What are these sleeping pads you communicate of? Once I was younger, all climbing was uphill each methods and everybody slept on the bottom in sleeping baggage with solely a half-inch of skinny closed-cell foam between us and each pebble. We additionally filtered our water with our tooth and ate primarily uncooked meat and foraged ramps. Youngsters as of late.
Nonetheless, I suppose there’s something to be stated for a comfortable sleeping pad on the finish of a protracted day on the path, and even within the campsite subsequent to your automobile. There at the moment are some ways to ensure no peas (or pebbles) ever disturb your sleep within the outside. For years, we have been testing sleeping pads of all varieties in all types of circumstances, and we’re glad to report that in all this time we’ve by no means had one fail on us. That stated, there are some standouts and some to keep away from.
Remember to learn via our different out of doors guides, together with the Best Tents, Best Hiking Gear, Best Camp Stoves, and our Camp Cooking guide.
Replace July 2024: We have added two new Sea to Summit pads, together with our new favourite all-around tenting and backpacking pad, the Sea to Summit Consolation Plus. We have additionally up to date costs and hyperlinks all through.
Desk of Contents
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The Greatest Sleeping Pad for Most Individuals
For those who’re trying to purchase just one sleeping pad and planning to make use of it in quite a lot of camp settings, make it the Sea To Summit Consolation Plus SI. There are plusher pads for automobile tenting or base camp (see the MondoKing beneath) and lighter pads for weeklong backpacking journeys (see the Tensor and Ether Mild beneath) however this mild, self-inflating pad units itself aside by with the ability to gracefully slip between worlds.
At 3 kilos for the oblong model I examined, it’s double the burden of most ultralight backpacking pads however nonetheless mild within the grand scheme of issues (it can save you extra weight going for the mummy-shaped model, which is 2 kilos and a couple of ounces). For those who’re making an attempt to get to a sub-10-pound base weight, you may shave 2 kilos and a few bulk with a contemporary pump-to-inflate pad, however you will not be as heat or comfy. I examined this pad towards the warmest Tensor and Ether Mild choices over three nights at altitude in Colorado, the place it acquired right down to 24 levels, and located the Consolation Plus was considerably toastier. The open-cell inside (let it fluff up for an hour or so, then high it off with just a few breaths) was additionally a a lot cushier expertise. I am a large-bodied facet sleeper and my hips did not backside out. In actual fact, I discovered it was about 80 p.c as comfortable because the MondoKing 3D beneath. I might fortunately sleep on this pad for per week of automobile tenting or at a music competition, and it is the primary pad I might seize if I might take just one. —Martin Cizmar
The Greatest Tremendous-Cozy Automobile Tenting Pad
Therm-a-Relaxation invented the self-inflating tenting mattress. The model has stored tempo within the 50 years since, both innovating or efficiently aping each main growth within the area. The MondoKing is probably the most comfy, deluxe mattress within the line, the flagship for choosy automobile campers and people who are stationary within the backcountry for weeks or months at a time. This burly mat is a full 4 inches thick and weighs 4 kilos. You will not need to lug it far, however even a large-bodied facet sleeper will not backside out.
The StrataCore foam inside offers it an R-value of seven, so the claimed consolation is beneath the temperature at which vodka freezes. (In our nights of testing, WIRED has not independently verified good sleep at –20 levels Fahrenheit.) It is also very, very comfy. Just like the Megamat beneath, it is 70-denier on the underside with a stretchy 50-denier high that gives the pure sag of an actual mattress. The MondoKing additionally has a pleasant agency edge, which means you by no means really feel such as you’re about to roll off. The MondoKing is best than loads of resort mattresses and inflates and deflates quick sufficient that you just would possibly simply roll it out the subsequent time you end up on a lumpy resort mattress. —Martin Cizmar
Different Choices
- Exped MegMat 10 for $180: That is the beefy, ultra-luxury pad that began the development of big automobile tenting pads. And for that we thank Exped. The MegaMat stays an amazing selection and is fairly nicely equal to the MondoKing, although the MondoKing weighs much less and packs down smaller. However, the MegaMat has barely higher insulation and could be a better option in case you sleep chilly or are headed out within the shoulder seasons the place colder temps are doable.
