The Best Sleeping Pads For Campgrounds—Our Comfiest Picks

The goal of any sleeping pad is to keep you comfortable and warm, like you're still in your bed at home, or something close to it. Ideally you'll sleep so well you'll start calling it a camping bed. Keep the following tips in mind.

Know your intended use. When car camping, weight is irrelevant, and the more padding and insulation, the merrier. Don't waste money on lighter sleeping pads if you aren't going to be backpacking. Of course trunk space is limited, but none of our picks are too big. Similarly, consider the climate. If you plan to camp in Michigan in the fall where cold weather is all but guaranteed, you need a much more insulated pad to protect you from cold ground temps than you do camping in Colorado in the summer.

Know thyself. Everyone sleeps differently, and different pads will be better for different people. Are you a side sleeper who sleeps cold? Go for a thicker pad with more insulation. Sleep every which way and always wake up hot? Get an ultralight pad that's quiet, so your tossing and turning won't disturb your tent mates.

Consider your entire sleep system. The pad is the foundation, but how warm you sleep will also be affected by your sleeping bag, pillow, even which base layers you bring. (Many people don’t know this, but sleeping bag temperature ratings assume you’re wearing a base layer.)

Comfort is key. Sleeping pads aren't the place to skimp and save money. Go for the biggest, thickest pad you can get. It might not quite be the mattress you left at home, but the closer it is the more you'll enjoy your camping trip.

Simply put, they're a standardized number that gives you a way to compare sleeping pads made by different companies. Elsewhere I have called them a long con by the outdoor industry, which is how they started, but these days, after years of testing and comparing, I find them useful for judging how warm or cold two pads from different companies might be. The key is to look for the acronym ASTM (or ASTM FF3340) in the sleeping pad's spec sheet. Thankfully, REI has been pressuring brands to adopt this system, so most of the R-value listings you see today use the standardized system.

What is an R-value then? A sleeping pad's R-value is a measure of how much it resists heat flow. (Get it? R for “resists.”) The scale is simple. An R-value of 2 means it resists heat flow twice as much as a value of 1. So a higher R-value means the pad will better insulate you from the ground. Unlike sleeping bags, where buying too warm a bag is going to be bad for summer camping, buying a high-R-value pad and using it in warm weather won't be a big deal. Generally speaking, R-values from 4+ are good for three-season use. Lower ratings are fine for summer but might be too cold for those shoulder season trips.

The problem is that the R-value by itself doesn't tell you much about how warm you personally will be. Even though an R-value of 4 might be good enough for me to sleep on in winter, it might not be good enough for you if you sleep cold. In isolation, R-values tell you very little, even the standardized ones. However, if you have a pad that's not cutting it and you know it's an R-2.5, you can look for a pad with R-4 or R-5 and know that it should be warmer, which is where R-values are useful.

I've had very few problems with any inflatable sleeping pad I've tested. Some have lost air, but I've never had one deflate completely. That said, there are some tricks to getting the best nights’ sleep and having a pleasant trip.

Don't inflate your pad with your mouth: For one thing, some of these pads are huge, and it's just a pain, but also, your breath is warm and moist and you're injecting it into nylon, which is a recipe for mildew and mold. