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Few things can tank morale on a camping trip like a bad night’s sleep. Fortunately, with plenty of stellar sleeping pad options out there, there’s no reason for your gear to prevent you from getting your beauty sleep, especially when you’re car camping and you’ve got the room to go big. We spent 42 nights sleeping on a variety of pads (and even cots) that prioritize comfort over weight and packability—from smart options designed for literal car campers to pads so plush they can pull double duty as a guest room mattress. These provided us with the best nights of sleep.

Updated May 2025: We added six new pads to this list, including our new “Best Overall” pick, the NEMO Roamer Double Sleeping Pad. We also updated pricing and info on the Big Agnes Circleback, a pad we previously tested but still recommend. 

At a Glance

• Best Overall:
• Best for Camping In Your Car:
• Best Value:
• Easiest Inflation:
• Most Luxurious:
• Most Efficient:
• Most Sustainable:
• Other Sleeping Pads We Tested
• How to Choose Your Sleeping Pad
• How We Test
• Meet Our Main Testers

Don’t miss: The Best Tents for Camping in Comfort and Style

Best Overall

NEMO Roamer Double Sleeping Pad

Weight: 7 lbs 8 oz
Thickness: 4.0 in
Available sizes: XL Wide, Double
Dimensions: 78” x 52” (double)
R-value: 6

Pros and Cons
⊕ Supple upper
⊕ Best in test for deflation/packing
⊗ Expensive

The Nemo Roamer, available as a double or extra-wide single pad, is our top pick because of how comfortable it is and how easy it is to deflate and pack. We only tested the double, which at 78-by-52 inches, was generous enough to comfortably fit two adults and a six-year-old child.

The Jackson family put in over a dozen nights on the double version while camping, and we even used it as a guest room mattress for visitors. The deluxe four-way stretch polyester fabric and TPU topper is incredibly soft next-to-skin. That four-way stretch fabric also makes the NEMO Roamer one of the quieter pads we tested—it didn’t crinkle or rustle like unbrushed polyester pads do—when our very mobile six-year-old sleeper thrashed around through the night. One tester noted that it felt like the mattress conformed to her body even when it was stiffly inflated. It also lived up to its R-value of 6: One tester found it offered plenty of insulation from the cold ground on a 28-degree night on the Scott River in California.

The Roamer Double was one of the few self-inflating mattresses in our test that actually completely self-inflated in about 15 minutes thanks to the pad’s large air channels (that’s not exactly fast, but it’s respectable for a double pad this thick). Testers who wanted to speed up inflation time or preferred a firmer surface used the included inflation bag. When it came to packing up the Roamer, every tester noted how quickly the pad deflated thanks to the very efficient dual deflate valve system. We let out all the air in about 90 seconds in a single roll—a revelation for seasoned car campers used to having to roll and re-roll pads during packdown to get all of the air out. Packed down into its duffel bag it’s about the size of a couch cushion.

We really have no complaints about the Roamer. It’s one of the priciest double mattresses on the market, but it also affords exceptional comfort for a camping mattress. If you’re on a budget and don’t need a double, the XL Wide pad (78” x 30”, $250) offers the exact same tech specs at a more palatable price.

Best for Camping In Your Car

Luno AIR + FOAM PRO Camping Mattress

Weight: 6 lbs
Thickness: 4”
Available sizes: Short, Regular, Tall
Dimensions: 72” x 25” (regular)
R-value: 11.4

Pros and Cons
⊕ Versatile for car and tent camping
⊕ Incredibly durable base
⊗ Topper not as supple as others in price range

Luno has been at the forefront of making ultra-plush sleeping mattresses specifically designed to fit in the back of vehicles for literal car campers. The 4-inch thick Camping Mattress uses Luno’s Air + Foam technology, which sandwiches open cell foam between sturdier protective layers to create a memory foam mattress-like cushion and serious insulation (11.4 R-value). It also comes with a head support bridge that connects the mattress to a car seat headrest to bridge the rear footwell and maximize every inch of sleeping space.

But the Camping Mattress isn’t just for those who camp in their cars. At 72 inches by 25 inches (regular), the rectangular mattress fits as seamlessly in the back of a Honda Element as in a crowded four-person tent.

With a 150-TPU bottom, this mattress was one of the most rugged we tested. Testers used it on a volcanic rock-strewn campground along the Klamath River and it came back with nothing more than minor scratches. The 30-denier elastic polyester upper is just as hardy, and while comfortable enough to sleep on without a cover sheet, it’s not as supple against your cheek as other mattresses in the $250-plus price range.