Greatest for {Couples} and Households
We’re huge followers of REI’s in-house line, which is sturdy and works nicely with out breaking the financial institution. On a current tenting journey, each household with youngsters below 10 had this mattress, together with my very own. It’s 56 inches vast and 6 inches tall, vast sufficient to suit Mother and two elementary schoolers and match inside MSR’s 6-person Habitude tent. (Dad and the canine nonetheless needed to sleep on the bottom.)
It comes with a small stuff sack for simple transport that features a handbook air pump, however the common nozzle means you may ditch the pump and use a battery-powered one for fast and simple inflating. The welded seams stored the mattress taut and bouncy via three days and nights of youngsters leaping up and down on it. The floor is gentle sufficient to sleep together with your face pressed towards it in case you slide out of your sleeping bag, and it’s insulated, however with an R-value of two.6. I positively wanted a quilt below our sleeping baggage for 40-degree nights. —Adrienne So
Different Choices
- Kelty’s Kush Queen Airbed for $100: This PVC-free queen-sized airbed from Kelty features a pump that makes inflating a snap (ensure you cost it earlier than you go), and the 6-inch-thick pad is lots comfy. It’s not an insulated air mattress just like the REI above, so it is best for hotter months, however it may well double as a spare mattress at dwelling.
The Greatest Ultralight Sleeping Pad
If you enterprise into the backcountry, particularly in case you’re an ultralight backpacking nerd, each ounce counts. Within the case of sleeping pads, there’s at all times a trade-off. You need the fewest ounces with probably the most R-value. Nemo Gear’s new 2024 Tensor-insulated sleeping pads (8/10, WIRED Recommends) have the very best R-Worth to weight ratio of something we have examined. The Tensor All-Season featured right here sports activities an R-Worth of 5.4 and weighs simply 18.2 ounces. That alone is spectacular, however what I like in regards to the Tensor is that it is thick, comfy, and most significantly, dang close to silent. I hate that swish of nylon that is just about synonymous with backcountry sleeping. There may be hardly any of that with the Tensor, making it nicely well worth the cash. The insulation is a double layer of reflective movie, with a baffled air chamber design, which helps maintain it quiet. The design additionally helps it roll up right into a tiny stuff sack. It is in regards to the dimension of a 16-ounce Nalgene bottle. If you wish to save somewhat weight and cash, there’s additionally the Tensor Trail for $190. It weighs simply 16 ounces for the common vast, however the R-Worth is sort of a bit decrease at 2.8.
Different Choices
- NeoAir XLite Sleeping Pad for $210: The apparent competitor to the Tensor is Therm-a-Relaxation’s NeoAir XLite, based on WIRED reviewer Matt Jancer. The Xlite NeoAir could be mild in weight however not on heat. He has used it on icy glaciers with no chill sneaking up on his bottom. You need to blow it up manually, however the easy-twist valve makes it easy, and he has been impressed with the sturdiness over 5 years. No holes or scratches. It tends to slide round, but it surely’s quiet.
- Sea to Summit Ultralight for $129: In case you are the type who cuts off your toothbrush deal with to save lots of weight, this mat is price contemplating. It has an R-value of 1.1, making it a summer-only pad. But it surely weighs a mere 11 ounces, packs up very small, and is $70 cheaper than the Tensor. If most of your tenting is in summer time, it will do the job. It’s a bit louder than the Nemo.
The Greatest for Backcountry Consolation
For those who’re prepared to hold just a few further ounces in alternate for some added consolation and a (theoretically) higher evening’s sleep, the NeoAir Topo is our favourite pad. At 21 ounces, it is positively on the heavy facet, but it surely’s additionally 3 inches thick, and we promise you do not really feel the pebbles, and even small rocks, below this factor. The two.3 R-value makes it a sensible choice for three-season tenting or backpacking, and I discovered even the common to be lots vast sufficient. Therm-a-Relaxation features a breath-saving pump sack, compact stuff sack, and area restore package.
