The research
- Why you should trust us
- Who this is for
- How we picked and tested
- Top pick for car camping: Therm-a-Rest LuxuryMap Sleeping Pad
- Top pick for backpacking: Nemo Quasar 3D Lightweight Insulated Sleeping Pad
- Budget pick: Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol
- The best car-camping sleeping pad for couples: Exped MegaMat Duo
- Top pick: Exped Mega Pump
- Other sleeping pads worth considering
- Care, use, and maintenance
- The competition
- What to look forward to
Why you should trust us
Jenni Gritters has been reviewing outdoor, travel, and children’s gear for more than five years, and she has worked in journalism for nearly a decade. She’s also a lifelong hiker and camper who’s logged hundreds of miles on Pacific Northwest trails. Jenni spends much of her time in the Central Oregon mountains with her two young children, husband, and dog. These days, her camping trips are mostly of the car-oriented variety (kids change things!).
For this guide:
- We tested some 36 sleeping pads on camping trips in six states, from Michigan to California.
- This guide builds on the work and research done by Liz Thomas, who once held the women’s unassisted speed record on the Appalachian Trail, and Kalee Thompson, a senior editor at Wirecutter who is a longtime hiker and camper.
- Like all Wirecutter journalists, we review and test products with complete editorial independence. We’re never made aware of any business implications of our editorial recommendations. Read more about our editorial standards.
Who this is for
If you’re planning to sleep outside, your best bet for a restful night is to buy or borrow a camping-specific pad that rises just a couple of inches off the ground. Counterintuitively, these types of pads are often warmer, more comfortable, and likely more durable than full-size air mattresses. They’re also far more compact and easy to transport than a futon or cot, and they’re more cushy and comfortable than most exercise mats.
Keep in mind that your sleeping system is about more than just cushiness. Without the insulation of a sleeping pad, your body tries to create temperature equilibrium with the earth. This is known as conductive heat loss—and you’re the one who loses.
How we picked and tested
A good sleeping pad has the following qualities:
- Easy to inflate: When you’re ready to sleep, waiting for a pad to inflate can be torture. During our tests, our favorite valves were one-way models, preventing air loss when we took a gasp of breath. We also preferred valves that were easy to manipulate with frozen hands.
- Easy to deflate: We preferred pads that were easy to deflate and pack up in the morning. Some pads require flattening before folding, whereas others are designed to be rolled or stuffed into a bag. On a cold or rainy morning, the quicker and neater this process is, the happier the camper.
- Comfortable and supportive: Some pads use foam, while others use air. We found that the most comfortable air-filled pads had specially constructed baffles; the most comfortable foam pads were typically reinforced in areas around the hips and back. Your sleeping position (on your side, stomach, or back) will also determine how much firmness you prefer in a sleeping pad.
- Well-made (non slippery!) surface materials: Sleeping-bag nylon is more slippery than the cotton bedding you might use at home. Match that surface with a slick, nylon sleeping pad, and you could slide off your pad during the night, especially if you’re sleeping on a slope. Some pads have also been known to squeak or crunch like a bag of potato chips.
- Durable construction: Nothing ruins a backpacking or camping trip like a hole in a sleeping pad. Luckily, most inflatable ones come with repair kits. Some of the best pads also use higher-denier fabrics on the bottom for extra protection. (Denier is a measure of how thick the fibers are in each strand of a fabric; the higher the denier, the more durable the fabric.) The lightest pads can have tops as low as 20 denier, or 20D (very thin threads), which leads to an increased risk of abrasion.
- A solid warranty: All of the companies whose pads we chose offer warranties that cover defects in product manufacturing but not normal wear and tear. To keep pads with holes from ending up in the landfill (and to save you from dropping more cash on a new pad), most of the companies that make our picks will repair damaged pads for a fee (generally starting at around $15, plus shipping, depending on the severity of the damage).
- Warm enough: When it comes to a sleeping pad, you can’t tell just by looking at it what’s inside and how warm it will keep you. A measurement known as an R-value indicates the insulating power of a sleeping pad or, more precisely, the ability of the material to resist heat transfer. A higher R-value means a warmer pad. We looked for sleeping pads that had an R-value of at least 2.5 (backpacking pads, which are lightweight, typically have lower R-values); some of the car-camping pads we tried had a rating of up to 9. Of course, where you place your pad, the type of camping you’re doing, and the weather patterns will also factor into how warmly you sleep at night.
- Packability: We also considered weight (which is a much bigger issue for backpacking than for camping), and we looked at how easy it was to pack the pad down small.
