What are these sleeping pads you communicate of? Once I was younger, all mountaineering 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 today.
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 outdoor. For years, we have been testing sleeping pads of all varieties in every kind of situations, and we’re completely happy 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.
You should definitely learn by our different outside guides, together with the Greatest Tents, Greatest Mountaineering Gear, Greatest Camp Stoves, and our Camp Cooking information.
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 Folks
In case you’re seeking to purchase just one sleeping pad and planning to make use of it in a wide range 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 gentle, self-inflating pad units itself aside by having the ability to gracefully slip between worlds.
At 3 kilos for the oblong model I examined, it’s double the load of most ultralight backpacking pads however nonetheless gentle 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). In case you’re making an attempt to get to a sub-10-pound base weight, you would shave 2 kilos and a few bulk with a contemporary pump-to-inflate pad, however you will not be as heat or snug. I examined this pad in opposition to 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 a couple of breaths) was additionally a a lot cushier expertise. I am a large-bodied aspect sleeper and my hips did not backside out. In truth, I discovered it was about 80 % as cozy because the MondoKing 3D beneath. I’d fortunately sleep on this pad for every week of automobile tenting or at a music pageant, and it is the primary pad I’d seize if I may 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 improvement within the area. The MondoKing is essentially the most snug, 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 wish to lug it far, however even a large-bodied aspect 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 snug. 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 healthier than a number of lodge mattresses and inflates and deflates quick sufficient that you simply would possibly simply roll it out the subsequent time you end up on a lumpy lodge mattress. —Martin Cizmar
Different Choices
- Exped MegMat 10 for $180: That is the beefy, ultra-luxury pad that began the development of giant automobile tenting pads. And for that we thank Exped. The MegaMat stays an important selection and is fairly nicely equal to the MondoKing, although the MondoKing weighs much less and packs down smaller. Then again, the MegaMat has barely higher insulation and is likely to be a more sensible choice if you happen to sleep chilly or are headed out within the shoulder seasons the place colder temps are potential.
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 underneath 10 had this mattress, together with my very own. It’s 56 inches huge and 6 inches tall, huge 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 guide 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 by three days and nights of youngsters leaping up and down on it. The floor is gentle sufficient to sleep along with your face pressed in opposition to it if you happen to slide out of your sleeping bag, and it’s insulated, however with an R-value of two.6. I undoubtedly wanted a quilt underneath 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 a lot snug. It isn’t 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 residence.
The Greatest Ultralight Sleeping Pad
Whenever you enterprise into the backcountry, particularly if you happen to’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 essentially the most R-value. Nemo Tools’s new 2024 Tensor-insulated sleeping pads (8/10, WIRED Recommends) have one of the 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 really like concerning the Tensor is that it is thick, snug, and most significantly, dang close to silent. I hate that swish of nylon that is just about synonymous with backcountry sleeping. There’s 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 concerning the dimension of a 16-ounce Nalgene bottle. If you wish to save slightly weight and cash, there’s additionally the Tensor Path for $190. It weighs simply 16 ounces for the common huge, however the R-Worth is kind of a bit decrease at 2.8.
Different Choices
- NeoAir XLite Sleeping Pad for $210: The plain competitor to the Tensor is Therm-a-Relaxation’s NeoAir XLite, in accordance with WIRED reviewer Matt Jancer. The Xlite NeoAir is likely to be gentle in weight however not on heat. He has used it on icy glaciers with no chill sneaking up on his bottom. It’s a must 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: If you’re the kind who cuts off your toothbrush deal with to avoid wasting weight, this mat is value contemplating. It has an R-value of 1.1, making it a summer-only pad. However it 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
In case you’re keen to hold a couple of further ounces in change for some added consolation and a (theoretically) higher night time’s sleep, the NeoAir Topo is our favourite pad. At 21 ounces, it is undoubtedly on the heavy aspect, but it surely’s additionally 3 inches thick, and we promise you do not really feel the pebbles, and even small rocks, underneath 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 a lot huge sufficient. Therm-a-Relaxation features a breath-saving pump sack, compact stuff sack, and area restore equipment.
Greatest 4-Season Backcountry Pad
If I have been heading out to camp within the snow, that is the pad I’d carry. Exped’s Extremely 7R provides (because the title suggests) an R-value of seven in a pad that weighs underneath 2 kilos for the huge model. And I do recommend going for the huge model. I discovered the common to be a bit on the slender aspect, and the load distinction (5 ounces) does not justify the misplaced sleeping house. I used this pad right down to 30 levels Fahrenheit and was very snug (in a 20-degree bag). Exped charges it to –20 levels Fahrenheit.
Exped’s Schnozzel pump bag ($45) can be glorious and is critical if you happen to’re tenting within the chilly, as you don’t need the moisture out of your breath inside your mat.
Different Choices
- Nemo Tensor Excessive Circumstances ($260): With an R-Worth of 8.5 and weight of solely 22 ounces for the common huge model, Nemo’s new Tensor Excessive Circumstances pad has the best warmth-to-weight ratio available on the market proper now. It makes use of 4 layers of foil and offset baffles to attain that lightest, warmest pad standing. It’ll probably be our high choose for this class in a future replace, however for the time being 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 huge pad, because the common is fairly slender.
- Ether Mild XT Excessive Insulated Air Sleeping Mat for $229: In case you’re backpacking within the winter or at excessive altitude, you will 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 aspect, not like with the very related Tensor Excessive, which I discovered to be much less cozy and slightly cooler.—Martin Cizmar
Greatest Previous-College, Closed-Cell Foam Pad
I used to be kind 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 title it. I’m too previous to make use of only a Z-Lite anymore, however I nonetheless have one round on nearly 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 underneath 2 kilos. Meaning I can carry extra steak, and good backcountry meals is admittedly 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 in all probability sufficiently old to be tremendous with an adult-sized sleeping pad that can age with them as they grow old. Nevertheless, in a second of parental weak point, I purchased my youngsters 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 any case, 60 inches is fairly lengthy—that’s nearly 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 finished 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 Ladies’s UltraLight Insulated Air Sleeping Mat for $160: We debated for a while whether or not ladies want totally different sleeping pads. After some lengthy conversations with our feminine testers, we determined there simply is not a lot distinction. That stated, this can be a tremendous sleeping pad for anybody. It’s totally near the Sea to Summit Ultralight above.
