Getting a good nights rests when camping is key to enjoying the experience. And we think big, comfortable mattresses are the key to a good nights sleep.
After researching more than 40 air mattresses, camping mattresses, sleeping pads, and thin chunks of foam, we rounded up the best we could find and tested them. Testing included inflating, sleeping, deflating, and packing. The comparison table is first with the details and links to full reviews below.
This round up of the best camping mattresses isn’t every single mattress on the market but the best we found to try to narrow it down for you. Now I might head for a nap.
Best Car Camping Mattresses Compared
| Feature | MegaMat Max | Captain Comfort Deluxe | MondoKing 3D XXL | Double Sleeping Pad | Roamer XL | Camp Dreamer XL | Vertex Twin Air Bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Exped | Big Agnes | Therm-A-Rest | Elegear | Nemo | REI | Alps Mountaineering |
| Size | 77.6 x 30.3 inches 197 x 77cm | 41 x 72 inches | 30 x 80 inches | 79 x 55 inches | 78 x 30 inches 198 x 76cm | 78 x 32 inches | 80 x 39 inches |
| Thickness | 6 inches 15 cm | 4 inches | 4.25 inches | 4 inches | 4 inches | 4 inches | 6 inches |
| Packed Size | 31.1 x 11 inches 79 x 28 cm | 17 x 11 inches | 31 x 10.3 inches | 14 x 7.5 inches | 16 x 10 inches 40 x 25 cm | 30 x 11 inches | 15.5 x 12 inches |
| Weight | 7.6 pounds 3.4 kilograms | 7.5 pounds | 5.5 pounds | 5 pounds | 5.5 pounds 2.5 kilograms | 6.4 pounds | 3.26 pounds |
| R-Value | 10.6 | 8.9 | 7 | low | 6 | 6.6 | low |
| Time to self-inflate | 10:00 | 4:00 | 1:00 | n/a | :30 | 5:00 | n/a |
| Inflate from self-inflated – Blowing up | :45 | :45 | 1:00 | n/a | :30 | :40 | n/a |
| Inflate from self-inflated – Pump sack | :30 | n/a | 2:00 | n/a | 1:30 | :45 | n/a |
| Inflate from self-inflated – Pump | :30 | :30 | n/a | n/a | 1:00 | :30 | n/a |
| Inflate from nothing – Blowing up | 4:45 | 6:30 | 10:00 | 2:00 | 1:40 | 9:00 | |
| Inflate from nothing – Pump sack | 4:45 | n/a | 4:00 (foot pump) | 2:00 | 2:15 | n/a | |
| Inflate from nothing – Pump | 5:30 | 5:00 | n/a | 4:45 | 3:00 | 2:00 | 8:00 |
| Deflate and pack | 1:30 | 3:00 | 1:50 | 2:15 | 1:10 | 1:30 | 2:00 |
| Price | $349.95 USD | $299.95 USD | $274.95 USD | $79.99 USD | $249.95 USD | $179.99 USD | $159.99 USD |
| Rating | Highly Recommended (Editors Choice) | Highly Recommended | Recommended | Recomended (if you’re tight on budget or space) | Highly Recommended (Editors Choice) | Highly Recommended | Recommended (if you’re tight on space) |
| Full Review Details | Review | Review | Review | Review | Review | Review | Review |
| Website | Exped | Big Agnes | Therm-A-Rest | Elegear | Nemo | REI | Alps Mountaineering |
Big Agnes Captain Comfort Deluxe
The Captain Comfort Deluxe is a 7.5 pound, 4 inch thick mattress from Big Agnes. The 41 inch wide version we tested is 4 inch thick but the 30 and 52 inch wide versions are 5 inch. All that foam gives you an 8.9 R-value.
The flat top and vertical sides are great to sleep on. Inflating and deflating is easy with 2 dual-direction valves. They’re one-way but can be flipped depending on if you are inflating or deflating.
Packing up is easy with a big side-access bag and strap and runs around 11 x 17 inches packed.
Rating: Highly Recommended
$299.95 USD ($398.95 CAD) on BigAgnes.com.
NEMO Roamer XL
NEMO thinks differently. In a world where a lot of our products are very similar, NEMO consistently puts out products that are a bit different, a bit better, with unique features.
The Roamer XL is a 78 x 30 inch self-inflating air mattress. It’s 4″ thick and full of foam, hence the self-inflating. The Bluesign fabrics are 100% recycled.
NEMO cut more foam out of the inside so it’s smaller to pack and lighter than other large air mattresses. It still feels like an air and foam combo though. It weighs 5.5 pounds and is 16 x 10 inches packed.