In 2016, we tested 15 car-camping and backpacking pads on a total of six trips with 23 overnight testers. These trips took us everywhere from Southern California to the Grand Canyon to New Mexico.
During later rounds of testing, we carried nearly 20 additional pads around Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and we tried them out in the mountains of Central Oregon, too. We even inflated the pads in our living rooms, allowing kids and dogs to trample them in service of durability testing.
Top pick for car camping: Therm-a-Rest LuxuryMap Sleeping Pad
Top pick
The Therm-a-Rest LuxuryMap Sleeping Pad has been our car-camping pick for the past seven years because it offers the best balance of comfort, features, and cost for campers who don’t need to carry their pads long distances.
It’s comfortable for all sleeping positions. Side sleepers, back sleepers, and stomach sleepers all found this foam pad to be supportive and warm through the night. Despite only being 3 inches thick, the LuxuryMap pad provides enough support to avoid bottoming out—even for side sleepers—due to a “pressure mapping” interior (foam that’s more dense in the areas where a body is likely to exert more pressure). We found that topping it off with an air pump provided the ultimate firmness.
It’s among the warmest pads we tested. The pad has an ultra-toasty R-value of 6 (only our doubles pick was higher). It features a soft but sturdy 50-denier fabric on the top and an even hardier 75-denier fabric on the bottom; that helps protect it against punctures or damage from sharp surfaces. (We noticed that the LuxuryMap pad didn’t pick up lint and dirt the way some competitor mattresses did, and that was likely due to those material choices.)
It’s easy to set up and take down. This pad has a single valve that’s simple and intuitive to use. And though the LuxuryMap pad wasn’t the fastest pad to inflate or deflate in our tests, it was easy enough to use in a dark tent—even after a long drive or an exhausting all-day hike. After seven years of testing sleeping pads, we’re fed up with stuff sacks that are a struggle to stuff. To fit a couple of other pads back into their bags, we had to straddle the pads in an effort to push out every last puff of air. By contrast, using the LuxuryMap’s roomy carry bag—smartly equipped with a large shoulder strap—was hassle-free. These are simple, low-tech design decisions that create a drastically improved overall user experience.
It comes in three sizes. We tested the 20-by-72-inch regular pad, and none of our testers found it to be too small. Still, for those who are not concerned about bulk, we recommend paying a little more for the large, 25-by-77-inch pad. (The company also sells an extra-large version: 30 by 77 inches.) Side sleepers may especially appreciate the extra width for stretching out.
It has a strong warranty. Therm-a-Rest has been making self-inflating pads since the early 1970s, and it has an excellent track record of manufacturing durable products that last for years, if not decades. If you do discover a defect in your pad, however, know that it also comes with a limited lifetime warranty.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
The air valve isn’t great. LuxuryMap Sleeping Pad has the same pesky air valve you’ll find on all Therm-a-Rest pads. It’s harder to fill than some of its competitors, and it’s prone to collecting sand and dirt as you open and close it over time.
A few testers complained about this pad’s firmness. If you like a softer bed, or you’re a side sleeper with achy hips, you may prefer Therm-a-Rest’s MondoKing 3D.
Top pick for backpacking: Nemo Quasar 3D Lightweight Insulated Sleeping Pad
Top pick
The air-filled Nemo Quasar 3D Lightweight Insulated Sleeping Pad is the backpacking sleeping pad we recommend for carrying into the wild.
It’s the most comfortable backpacking pad we tested. Compared with many backpacking pads we’ve used, the Quasar pad was highly supportive. Side sleepers will appreciate that their hips don’t hit the ground, and the pad’s firmness should keep your back from feeling overly flexed. At 3.5 inches thick, with an average 3.3 R-value, the Quasar pad is ideal for three-season camping. The body-mapped baffles are also contoured to the user’s core. That provides a cradling effect, and it meant we actually got a decent night’s sleep outside.
It’s easy to inflate and deflate. We’ve typically hated bag-style inflation systems, but we used Nemo’s Vortex pump sack to fully blow up the pad, topping it off with a few breaths at the end, and it stayed full (and firm!) for three weeks. The Quasar pad was easy to deflate, and it packed well into its tiny stuff sack.
It’s very durable. In addition to sleeping outdoors on this pad, Jenni left it in her living room and let her children and dog climb on it. After three weeks, there was no sign of wear and tear; that 30-denier ripstop polyester does its job. The pad also comes with a repair kit, just in case, and a lifetime warranty.
