8 Best Camping Mattresses (Review) In 2020

How We Chose Our Selection Of Best Camping Air Mattresses

As much as we would have loved to test these babies out ourselves, we didn’t have the time to sleep for long enough to get a proper feel of them, what with deadlines, eating, and spending time with our family and friends getting in the way. While this sucks for us, it doesn’t suck at all for you. To help us get over our disappointed, we searched high and low and somewhere in the middle before finally, finding and settling on these four crucial factors to ensure we found only the absolute best air mattresses for camping.

Brand - Why does the brand matter? Well, future camping mattress owner, the brand matters because it’s a representation of what you can expect from the product. Camping equipment is a competitive market, with many brands all vying to develop the latest and greatest products to sway you towards them for life.

This is awesome news for us and you, the consumer, as it means we’re showered with a plethora of excellent options to find the right one for us. This is what we thought about when making our selection, and as we worked through the different brands, we found those which are at the forefront, the ones that are constantly innovating, and the ones we think you’ll quite like.

Reviews - So yeah, we already mentioned we didn’t get the chance to test the mattresses out ourselves (one day we will though) As a compromise, we read over hundreds, if not thousands of excellent (mostly excellent, anyway) reviews from serious (or, mostly serious) consumers who have experienced these mattresses themselves, and we are still seething with jealousy about that.

These reviews offer an insight into what makes an excellent mattress. They let us peek behind the curtain and discover things we may not have otherwise known had we read the product descriptions. If a mattress is challenging to inflate, we know. If it’s prone to air leakage: we know. If it’s not as comfortable as it claims to be, or if it doesn’t insulate heat, you bet we know, and when we know, that means you know, too.

Reviews also helped us find some true gems of products and helped us discover secrets about them we couldn’t wait to share.

Quality - We’ve already talked about how important good quality mattresses are whether you’re in the comfort of your own home or on the go, but we think it’s so important we will mention it again. We have pretty high standards for mattresses here, so we wanted to ensure we only found the absolute best quality products for you.

What this means is that we wanted to select mattresses which were reliable, durable, didn’t leak air, and perhaps most importantly, were comfortable. No matter what you’re using your new air mattress for, you want to ensure it provides as fantastic of an experience as possible, and that’s only possible through excellent quality. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Price - However, the best quality also risks you paying higher prices, and we know not everyone wants, needs, or even can do that, and that’s okay. To get around this, we looked for a range of air mattresses with different affordability. We’re not expecting casual campers who maybe go only 5 times a year (at most) to splash their hard-earned cash on premium mattresses, but we also didn’t want to exclude them from finding a camping mattress solution.

On the other side of the coin, we also wanted our products to appeal to anyone who loves hiking. These are those of you who head out to new campsites (or trusted favorites) as soon as 4PM hits on a Friday, with your tent, bags, and provisions already packed. They are air mattresses for those who want an excellent night’s sleep and who won’t mind spending a little more, because they will get plenty of use out of it that may even end up with it paying for itself.

Features To Look For In Camping Air Mattresses

Before you grab your gear and set off into the wilderness with your awesome, brand new camping air mattress, make sure you know how to pick the best option for you. While all the options we’ve selected are the best ones available, we all have different needs, so it’s good to know the ins and the outs of a camping mattress before you end up buying one that isn’t right for you.

Size - Your mattress should be large enough for you to comfortably fit on, but not too large it takes up too much space that could hinder other campers or reduce much-needed space for bags, shoes and other accessories. You’ll also want to consider how small you can pack the mattress down so it fits comfortably in your bag with enough room for everything else. Before taking it on your trip, it’s a good idea to inflate it and test it out to make sure it’s the right size.

Inflation and Deflation - An air mattress isn’t much use if it doesn’t inflate or deflate, so the importance of how easy these processes are cannot be understated. The last thing you want after a long, arduous hike or journey is to spend a further two hours (at least) blowing up a mattress you’ll eventually give up on, anyway. This will only contribute to an unsatisfactory sleep and means you’ll wake up more grumpy than you went to sleep.

Self-inflating mattresses take away a lot of these issues do the hard work for you, but you can also find air mattresses that come with pumps, which will save you purchasing one yourself. This will reduce the time to inflate and means you can get to sleep sooner.

Deflation is often much quicker than inflation, which is useful is you’re running late leaving the campsite.

Weight - Those who travel with their mattress in or attached to their backpack don’t want to buy a mattress which is too heavy, as this can cause aches and pains on the back and shoulders, especially if hiking all day to the campsite. Knowing this, it’s best to look for the lightest camping mattress, however, these lightweight options may cost more.

If you’re traveling by car, the weight won’t be an issue, though, so feel free to buy the heaviest mattress you can find just because you can.

Comfort - Comfort is another very important thing to consider if you want to wake up feeling fresh and ready to go. A good night’s sleep is vastly understated when camping, as many - particularly those with little experience - have the attitude they’re only sleeping there, so what’s the big deal.

The big deal is that without a decent night’s sleep, you’ll struggle to wake up in the morning, be sapped of energy, and may even suffer from soreness, aches, or pains. Many camping trips involved intense, long days hiking or doing other strenuous activities, so you need to be as fresh as you can be to enjoy them. So it’s crucial to find a mattress that offers excellent comfort.

Purpose - Ask yourself what you’re using the mattress for. Are you car camping? Are you tent camping? Are you roughing it properly and sleeping in a cave or under the stars? What time of the year are you planning on camping? And also, where are you camping?