Inflating and deflating the Roamer is faster because of the 3 valves. It can dump air faster than any mattress I’ve seen. The self-inflate is wicked fast with 3 open valves and then 30 seconds to top up. The Vortex pump sack helps inflate if you want to keep things dry inside.
Rating: Highly Recommended (Editor’s Choice)
$249.95 USD ($329.99 CAD) on Nemo.com.
REI Camp Dreamer XL
The Camp Dreamer from REI is a really comfortable 78 x 32 inch mat that’s 4 inches thick and 6.4 pounds.
The foam inside self-inflates relatively quickly as long as the valve isn’t blocked. One ‘in’ valve and one ‘out’ valve make it easy to inflate and deflate. An included pump sack that can double as a stuff sack with a large opening makes it easy to keep the inside dry.
The soft, flat top makes for a great sleep. REI decided to put 2 more inches of width on it compared to other mats and it’s noticeable. Packing down is easy with the big, side-opening bag and clip straps. It rolls down to 30 x 11 inches.
Rating: Highly Recommended
$179.99 USD on REI.com.
EXPED MegaMat Max
The MegaMat Max is the newer version of the MegaMat from EXPED, a swiss outdoor-gear company. The Max took everything people liked about MegaMat and made it 2 inches thicker.
At 6 inches thick, 77 inches long and 30 inches wide, this mat is a beast and it’s incredibly comfortable. It can be half inflated and you’re still off the ground. The size increase does make it a bit bigger and heavier to pack but not by much.
On top is a soft stretch tricot material and on the bottom a tough 75 denier polyester. A mini-pump is included to keep your moist breath out of the foam inside, though a Schnozzel pump bag might be faster.
When packing up, the big ‘out’ valve dumps air quickly and a strap holds everything together. The Sidewinder bag is roll-top and side-entry and swallows the mat pretty quick even if you don’t get a precise roll.
Rating: Highly Recommended (Editor’s Choice)
$349.94 USD ($499.95 CAD) on EXPED.com.
Therm-a-Rest MondoKing 3D XXL
Therm-a-Rest are well-known for their tiny backpacking mattresses they’ve been making since 1972. A massive car camping mattress is a little different for them but they do a good job at it.
The 4.25 inch thick MondoKing 3D XXL is 30 inches wide, 80 inches long and weighs 5.5 pounds. Two one-way TwinLock valves let you inflate and deflate easily. The foam inside helps self-inflate and is cut horizontally so it’s easier to roll. It looks like it has ridges because of the cut but you don’t feel them when laying on it.
The bag doubles as a pump sack and has a nice carry strap on it. Since the bags, not side-loading, you do need to get a decent roll on the mat so it fits. It ends up being 31 x 10 inches when it’s rolled.
Rating: Recommended
$274.95 ($384.98 CAD) on Thermarest.com.
Alps Mountaineering Vertex Twin
If you need something smaller and more packable than most of the behemoths in this list, Alps Mountaineering makes the Vertex Twin.
The Vertex is 3.25 pounds, sits 80 inches long and 39 wide and stands 6 inches tall. With no foam inside it packs down to a relatively small 15 x 12 x 4 inches. Without foam it doesn’t self inflate but that makes it smaller and lighter.
A small battery powered pump comes with it with 3 different valve adapters to pump up a whole range of air mattresses of water toys. The pump can charge view AC or DC (car adapter) and can run while it’s charging.
Rating: Recommended (if you’re tight on space)
$274.95 ($384.98 CAD) on Thermarest.com.
Elegear Double Sleeping Pad
Not everyone has $300 (or even $100) to spend on a sleeping pad for one person. With the Elegear Double Sleeping Pad, you get a bad for 2 for $80. It’s got a bit of bounce like air mattresses do but it backs down small and is easy to pack.
A foot pump that works surprisingly well is at the foot of the bed. 4 minutes of squishing that and your bed is inflated. Most of the mattress is 4 inches thick with a 6 inch tall pillow section on the top. It’s 55 inches wide and 79 inches long.
On the bottom 2 dual-layer valves keep air in. Pull the first layer and it’s a one-way ‘in’ valve for topping it up or using a pump. Pull the second layer and it’s a big dump valve to quickly deflate.
Rating: Recommended (if you’re tight on space or budget)
$79.99 ($99.99 CAD) on Amazon.com.
Product Ratings
Every product we rate we’ve used ourselves. We do research and read reviews but at the end of the day hands-on testing gives the best results. Some of the products are borrowed from the manufacturers, some purchased, some received as samples.