The Luno Camping Mattress landed in the middle of the pack when it came to inflation time. While Luno claims it self-inflates in 60 seconds, we found that we had to top it off with its included inflation bag to make it sleep-ready, bringing the total inflation time closer to two minutes. But when it came to packing up, testers loved how tidily the Camping Mattress rolled up and cinched down in Luno’s cam-strap headrest accessory. Once rolled up, the Camping Mattress was about the size of a pillow.

Best Value

Kelty Kush Airbed

Weight: 4 lbs 15 oz
Thickness: 6”
Available sizes: Queen
Dimensions: 79″ x 55.5″
R-value: N/A

Pros and Cons
⊕ Affordable
⊕ Included rechargeable pump
⊕ Packs down small
⊗ Loud topper
⊗ Not comfortable against bare skin

Unlike the other pads on this list, the Kelty Kush Airbed does not offer fancy foam integrations, a luxuriously brushed topper, or self-inflation system. But it made this list because it costs a fraction of what other mats cost and still offers enough warmth, comfort, durability, and air retention to get one tester through a 35-degree night camping in late fall near Mt. Ashland, Oregon.

At a whopping six inches thick, it was the fattest mattress in our test, which likely explains its ability to handle near freezing temps even without the foam you find in other pads. The lack of internal foam also means the Kush Airbed packs down smaller (to about the size of a laptop) than other mats at this thickness.

While not self-inflating, it easily blew up in about four minutes with its included USB rechargeable pump, which holds a charge really well. One tester was able to inflate the Airbed and top off three other pads on a single charge. The Kush held air like a champ, remaining plenty sturdy with no need for top-offs during a weekend trip in Ashland, Oregon.

A few niggles: The zip-zip sound of a tester tossing and turning on the mat’s peached polyester upper drove his tent mate nuts. That top was also pretty rough against skin, an issue easily mitigated by staying in our sleeping bags or packing a top sheet.

Easiest Inflation

DOD Soto Sleeping Pad

Weight: 13.9 lbs (medium)
Thickness: 4”
Available sizes: Small, Medium, Large
Dimensions: 82” x 45” (medium)
R-value: 8.3

Pros and Cons
⊕ Best-in-test inflation
⊕ Soft, cotton upper
⊗ Bulky valves were ankle hazards

The Soto’s dual valve inflation system proved the most user-friendly in our test. Using either the pump integrated into the included pillow or our own electric pump, we had the Soto sleep-ready in under a minute.

While it didn’t boast the highest R-value in our test, its four-inch-thickness and open cell foam insulated one tester on a night that dipped below freezing on the Scott River in California. The Soto was the only sleeping pad in our test that featured a polyester-cotton upper, which made it feel more naturally soft and comfortable to the touch. It also proved surprisingly durable thanks to its hardy TPU-coated polyester body material: Six rowdy, cooped-up kids used the Soto as a wrestling mat during a wet, three-day camping trip and it looked no worse for wear after a light towel cleaning. What’s more, it remained fully inflated and needed no top-ups even after that multi-day ruckus.

The Soto comes in three available sizes (small, medium, large), and all are the same height (82 inches), so you should consider the number of sleepers rather than sleeper height when choosing the right size for you. We tested the 82-by-54-inch large pad, which was big enough to sleep two adults and a six-year-old.

Our only complaint: The dual air valves that make the Soto so easy to inflate are bulky—they stick out from the top of the air mattress and proved to be trip hazards in one family’s crowded tent.

Most Luxurious

ExPed Megamat Duo

Weight: 11 lbs 14 oz (queen)
Thickness: 4”
Available sizes: Medium, Long-Wide+, Queen
Dimensions: 80” x 60”
R-value: 8.1

Pros and Cons
⊕ Extremely durable
⊕ Includes carrying handles
⊗ Inefficient pump
⊗ Long inflation time

We have been testing versions of the ExPed Megamat for over three years now and can confidently say that it sets the benchmark for comfort and warmth in the camp mattress category. This year, ExPed updated the iconic mattress by coring out 30 percent of the foam to make it less bulky and improve packability. The result is a mattress that still delivers the same R-value (8.1) as the previous model and some of the best cushioning on the market in a package that is easier to roll up and store.

The ample foam in the interior meant that the Megamat Duo was still extremely comfortable even when not stiffly inflated, something side-sleepers appreciated. Aside from the Nemo Roamer Double, this mattress was the most comfortable in our test. Case in point: One tester slept on the Megamat Duo for seven straight days on a camping trip in Crescent City, California, then slept on it in a guest bedroom at home for two more weeks.

Its recycled 50-denier polyester and TPU polyether-laminated upper showed three superficial scuffs after our kid stress testers put it through the wringer as a play mattress, but it held air and its 75-denier polyester bottom looked no worse for wear after the unfair treatment. Another small detail we really appreciated about the Megamat Duo: The included handles made it the easiest two-person mattress we tested to move around once inflated.