Knowing the purpose of your mattress will help make your purchase decision much easier, as you can identify the most important factors for your needs and buy accordingly.

Insulation - Your portable air mattress for camping should provide sufficient insulation against the surface temperature to ensure you don’t freeze during the night. Even in summer, where the ground is typically warmer than the rest of the year, it’s important to have insulation to separate you from the chill of the ground once the sun goes down.

Most mattresses will have at least a thin layer of insulation to keep you safe from the cold, but you must pay a premium price for the most effective insulation. Some mattresses will use a down layer ideal for the coldest climates (just like they would be in a jacket). Other brands and models, especially those only meant for 3 season camping, will use synthetic insulation that does more than a decent job and is something you can rely on.

To get a good idea of how well insulated your mattress is, check the R-value, which is its resistance to heat flow to give you an idea of what season your mattress is most compatible with.

Shape - Mattresses come in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit the space in your tent, car, cave, or backpack. These shapes can be straight, or tapered, and have their individual benefits to make your camping experience the best it can be.

Straight mattresses offer more sleeping area and therefore it’s more reliable you’ll wake up still on the mattress in the morning. Depending on the size, they’re also good for couples camping as they’re easy to share while still offering each other an adequate amount of space so they stay comfortable.

Tapered mattresses help to reduce the space the mattress takes up in a tent or sleeping area. They’re good for those with limited space, but you might feel a little like you’re being measured for your own coffin, which is just plain creepy.

Material - If you’re a light sleeper, you’ll want a mattress that gives you the necessary support to stay on the mattress during the night. This is typically a flocked material that keeps the camper in place while als preventing the mattress slipping on the tent surface.

Your mattress should also be waterproof, weatherproof, and be constructed with puncture resistant material (check the gauge to discover that). Not only will this make it more durable, but it’ll also be easier to clean in the event of a spill or clumsy, mud-covered boots.

Types Of Camping Mattresses

You should also get an idea of what type of camping mattress you need for your next adventure, or just so you’ve got somewhere to offer guests when they unexpectedly arrive at your door hoping you’ve got room at the inn. Depending on what’s best for you, there are three types of mattress you’ll get to choose from.

Closed-Foam Mattresses - Anyone who’s ever camped on a budget, or even those who have gone into the wilderness almost-completely unprepared will recognize the closed foam mattress as something which brings back memories, although whether those memories are good or bad is an entirely different story.

Anyway, a closed-foam mattress is made from highly dense foam which is accompanied by tiny, too-small-for-the-eye air cells, so you can see where the geniuses at the lab came up with the name. Hey, at least no one can accuse them of not getting to the point.

They’re a great option for all kinds of campers, from casuals to deep woods mountain men and women because they’re so cheap and so lightweight, making them easy to carry and transport, while also not taking up a lot of space, but only if you pack them on the outside of your backpack and attach them with straps. While they’re not the thickest option out there, they still -provide adequate protection and work just fine on surfaces that aren’t the smoothest in the world.

More modern closed-foam mattresses may have ridges and patterns to provide more comfort and specialized versions will come with a layer of insulation for you to use in colder climates comfortably.

Air Camping Mattresses - A sign of true luxury when in the wilderness, the air camping mattress is the most expensive options for camping because the materials and technology used to construct them. However, this extra expenditure is more than worth it, as not only are these mattresses comfortable, they’re also massively convenient, being lightweight enough carry with relative ease, and also easily compatible to fit in your backpack.

Unlike cheaper options, they’re also capable to be used throughout three seasons, which is something you may not get with the more budget options and saves you buying additional mattresses to suit the climate (although this is quickly changing because of manufacturing developments).

The thickness is a huge selling point and is especially useful for anyone who struggles to sleep on anything but a thick, comfortable mattress. Even if you can sleep almost anywhere, the variety of thicknesses with air mattresses is definitely something to consider, and you’ll still be surprised at how small it packs down for easy transportation.

Perhaps the only thing that isn’t so great about them, though, is how they require air to blow them, which you can do either by yourself with all the power of your lungs - just don’t go too hard and pass out - or you can invest in a pump. Some air mattresses will come with a pump included to sweeten the deal, but you’ll need spare batteries or a power source for them to work effectively.

If you have this option, an air mattress is a product you’ll buy to try out, maybe on a whim, and then wonder why you didn’t invest in one earlier. They’re also versatile and can double as a spare bed at home when guests come over.

Self-Inflating Mattresses - What’s better than a mattress you need to waste your own precious breath on to inflate, how does an inflatable camping mattress that does that all by itself sound to you?

That’s right, without sounding a little too infomercial, these mattresses are best for those who need high-quality and reliable fabrics that are guaranteed to last a long time. They’re excellent for passionate campers and provide a comfortable sleep or a place to sit and rest whether you sleep in your car, tents, or wherever there’s some kind of shelter.

They’re made with a mixture of air and open-foam cells and provide excellent insulation from surface temperature - whether too hot or too cold - and the firmness is easily adjustable. Despite initial beliefs (from us, at least) they’re more expensive than any other mattress, they’re cheaper than an average air mattress but more expensive than their closed-foam counterparts.

However, they’re a little heavier than your standard air mattress, which could be an inconvenience for backpackers. They’re not as easy to pack down as air mattresses, so if you’re short on space, this could be an issue.

Sources:

1. How to Sleep Better When Camping - Trip Savvy
2. How to Choose a Mattress for Camping - Altitude Blog