It’s light enough to carry—though it’s not the lightest pad we tested. At 1 pound 12 ounces for the regular size, the Quasar pad is about 8 ounces heavier than many competitors; while the pad does pack down small, this extra weight could be a dealbreaker for ultralight hikers. (For lighter pads, check out our other sleeping pads worth considering.)
It comes in four sizes. The Quasar pad comes in regular, regular wide, long wide, and double configurations, all made with recycled plastic.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Not everyone likes the built-in pillow. Though most testers really liked this sleeping pad, the ones who hated it couldn’t stand the built-in pillow. Jenni and her husband (a side sleeper and back sleeper, respectively) didn’t mind the pillow at all. But others found it had a bit too much padding, especially if you bring your own pillow from home. If you want a completely flat surface, or you’re worried that a bit of bulk will make you slide down, you may want to choose another pad.
Budget pick: Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol
Budget pick
The Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol is an inexpensive yet dependable foam pad.
It’s basic but effective. Lined up against much more expensive self-inflating pads and air-construction pads, the Z Lite Sol, at just 0.75 inch thick, is clearly less comfortable. But if you’re exhausted after a long day on the trail, you’re an adult who isn’t picky about sleeping surfaces, or you’re a kid who doesn’t know any better, the Z Lite Sol pad could very well be the one for you.
It’s warm enough for three-season trips. Even though the Z Lite Sol pad is relatively thin, its solid foam is an effective insulator for its size; it has an R-value of 2.6. It isn’t as warm as any of our other picks, but it is warmer than most AeroBed-style air mattresses as well as many competitor pads.
It’s lightweight and comfortable enough. At just 14 ounces, the Z Lite Sol pad is light enough for most backpackers; it’s nearly a pound lighter than the Quasar pad. And though this pad isn’t particularly compact, you don’t have to worry about damaging it simply by bungeeing it to the outside of a pack. The surface is extremely firm, but the sophisticated pattern of heat-trapping dimples felt cushier than its thickness led us to expect. We compared this pad side by side with another inexpensive closed-cell foam mat, the Stansport Pack-Lite (aka a “blue pad”), which we got at Walmart. And there was no contest: The Z Lite Sol pad was far more comfortable.
Many testers have used this pad for years, with no signs of wear and tear. Like most pads, the Z Lite Sol pad will wear down with heavy use, and that can decrease its insulating properties. But our testers have found that this pad can last for decades, especially if it’s not used very often. (It also has a limited lifetime warranty.) A closed-cell foam pad is also a smart choice for kids because a tear or puncture is no big deal (unlike with inflatable pads). You can strap this kind of pad to the outside of a backpack, use it as a seat near the campfire, try to float on it in a river or lake, and otherwise treat it poorly without fear of retribution.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
It comes in just two sizes. The Z Lite Sol pad comes in a 20-by-51-inch small size and a 20-by-72-inch medium size.
The best car-camping sleeping pad for couples: Exped MegaMat Duo
Best for…
The Exped MegaMat Duo, which fits two people, is the most comfortable pad we tried—and it’s one of the warmest.
This is the warmest, most insulated double sleeping pad we’ve tried. It has an R-value of 8.1, so you can use it in all four seasons. Our testers said that this model, with most of its 4-inch depth made up of foam and a layer of air cores throughout, felt more like a mattress than a sleeping pad. In contrast to the typical popcorn effect that two people of different weights can experience on a classic air mattress, the MegaMat Duo mat kept us from bouncing up and down. It also provided stability for side sleepers who need padding for their hips and shoulders. One of our testers used this bed while pregnant and felt completely comfortable, even after a day of hiking.
The materials are soft and durable. The MegaMat Duo pad’s outer fabric is a sleek, soft recycled polyester that repels dirt and moisture, and it has stood the test of time over four years and dozens of camping trips with small humans. (Exped redesigned this pad in 2025; we tested the new version and liked it just as much as the previous versions.) If you’re willing to be slightly inconvenienced by the size of this bed and its deflation process (that is, if you’re working without an air pump), you’ll reap some serious benefits from sleeping cozily under the stars.
It comes in three sizes. The MegaMat Duo comes in three sizes, so you can find a pad that works best for your camping setup: The medium pad measures 41 by 72 by 4 inches, about 13 inches narrower than a standard full-size mattress; we thought this was narrow for tent camping, but it fits perfectly into the trunk of a compact SUV. The LW+ model is roughly the size of a full-size mattress, and the Queen version matches the dimensions of a standard queen-size mattress.
