximum insulation. For myself, I like to choose the pad that will work the best across the majority of conditions, and for me, that’s the Nemo Tensor Insulated. Here is a helpful chart for what insulation you should look for based on if you are a warm sleeper or cold sleeper.
- Warm Temps: consistently warm air outside and ground temps
- Warm Sleepers: up to R-1.0
- Cold Sleepers: up to R-2.0
- Cool Temps: cool air temps in the morning and night with a possibility of mild ground frost
- Warm Sleepers: R-1.0 to R-2.0
- Cold Sleepers: R-2.0 to R-4.0
- Cold Temps: cold air temps in the morning and night with a possibility of heavy ground frost
- Warm Sleepers: R-3.0 to R-5.0
- Cold Sleepers: R-4.0 to R-6.0
- Extreme Temps: below freezing temps day and night with cold to frozen ground
- Warm Sleepers: R-5+
- Cold Sleepers: R-6+
3. Comfort
Are you a side-sleeper, back-sleeper, toss & turn sleeper? Maybe you like sleeping on a firm horse-hair mattress. These are all considerations to think about before you purchase a camping sleeping pad.
The thickness of the pad determines the level of plushness and comfort. A 4-inch self-inflating (open-cell) pad or a 4-inch air-filled pad will be more comfortable than a closed-cell pad, or a 2-inch air-filled pad.
4. Weight
Are you car camping, backpacking, or a weight weenie? If you are car camping, weight is not going to be as much of a factor. If you are walking the Pacific Crest Trail, you’ll probably want the lightest possible sleeping pad. For myself, I prefer the Nemo Tensor Insulated short backpack trips. The Thermarest NeoAir UberLite is my go-to choice for longer backpacking trips. And on car camping trips, I like the Thermarest LuxuryMap with my Helinox cot.
5. Space/Volume
The space the camping sleeping pad will occupy in your backpack or car is also a factor. If you have room in your car, a nice thick self-inflating pad is excellent, but if you have a 38-liter backpack, every cubic inch of space is valuable. Two of the smallest volume sleeping pads are the Sea to Summit Ultralight, Thermarest NeoAir™ UberLite, and Big Agnes’ AXL Air.
6. Shape and Sizing
There are four sizes to consider when you are buying a new camping sleeping pad. The four sizes are mummy, rectangle, women, and short.
- Mummy: Most sleeping pads have a mummy shape. Meaning, they are wider at the shoulders and narrower at your feet. These pads mirror the form of a mummy sleeping bag, and they work well in lightweight backpacking tents, which have a tapered floor. In backpacking tents, the floor is wider at your head and narrower at your feet, so the shape of two mummy sleeping pads fit nicely in the tent.
- Rectangle: Another factor to consider is the length and width of the sleeping pad. I’m 6’2” tall, so I prefer the long/wide versions. They typically are about 25” wide X 76” – 78” long. Keep in mind, the long/wide versions will be heavier and take up more room when rolled up, but for me, the trade-off is worth it. I’d rather carry a couple more grams of weight and not roll off my sleeping pad in the middle of the night.
- Short: If weight is a significant concern, then a short sleeping pad is a good option. Short pads are typically 40” – 50” long. Just enough to provide support for your upper body. People usually put their backpacks under their feet for some padding. The other plus with a short pad is it will take less room in your pack.
- Women’s: As of late, some brands like Sea to Summit have started making women’s specific sleeping pads. These sleeping pads are narrower at the shoulders and wider between the hips and knees. They also provide women more insulation by their core and feet.
7. Set-up/pack-up
One factor that many people don’t think about is how much time it takes to set-up or pack-up your camping sleeping pad. If you are going to do a multi-day backpacking trip and have to set-up and pack-up camp each day, the amount of time it takes to do this matters. A 4-inch air-filled sleeping pad is going to take longer to inflate than a 2-inch option. Also, the type of valve can dictate how quickly a sleeping pad will deflate. Sleeping pads like the Big Agnes Insulated AXL take more time to pack up than a Nemo Equipment Insulated Tensor, or Sea to Summit Ultralight. And, closed-cell foam pads are the quickest to set-up/pack.
8. Price
I feel that price should be the last thing to factor into your sleeping pad decision. You want to make sure you have a great night’s sleep under the stars, and it would be a bummer to purchase the least expensive option only to find it didn’t suit your needs. Plus, with proper care, a camping sleeping pad can last a very long time.
Prices for sleeping pads range from $39.95 for the Nemo Equipment Switchback closed-cell foam pad up to $224.95 for the large version of the Thermarest NeoAir™ UberLite air-filled sleeping pad.
At this point, consider yourself educated about sleeping pads!