Greatest 4-Season Backcountry Pad
If I have been heading out to camp within the snow, that is the pad I might deliver. Exped’s Extremely 7R presents (because the identify suggests) an R-value of seven in a pad that weighs below 2 kilos for the vast model. And I do recommend going for the vast model. I discovered the common to be a bit on the slender facet, and the burden distinction (5 ounces) does not justify the misplaced sleeping house. I used this pad right down to 30 levels Fahrenheit and was very comfy (in a 20-degree bag). Exped charges it to –20 levels Fahrenheit.
Exped’s Schnozzel pump bag ($45) can be wonderful and is critical in case you’re tenting within the chilly, as you do not need the moisture out of your breath inside your mat.
Different Choices
- Nemo Tensor Extreme Conditions ($260): With an R-Worth of 8.5 and weight of solely 22 ounces for the common vast model, Nemo’s new Tensor Excessive Circumstances pad has the very best warmth-to-weight ratio in the marketplace proper now. It makes use of 4 layers of foil and offset baffles to realize that lightest, warmest pad standing. It can possible be our high decide for this class in a future replace, however in the mean time I’ve not had an opportunity to complete totally testing it in additional excessive low temps. As with the Exped pad above, I recommend going for the vast pad, because the common is fairly slender.
- Ether Light XT Extreme Insulated Air Sleeping Mat for $229: For those who’re backpacking within the winter or at excessive altitude, you may welcome the additional heat of Sea To Summit’s Thermolite-insulated pad. At 1 pound 9 ounces, it is barely heavier than the Tensor Excessive, with a barely decrease R-rating of 6.2, however I’ve had it nicely beneath freezing whereas utilizing a 15-degree rated down mummy bag and located it comfortably heat if not good and toasty. Inflation is a cinch, with the included pump bag at 4 inches thick. I did not backside out whereas sleeping on my facet, in contrast to with the very comparable Tensor Excessive, which I discovered to be much less comfortable and somewhat cooler.—Martin Cizmar
Greatest Outdated-Faculty, Closed-Cell Foam Pad
I used to be form of kidding within the intro right here, however I additionally was not. This pad was my intro to backcountry sleeping, and I stay a fan (although, technically, mine was a no-name model). The Z-Lite and its ilk weigh subsequent to nothing (10 ounces for the small), fold up sufficiently small to lash to the surface of any pack, and double as a chair, further padding on chilly nights, desk, you identify it. I’m too previous to make use of only a Z-Lite anymore, however I nonetheless have one round on virtually each journey I take. Pairing it with the Nemo inflatable above offers me a variety of sleeping and sitting potentialities for a complete weight of below 2 kilos. Which means I can carry extra steak, and good backcountry meals is basically the important thing to the whole lot.
Greatest Youngsters Sleeping Pad
Let’s be trustworthy—in case your child is sufficiently old to go backpacking, they’re most likely sufficiently old to be wonderful with an adult-sized sleeping pad that can age with them as they grow old. Nonetheless, in a second of parental weak spot, I purchased my kids child-sized sleeping pads to match their Kindercone sleeping baggage, which have been helpful for a surprisingly very long time. My daughter is within the third grade and has had hers since kindergarten.
In spite of everything, 60 inches is fairly lengthy—that’s virtually tall sufficient for me to make use of. This one has an R-value of 4.5, and my youngsters have slept fairly heat on these for quite a few years in temperatures as little as 30 levels Fahrenheit. The separate valves for inflation and deflation make it a lot simpler for little youngsters to not get confused and assist arrange. Weirdly, these sleeping pads are additionally a lot simpler to roll up and stuff again into their sack than my very own sleeping pad; REI might have secretly completed me a stable there. —Adrienne So
Honorable Mentions
The next sleeping pads did not impress us like those above, however we have examined them and nonetheless like them sufficient if not one of the others strike your fancy.
Sea to Summit Women’s UltraLight Insulated Air Sleeping Mat for $160: We debated for a while whether or not ladies want completely different sleeping pads. After some lengthy conversations with our feminine testers, we determined there simply is not a lot distinction. That stated, it is a wonderful sleeping pad for anybody. It is very near the Sea to Summit Ultralight above.