It comes with a strong warranty. Exped products carry a five-year warranty on defects, and for a fee, the company will repair rips and leaks in its shop.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
The smallest size may be too small for some adults to comfortably share. Before purchasing a MegaMat Duo, be sure to review the dimensions for each size option and pick the one that’s right for you. Even though it’s marketed for two people, the smallest (and least expensive) version of the MegaMat Duo is only 3 inches wider than a standard twin-size mattress.
It’s a bear to deflate without a pump. The MegaMat Duo pad inflates with a self-inflate valve, and the inflation process is fairly straightforward, but deflating this foam-core mattress without a pump requires careful maneuvering and the ability to exert your body weight on the mat. We’ve rarely been able to get it down to the size it was when it came out of the box for the first time, and even when the pad is packed down as small as possible, it can be hard to fit back into its carry sack. Thankfully, in 2025 Exped released the Mega Pump, which deflates as well as inflates the MegaMat, making the process much easier.
Top pick: Exped Mega Pump
Top pick
If you’d rather not use your breath or a pump bag to inflate your sleeping pad, the best air pump we tested is Exped’s Mega Pump.
It greatly speeds up inflation. In our tests, the Mega Pump was strong enough to speed up the inflation process tenfold on both single and double pads, compared with blowing up a pad using our breath. Most single mats inflated within 30 seconds, even if the pad’s valve wasn’t 100% compatible with the pump. This pump charges with a USB-C cable, and it comes with two sizes of adapter, though we found that we didn’t need to use them, given the strong stream of air).
It deflates bulky inflatable foam pads, too. We used to recommend, and still like, Exped’s smaller inflate-only Widget Pump, but when we camped with bulky foam pads like the MegaMat Duo, we often found the deflation process just as challenging as blowing up those mattresses. When Exped released a pump with a deflate function in 2025, we jumped at the chance to test it. The Mega Pump did not disappoint. During testing, it deflated the medium MegaMat Duo in just under two minutes, leaving the pad just as compressed as it was when it came out of the box.
It has 25 minutes of power. The Mega Pump is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and charges with a USB-C cable. The battery lasts about 25 minutes, which during our testing gave us plenty of time to inflate and deflate multiple pads.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
It’s not ideal for backpacking. The Mega Pump is fairly compact and lightweight, but considering that it measures 5 inches long and weighs 12.3 ounces, we don’t recommend adding it to your backpacking kit. Happily, you likely won’t need it: Inflatable backpacking pads like the Nemo Quasar are usually structured with air (and fabric), and rarely require much effort to deflate.
It’s overbuilt for non-foam sleeping pads. This isn’t a flaw so much as a caveat: Unless you’re using an inflatable pad that has an open-cell foam structure, such as the MegaMat Duo or Nemo Roamer, you don’t need to spend the extra money on a pump that can deflate a pad. An inflate-only pump like Exped’s Widget Pump should do just fine for most inflatable sleeping pads.
Other sleeping pads worth considering
For backpackers looking for a lighter-weight, mummy-style pad: A solid choice would be our previous backpacking pick, the 4-inch-thick, 1-pound (in the regular size) Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Insulated Air Sleeping Mat. We found that it had one of the best weight-to-comfort ratios of the pads we tested. Its mummy shape is wider in the hip area than most of its competitors, and this was preferable for the side sleepers in our testing lineup. The quilted air-pocket design also keeps the pad from slipping on the ground, and it provides added support for side sleepers’ hips and shoulders. The pad’s 3.2 R-value is similar to that of the Quasar pad, and it’s also just as durable. However, it’s slightly less comfortable for most people than the Quasar pad, and it’s not easy to pack down. (Sea to Summit recently released an updated version of this pad, and we plan to test it soon.)
If you’re looking for a warmer, thicker car-camping pad for one person: Consider the Alps Mountaineering Outback Mat. It’s heavier than the LuxuryMap pad by more than 2 pounds, but it has an R-value of 8.5, making it the warmest single pad we tested. It takes several minutes longer to inflate than the LuxuryMap pad; the self-inflate function brings it to almost full, but it requires a few top-off breaths to be truly firm. And, compared with the LuxuryMap pad, the Outback pad is more annoying to compress back into its carrying sack (though the process is easier with two people).
