EXPED MegaMat Max Sleeping Mat Review

If you’re the kind of person who goes all out and doesn’t go for anything less than the best and you need a sleeping mat for camping? We’ve found you one.

It’s not cheap and it’s not light but after all the testing for this Exped MegaMat Max review, it’s hard to find anything wrong with it.

Two inches more foam and height than most other mats without much of a size or weight bump? Yes please.

What is the EXPED MegaMat Max?

The MegaMat Max from EXPED is a bump up from their popular 4″ MegaMat. Now 6″ thick, the MegaMat Max is a beast of a mat. It’s 30 inches wide by 77 inches long and self-inflating. The top is soft stretch tricot and the bottom a burly 75 denier polyester.

On the end are 2 flat valves, one ‘in’, one ‘out’. If you need to take a break in the middle of pumping this giant up, you can. The air won’t leak out.

Being so far off the ground it’s got quite the warm rating: 10.6 R-value. All this thickness comes at a cost as well: it weighs 7 pounds 6 oz (3.35 kilograms).

We tested inflating all different ways, sleeping (of course) and deflating and packing. Read on to see how this massive mat did.

Best Camping Mattresses of 2023

The EXPED was part of our Best Camping Mattresses of 2023 test. See the rest of the mattresses here:

• Exped MegaMat Max
• NEMO Roamer XL
• Big Agnes Captain Comfort Deluxe
• REI Camp Dreamer XL
• Therm-a-Rest MondoKing 3D XL
• Alps Mountaineering Vertex Twin Air Bed
• Elegear Double Sleeping Pad

Specs

Inflating

Inflating the MegaMat is pretty straightforward. It takes a little bit longer because it’s larger than most other mats.

The self-inflating took a bit longer at about 10 minutes. Self-inflated was almost entire inflated so it only takes 30 or 45 seconds to top it off from there. And really, with how thick the MegaMat is, you could just close the valve and sleep on it. You’d still be 3 or 4 inches off the ground.

Method	Time
Self-inflate	10:00
Inflate from self-inflated – Blowing up	:45
Inflate from self-inflated – Pump sack	:30
Inflate from self-inflated – Pump	:30
Inflate from nothing – Blowing up	4:45
Inflate from nothing – Pump sack	4:45
Inflate from nothing – Pump	5:30

I found when the mat took a bit longer to self-inflate if it had been packed up for a while. If not, then it self-inflated faster.

Inflating with the pump I have didn’t work well as the nozzles were either too big or too small for the ‘in’ hole on the Exped. If you have something that fits well it would be quick to inflate.

Comfort

The focus when creating the MegaMat Max was clearly comfort and is has that in spades. No expense spared.

The top is soft and stretchy, easy to sleep on without a sheet. The sides are vertical and keep the top flat all the way to the edge. With 6″ of thickness there’s plenty of room to let air out for a squishier feel and still be off the ground.

I don’t think I’ve slept on a more comfortable mattress. It’s about as close to my mattress at home as I’ve ever been with something that rolls up into the back of the car. It doesn’t feel bouncy like most air mattresses.

To adjust while you’re on it, the ‘in’ valve can be tapped to let air out. Hold it to let a bit more out. Opening the ‘out’ valve while you’re on it will just dump all the air.

Deflating and Packing

Deflating and packing doesn’t take long for such a big mat. I can usually deflate and pack up it about 1 minute and 30 seconds. It’s a casual pace but not doddling either.

Deflate and pack time

1:30

Being a larger mattress it’s a little more to roll. It is horizontally cored so they foam rolls quite easily.

I always roll from the foot up to the valves with the ‘out’ valve open and it works well. I roll once to get most of the air out and then again to get a nice tight roll to get in the bag.

A velcro strap comes with this matt which makes it easier to wrap it up and get it into the bag. The Sidewinder bag has a huge opening and even with a lazy roll, the mat fits easily.

The top of the bag is a roll top with a clip that turns into a carry handle shoulder strap situation. The roll top opening is so wide for the mattress which makes it easier to put the bag in but a roll top that wide isn’t as easy as a small one. It doesn’t take long to get use to. I kind of had it sorted on the second try.

Weight

The MegaMat Max is heavier than the older MegaMat and most of the other mats we tested at 7 pounds 6 oz (3355 g).

Only the Captain Comfort Deluxe from Big Agnes was heavier which was only 4″ thick but 41″ wide. At 77 inches long and 6″ thick, the Exped is just bigger.

If you’re car camping with it, weight isn’t really an issue. Size might be more of an issue. It rolls up and doesn’t fold at all.

Size

At 31.1 x 11 inches (79 x 28 cm) packed, the MegaMat Max isn’t small. It’s in the category of mattress that just roll. They don’t fold up at all and so are still 30″ long when packed.

For a mattress that’s 6 inches thick it packs down nicely so it’s about 11″ around after it’s rolled up, just like the Big Agnes Captain Comfort Deluxe, REI Camp Dreamer and Therm-a-Rest MondoKing 3D.

Who is EXPED?

EXPED founders Andi and Heidi Brun do things a little different.

For their honeymoon in 1981 hey built a log cabin with a hatchet and small saw. 9 months later they tore down the cabin, left no trace and were picked up by floatplane.

The experience they had in the wilderness shaped EXPED. They started as a distributor for other high quality outdoor products and brands. In 1997 they started making their own high quality gear.

They focus on getting outside without unnecessary frills. Staff play outside. They’ve won numerous awards for their innovative gear.

Right from the start they had a focus on sustainability. Items that last longer and are recycled and recyclable are better for the planet and the places we play.

Their sleeping mats, pillows, sleeping bags, booties and operations are C02-balanced with myclimate. Their goal is for all emissions from EXPED to be balanced by 2024.

Conclusion

The EXPED MegaMat Max is the thickest, and possibly the most comfortable, mat I’ve every slept on. The 6″ thickness, with only a little bump in weight and packed size, makes for a glorious nights sleep. It can be firm, squishy or anything in between. Even with half the air, you don’t hit the ground.

It’s far from the Ultra 3R and Dura 3R backpacking mats from EXPED we’ve tested.

Inflating and deflating are easy with the big one-way valves. They both work well. It didn’t inflate well with my pump by that’s my crappy little pump. I’d rather inflate with a Schnozzle pump bag that a Mini Pump but it still works well, hand or foot.

The price is steep for a mattress but the comfort is far and away better than any little air mattress. You’re going to spend at least $200 or $250 USD on a really good self-inflating air mattress. EXPED takes it a step further. If you’re willing to pay for it, you’ll get the most comfortable sleeping mat out there.

Verdict: Highly Recommended (Editors Choice) _{^{see our rating system}}

Usual Price: $349.95 USD ($499.95 CAD)