The MegaMat is an exceptionally plush pad once inflated, but it was the most challenging of the high-end pads to inflate. While it self-inflates to some extent, it requires pretty extensive top-up with the included pump, which worked at half the speed and required double the effort compared to other hand and foot pumps we tested. When all was said and done, it took about eight minutes to fully inflate this pad with the pump and some hard labor.

Lightest Foam Mattress

Klymit Insulated Klymaloft Sleeping Pad

Weight: 3.1 lbs (extra large)
Thickness: 3.5”
Available sizes: Regular, XL, Double
Dimensions: 72” x 23” (regular)
R-value: 7

Pros and Cons
⊕ Incredible comfort-to-weight ratio
⊕ Cush upper
⊗ Not as comfortable when not stiffly inflated

Testers loved the Klymaloft for its integrated soft stretch-knit polyester fabric cover—considered the most luxurious topper after the top-rated Nemo Roamer. No need to remember a separate topsheet. The supple, sheet-like cover only spans 80 percent of the mattress (where you need it most), minimizing additional weight and bulk while maximizing comfort.

The combination of the plush foam topper and the i-beam air chambers created an excellent sleeping platform for testers who prefer a stiffer mattress but was not as comfortable at lower PSIs compared to the other premium mattresses on this list. That foam and i-beam combo also gives the Klymaloft a respectable R-value of 7, offering enough insulation for nights that dipped into the low 40s.

At just 4.4 pounds, the Klymaloft is pounds lighter than the other full-size, foam-integrated mattresses on this list—something one tester greatly appreciated after setting up a campsite a quarter mile from where he parked on the Scott River in California. While we rarely had to lug our testing mattresses long distances, weight is worth considering if you want something more portable than the plushest car camping pads.

While not self-inflating, the Klymaloft’s straightforward, twist-pull valve made inflation painless with an electric pump. It was also one of the quickest and easiest pads to deflate and pack up, taking fewer than four minutes to fully deflate fully and roll up into its stuff sack. Packed down, it’s roughly the size of a 5-gallon jug—still too large to take backpacking, but significantly smaller than the other single mattresses on this list.

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EXPED Ultra 1R Mummy Sleeping Pad

When the weather’s warm and every ounce counts, the EXPED Ultra 1R Mummy Sleeping Pad is perfect for backpacking trips and summer excursions. Made to fit underneath your mummy bag, it features a 7 cm thick air cushion to support your body weight with air chambers that run head to toe. The included Schnozzel Pumpbag means you don’t need to huff and puff to blow up the sleeping pad, while the 20-denier ripstop provides abrasion resistance without adding to pack weight.

Most Sustainable

Big Agnes Circleback

Weight: 2.1 lbs
Thickness: 4.5″
Available sizes: Regular, Long
Dimensions: 72″ x 25″ (regular)
R-value: 4.7

Pros and Cons
⊕ Circularly recyclable
⊕ Versatile
⊗ Hard to fit back into the stuff sack

In the world of sustainable product design, the gold standard is circularity—items made so that they can be broken down and remade without a constant input of new materials and output of waste. We’ve never tested a camping pad that achieves that standard—until the Circleback, which uses a TPU air bladder that is 100-percent recyclable and an insulating cover made entirely of recycled and recyclable polyester. When it’s time to retire the pad, Big Agnes will take it back and reuse every last scrap.

Sustainability aside, the Circleback’s modular insulation system is worth close consideration from anyone looking for a classic, do-it-all inflatable sleeping pad. With the removable cover, the Circleback has an R-value of 4.7, making it plenty comfortable in three seasons.One tester stayed warm and snug on an October trip in the North Cascades with overnight temps around freezing. Without the cover, the Circleback becomes a stripped down, lightweight summer pad.

Testers praised the extra polyester insulation, cushioning, and noise-muffling properties the polyester taffeta removable cover affords, but some testers found themselves sliding off the slick surface. “Even at a flat tent site, I woke up a couple mornings on the ground, with the pad next to me,” said a Seattle-based tester who used the 4.5-inch-thick pad on a three-night trip outside of Bozeman, Montana. Keeping the pad at a moderate to low firmness helped, but testers cautioned that it might not be ideal for restless sleepers.

The whole kit packs down to 6-by-13 inches (regular), making it a solid option for short backpacking trips where the priority is comfort over size or weight.

Other Products We Tested

• : The Arpenaz offers great value, and we found it extremely comfortable when coupled with a cot, but it didn’t provide enough insulation on colder nights to be one of our picks for campers who sleep on the ground.
• : While this pad has the potential to double as a car camping mattress and a base-camp style backpacking pad, it lacks some of the comfort details car campers look for in a mattress.
• : The Campmeister truly amazed testers with its incredibly light weight coupled with its respectable R-value of 7, but it didn’t impress testers as much in the comfort department.