If you need the most insulation, and you have lots of space: Comparable to the LuxuryMap pad, the Therm-a-Rest MondoKing 3D has an extra inch of thickness, so it’s heavier (in the XXL size, the MondoKing pad is over 2 pounds heavier than the LuxuryMap pad). If you prefer a softer bed, you might want to try this one before you opt for the LuxuryMap pad. That said, most of our testers have found that the extra foam doesn’t add any extra comfort—but it does add extra insulation. (The MondoKing 3D pad has an R-value of 7.) This pad is harder to pack down than the LuxuryMap pad, and it takes more time to inflate. Yet if you’re making a choice based on insulation, and you have the budget to pay slightly more, the MondoKing pad is worth considering.
If you need an air pump that’s small and light enough to take backpacking: Consider the smaller, lighter Exped Widget Pump. Formerly our top pick, the Widget Pump has two inflation modes (quiet and fast) and weighs 7 ounces, or 5 ounces less than the company’s Mega Pump. It can’t deflate your sleeping pad, like our top pick can, but it did inflate most of the single sleeping pads we tested within 30 seconds. (Most inflatable backpacking sleeping pads are easy to deflate anyway, since they’re typically filled only with air, not air and foam.) Its lithium-ion battery charges via USB-C cable, and it has two features our top pick lacks: It works as a reverse battery bank for your cell phone and doubles as a miniature lantern.
Care, use, and maintenance
Nothing ruins an outdoor adventure like a hole, rip, or tear in a sleeping pad. These tips will help prolong your pad’s lifespan.
- Keep it away from heat. When possible, avoid storing your sleeping pad in a hot car or hot tent during the day. And resist the temptation to take your pad close to the campfire, since stray sparks have ended the life of many a pad.
- Watch out for hazards. When you’re setting up camp, avoid rough spots whenever possible. And clear your camping area of spiky plants, pine cones, and rocks, since they could puncture or abrade your sleeping pad. The more layers between your sleeping pad and the ground, the better. A tent footprint, a groundsheet, and/or a tent with a bathtub floor will help protect your pad.
If you suspect a puncture and are near a bathtub, fill the tub with soapy water, inflate the pad, and then submerge it in the tub. The soap bubbles make any air leakage more obvious, and if the pad does have a leak, bubbles will form. Take a Sharpie marker or an oil crayon and circle the area, and then dry the pad thoroughly.
Should a small, hard-to-find hole develop, most companies suggest that you repair it using just the glue in the factory repair kit. If you don’t have a kit on hand, a urethane-based glue, such as Gear Aid Aquaseal FD, should do the trick. Give the glue plenty of time to dry, without touching other surfaces; this can take three to 24 hours, depending on the material.
For larger holes, use the self-adhesive fabric patch that comes in your kit (for most pads) and apply a little glue beforehand, just to make sure it sticks. You can also buy patches and repair kits from companies like Sea to Summit and Therm-a-Rest.
The competition
Backpacking pads
The Sea to Summit Comfort Plus Insulated Air Sleeping Mat’s lack of thickness (2.5 inches) is noticeable, for side sleepers especially. Jenni found that her hips hit the ground, and she avoided sleeping on this pad at all costs. It is also heavier than the Quasar pad.
The Klymit Insulated Static V Lite Sleeping Pad’s V-shaped baffle design (which supposedly contours to the body) was polarizing. Our tall, thin testers found the baffles to be comfortable; one broader-bodied tester described the experience as “like sleeping on a cord of wood.”
When we tested the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT (the updated model of our former top pick) and the XTherm (its warmer sibling) in 2023, they were the least durable in our lineup; the XLite busted a tear almost immediately, and a patch didn’t do much to help. Both deflated quickly and felt paper-thin.
Car-camping pads
The Therm-a-Rest BaseCamp Sleeping Pad—a popular, moderately priced option in the Therm-a-Rest line—is comfortable. But it’s not as comfortable as the LuxuryMap pad. The BaseCamp pad is 2 inches thick, versus the LuxuryMap pad’s 3 inches, and it lacks the higher-end pad’s pressure-mapped foam.
The budget-priced Teton Sports ComfortLite Self Inflating Pad is another big, cushy self-inflating pad that clearly trailed the LuxuryMap pad—our favorite—in overall comfort.
Although most testers found the Klymit Insulated Static V Sleeping Pad to be comfortable, it was not as comfy as cushier self-inflating pads, like our LuxuryMap pick.
Sleeping on the Stansport Pack-Lite Camping and Backpacking Sleeping Pad’s thin, firm strip of foam is better than sleeping directly on the ground. Yet aside from its price, this pad is far inferior to any of the other ones we tested.
What to look forward to
We plan to test new sleeping pads from REI Co-op, Big Agnes, Sea to Summit, and Nemo, among others, soon.
This article was edited by Ria Misra and Christine Ryan.
