Camping Mat Guide
| Camping Pads & Camping Mats |
 If you’ve ever camped without some kind of camping mat, sleeping pad or air mattress, chances are you didn’t get a very good night sleep. In addition to providing padding to allow you to sleep comfortably, camping mats provide an important layer of insulation from the cold ground below your tent. While sleeping bags provide you with some padding, it’s usually not nearly enough to prevent you from being poked with sticks and rocks when you are trying to sleep. Using a camping mat or sleeping bed below your sleeping pad can go a long way to ensure you get a restful night sleep. Camping mats come in a few different varieties, dependent on budget and use. Self-Inflating Foam Pads/Mats: Self Inflating camping mats are probably the most commonly used pads, and we highly recommend them. The term-self inflating, in this case, generally refers to pads that you inflate by blowing into, as opposed to an air mattress where you would use an air pump. These come in both rectangular and mummy shapes and generally range in thickness (inflated) from around ¾ “ to 3 inches. They are light-weight, easy to inflate and deflate, are small enough for backpacking trips, and provide a good amount of comfort and insulation. Air Mattresses / Air Beds: A quality air mattress can often rival your home mattress in comfort (ok; maybe that’s a slight stretch, but you get the point). Simply states, air mattresses are big and thick and provide plenty of comfort. The main downside of them is that they are big, even when deflated. If you’re backpacking, an air mattress will take up a lot of space, and they are pretty heavy as well. They also take a bit longer to inflate, and if you have a small camping tent, an air mattress will take up a good chunk of your space. The other main downside to air mattresses is that they are not overly durable, as they puncture rather easily. Foam Pads: Foam Camping pads are a solid layer of foam that do not inflate. They are a decent option for budget-minded campers, and provide a decent amount of insulation, but generally do not provide same level of comfort you’ll get from inflatable mats or air mattresses. Foam pads are also very light-weight, so they are popular among backpackers. –If you’re a light sleeper and have a hard time sleeping on a hard/firm surface, we recommend going with a self-inflating mat or air mattress. |
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