How to Choose Your Sleeping Pad

Foam-Filled vs. Air-Filled Sleeping Pads

Self-inflating foam pads should inflate most of the way within roughly a half hour, depending on the model, and come with inflation sacks or pumps to finish the job. Our favorite pumps have a snug connection point with the pad and a large air chamber that’s easy to roll and push with minimal effort. Campers who don’t want to wait can invest in an electric pump, like Exped’s battery-operated Widget Pump. Almost all foam-insulated camping pads have high enough R-Values for winter camping (above 5), but it’s worth double-checking the rating if your adventures will include sub-freezing nights.

Sleeping Pad R-Value

This ubiquitous term will inevitably crop up when searching for the most appropriate pad for your outdoor activity. R-value is a universal measurement that rates a sleeping pad’s ability to resist heat transfer. R-values in sleeping pads typically range from 1-7, but some go well beyond R-7, especially in the case of car camping pads or expedition-level pads.

A pad with an R-value up to 2 works in temps with an expected nighttime low of 50 degrees Fahrenheit; an R-value between 2 and 3.9 works in temps with an expected nighttime low of 32 degrees; an R-value between 4 and 5.4 works in temps with an expected nighttime low as cold as 15 degrees; and a pad with an R-value of 5.5 or higher works in temps down to an expected nighttime low of zero degrees.

Pads with R-values above 7—such as luxury car camping mattresses, self-inflating foam pads, or heavy-duty expedition mats—offer extreme insulation for subzero temperatures, but also serve cold sleepers in more moderate temps (around freezing). Some premium car camping mattresses or self-inflating pads can reach R-values of 10 or higher, offering maximum comfort and warmth retention. These extremely high R-values are particularly useful when sleeping directly on cold ground, frozen surfaces, or inside unheated vehicles. While backpackers often aim for the lowest R-value that still keeps them safe, car campers may want to consider pads with R-values of 7 or higher since a pad’s weight and packability are not high priorities when accessing a campsite by car.

Does Packability Matter for a Sleeping Pad?

When you’re car camping, packability isn’t as big of a concern as when you’re backpacking and need to cram all of your gear into one bag. For that reason, the best sleeping pads tend to be thick, wide, and much heavier than their backpacking counterparts. Still, if you have a small car or limited storage, packed size might still be a major consideration. Some of the sleeping pads on this list pack down quite small (about the size of a large bag of potato chips), while others are beasts.

What Kind of Materials Do Sleeping Pads Use?

Aim for a higher-denier material on both the top and bottom of the pad, especially if you plan on dragging it outside for stargazing, or share your bed with a canine. While many backpacking pads use nylon uppers for weight savings and better durability, most car camping pads feature a polyester upper material to balance durability and next-to-skin comfort. Some of our favorite car camping mattresses on this list even feature brushed (or peached) polyester or stretch-knit uppers for enhanced comfort.

How We Test

• Number of Pads Tested: 12
• Number of Testers: 15
• Number of Days Camped: 42
• Number of states tested in: 3
• Number of kids lightly injured while wrestling on mats: 4

We set up three different main camps with these mattresses and invited 13 testers to use them as “guest beds” and provide feedback on comforts or grievances. During the camping trips, we encouraged a lightly feral group of seven children to wrestle and play on the mats to rapid test their durability. To test air retention in a more controlled setting, we inflated all the mattresses and left them inflated for four days in an insulated garage where temps fluctuated from the high fifties to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Then we hand tested them. For one last layer of nuance, test director Joe Jackson spent at least one night on every one of these mattresses in a guestroom that he often sleeps in to offer his wife respite from his snoring.

Meet Our Lead Testers

Joe Jackson has been testing gear professionally for �����ԹϺ��� for over a decade. By his best estimation, he has tested over 75 sleeping pads ranging from gram pinching ultra light backpacking pads to the luxurious mattress-replacing numbers you see on this list.

Miyo McGinn is a former assistant editor at �����ԹϺ��� based in Bozeman, Montana. She has camped in a dozen different states and four continents, but Washington state, where she grew up, will always be her favorite place to pitch a tent. Miyo got her start reviewing gear as �����ԹϺ���’s gear editorial assistant in 2021.

Saylor Flett runs the outdoor recreation and leadership program at Feather River College in Quincy, California. He has slept on sleeping pads in a cave in Yosemite for a month and on hundreds of riverbanks.

Josie Jackson is Joe Jackson’s seven-year-old daughter and arguably the most mobile sleeper of our 16 testers. She is also the least likely to be subject to brand bias because she could care less about who makes a sleeping pad, just if it’s comfortable.

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