The Finest Sleeping Pads for Each Sort of Tenting (2024)

What are these sleeping pads you converse of? After 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 enamel and ate primarily uncooked meat and foraged ramps. Children nowadays.

Nonetheless, I suppose there’s something to be stated for a comfortable sleeping pad on the finish of an extended day on the path, and even within the campsite subsequent to your automotive. 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 every kind of situations, and we’re comfortable 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.

Make sure you learn by way of our different out of doors guides, together with the Finest Tents, Finest Mountaineering Gear, Finest 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 Finest Sleeping Pad for Most Folks

For those who’re seeking 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 automotive tenting or base camp (see the MondoKing under) and lighter pads for weeklong backpacking journeys (see the Tensor and Ether Mild under) however this gentle, 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 is double the burden 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 pair 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 snug. I examined this pad towards the warmest Tensor and Ether Mild choices over three nights at altitude in Colorado, the place IT acquired all the way 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 prime IT off with a couple of breaths) was additionally a a lot cushier expertise. I am a large-bodied facet sleeper and my hips did not backside out. In truth, I discovered IT was about 80 % as comfortable because the MondoKing 3D under. I might fortunately sleep on this pad for every week of automotive tenting or at a music pageant, and IT‘s the primary pad I might seize if I might take just one. —Martin Cizmar

The Finest Tremendous-Cozy Automobile Tenting Pad

Therm-a-Relaxation invented the self-inflating tenting mattress. The model has saved tempo within the 50 years since, both innovating or efficiently aping each main improvement within the subject. The MondoKing is essentially the most snug, deluxe mattress within the line, the flagship for choosy automotive 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 under the temperature at which vodka freezes. (In our nights of testing, WIRED has not independently verified good sleep at –20 levels Fahrenheit.) IT‘s additionally very, very snug. Just like the Megamat under, IT‘s 70-denier on the underside with a stretchy 50-denier prime that gives the pure sag of an actual mattress. The MondoKing additionally has a pleasant agency edge, that means you by no means really feel such as you’re about to roll off. The MondoKing is healthier than numerous 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 pattern of big automotive tenting pads. And for that we thank Exped. The MegaMat stays a fantastic alternative 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 is likely to be a more sensible choice should you sleep chilly or are headed out within the shoulder seasons the place colder temps are potential.

Finest 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 children beneath 10 had this mattress, together with my very own. IT’s 56 inches extensive and 6 inches tall, extensive 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’ll be able to ditch the pump and use a battery-powered one for fast and simple inflating. The welded seams saved the mattress taut and bouncy by way of three days and nights of youngsters leaping up and down on IT. The floor is gentle sufficient to sleep along with your face pressed towards IT should you slide out of your sleeping bag, and IT’s insulated, however with an R-value of two.6. I positively wanted a quilt beneath 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 (be sure to cost IT earlier than you go), and the 6-inch-thick pad is loads snug. IT is just not an insulated air mattress just like the REI above, so IT‘s finest for hotter months, however IT can double as a spare mattress at house.

The Finest Ultralight Sleeping Pad

Once you enterprise into the backcountry, particularly should you’re an ultralight backpacking nerd, each ounce counts. Within the case of sleeping pads, there’s all the time 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 like concerning the Tensor is that IT‘s thick, snug, 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‘s concerning the dimension of a 16-ounce Nalgene bottle. If you wish to save a little bit weight and cash, there’s additionally the Tensor Trail for $190. IT weighs simply 16 ounces for the common extensive, 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, in line 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 and not using a 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, however IT‘s quiet.
• Sea to Summit Ultralight for $129: If you’re the type who cuts off your toothbrush deal with to save lots of 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 season, IT‘ll do the job. IT is a bit louder than the Nemo.

The Finest for Backcountry Consolation

For those who’re keen to hold a couple of additional 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‘s positively on the heavy facet, however IT‘s additionally 3 inches thick, and we promise you do not really feel the pebbles, and even small rocks, beneath this factor. The two.3 R-value makes IT a good selection for three-season tenting or backpacking, and I discovered even the common to be loads extensive sufficient. Therm-a-Relaxation features a breath-saving pump sack, compact stuff sack, and subject restore package.

Finest 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 affords (because the title suggests) an R-value of seven in a pad that weighs beneath 2 kilos for the extensive model. And I do counsel going for the extensive 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 area. I used this pad all the way 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 wonderful and is critical should 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 extensive model, Nemo’s new Tensor Excessive Situations pad has the very 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 will probably be our prime decide for this class in a future replace, however for the time being I’ve not had an opportunity to complete absolutely testing IT in additional excessive low temps. As with the Exped pad above, I counsel going for the extensive 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‘s barely heavier than the Tensor Excessive, with a barely decrease R-rating of 6.2, however I’ve had IT nicely under 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 a little bit cooler.—Martin Cizmar

Finest Outdated-Faculty, 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, additional 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 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 beneath 2 kilos. Meaning I can carry extra steak, and good backcountry meals is basically the important thing to every little thing.

Finest Children Sleeping Pad

Let’s be trustworthy—in case your child is sufficiently old to go backpacking, they’re most likely sufficiently old to be advantageous with an adult-sized sleeping pad that may age with them as they grow old. Nevertheless, in a second of parental weak spot, 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 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 children have slept fairly heat on these for a lot of years in temperatures as little as 30 levels Fahrenheit. The separate valves for inflation and deflation make IT a lot simpler for little children 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 could have secretly accomplished me a strong 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 girls 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 advantageous sleeping pad for anybody. IT‘s very near the Sea to Summit Ultralight above.