Campman Outdoor Gear & Apparel

A sleeping bag is only as good as the foundation you lay it on, and here at Campman, we know a thing or two about sleeping pads. Every year, they’re either getting lighter and more packable or comfier and larger, and there are always affordable options for beginners. Out of the plethora of pads on our site, we picked out a handful of options for gram-counting backpackers, luxurious car campers, and the ever-budgeting dirtbags.

Lightest & Most Packable

We saved all you gram-counters the hassle of looking up every weight and pack size of every sleeping pad–you’re welcome–and the Therm-A-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT Sleeping Pad is your ultralight champion this season. Its smallest size only weighs 11.5oz, and packed up, it fits in your backpack’s water bottle pocket.

Noisy fabric is a serious issue with ultralight pads that any avid backpacker can tell you, and we’re happy to report that Therm-A-Rest reduced the noise of all their ultralight sleeping pads this summer by a claimed 83% so we can enjoy the backcountry’s still silence without a crinkle under a our pillows.

The NeoAir XLite NXT might be the highlight of ultralight sleeping pads, but it’s worth checking out Therm-A-Rest’s entire NeoAir series of backpacking mats. The XTherm NXT is a warmer alternative to the XLite NXT, and both pads are available in mummy and rectangular shapes. Both are packable enough for avid backpackers, and there are enough options to cover campers of nearly any size, regardless of their environment.

Comfiest

For those of you looking for 5-star hotel level comfort at the campsite, the Big Agnes Captain Comfort Deluxe Camp Sleeping Pad is the leader of backcountry snoozing. Extra-thick, high-density, self-inflating foam offers plenty of cush as well as a versatile 8.3 - 9.9 R-Value that’s warm enough for year-round camping trips. Big Agnes also added a pillow-soft sleeping surface that encourages a speedy fall into sleepy dreamland. The Captain Comfort is available in three sizes ranging from solo to dual use.

If you want something even larger than that for the back of your car, Exped resized their MegaMat Sleeping Pad specifically for car camping. The Exped MegaMat Auto Sleeping Pad features a similar self-inflated foam construction, and since its 76 x 52 - 39in dimensions fit Subarus and Teslas, you won’t wake up with half your body sliding down one of the passenger doors.

The entire MegaMat series is worth checking out for campers who are serious about their comfort. Exped made the MegaMat for solo and dual campers, but Exped also offers lighter, more packable options designed specifically for backpacking.

4-season

Similar to gram-counting, backpackers have been on the prowl for pads boasting the best weight-to-warmth ratio–meaning the lightest pad with the highest R-Value–for trekking in the colder seasons or at high altitudes. Well, we crunched the numbers there as well, and found that the Nemo Tensor Extreme Conditions Sleeping Pad boasts the lowest weight and highest R-Value.

With an 8.5 R-Value and 17 oz weight, the Tensor Extreme Conditions is the obvious pick for alpine trekking through frozen environments. Four layers of thermal-reflecting film and insulated baffles crank up this pad’s warmth while packing as small as a water bottle.

The Tensor Extreme Conditions is available in mummy and rectangular shapes as well as long and wide sizes. Nemo’s entire Tensor collection consists of ultralight and all-season variants that are worth checking out for your next backpacking trip.

Best All-Rounder

If you don’t want a garage full of sleeping pads like ours', then the Big Agnes Rapide SL is the single-quiver pad for you. It’s comfy for car camping, packable for backpacking, and surprisingly insulated for 3-season adventures. It might not be ideal for winter, but whether you’re backpacking or camping, this sleeping pad provides the most versatile performance from spring to autumn.

Not just the most versatile, the Rapide SL Sleeping Pad is also the best-selling sleeping pad on Campman and even Big Agnes’s own website. It’s highly recommended among most backpackers, and when the car’s full of everyone else’s camping gear, we can still slip this pad so we don’t spend a single night on rocks and twigs.

Since it’s the best-selling and best all-rounder, Big Agnes made it available in six different sizes ranging from petite to fitting most 2-person tents. Big Agnes also makes a head-sized Big Agnes Rapide SL Pillow providing the same inflatable, insulated, super stable design that mates with the sleeping pads perfectly.

Best Budget

If you’re looking for the absolute cheapest sleeping pad available this year, then look no further than Exped’s FlexMat Foam Sleeping Pad, costing $40 before tax and shipping. Eggshell-shaped foam is light, durable, and packable for any outdoor endeavor. While it isn’t as comfy as inflatable matts, foam pads are endlessly versatile providing a quick and comfy place to sit for lunch on the trail and lakeside sunsets.

On the other hand, if you’re willing to spend a bit more for comfort, but still stay in a budget-friendly range, the Big Agnes Divide Sleeping Pad is a solid balance between the two. Some of you may remember the popular AirCore Sleeping Pads a few years back, and the Divide is simply the updated model.

It’s light and packable enough for backpacking, and comfy enough for car camping, making it the most versatile option in the buying guide. There are insulated and non-insulated Divide options to keep you backpacking and camping throughout the seasons.

Conclusion

Sleeping pads come in all shapes, sizes, and price tags these days, and while we may pine for simpler times at campsites decades past, we appreciate the improved comfort afforded by modern camping gear. Our backpacks are lighter, our tents comfier, and our backs feel better after a sound sleep with a well selected sleeping pad. Have any more questions? Feel free to contact us at info@campman.com, or contact Campman customer service at (801) 999-8117.

About the Author

Derek Newman

Born in the Wasatch, Derek has had an affinity for mountain life since day one. He was on skis the year he learned to walk, and as a high school graduation present he gifted himself rock climbing lessons. Nearly two decades later, Derek spends most of his time climbing up and/or skiing down most of the mountains around Salt Lake City, and he's traveled around the world multiple times for the sole purpose of peak exploration. When he isn't a man about camp, he's working in Campman's content marketing crew writing up blogs about backcountry skiing or rock climbing as well as describing products that he's used personally. He's climbed in most climbing shoes, toured on most backcountry skis, and ridden the resort on skis, snowboards, and even some evac sleds.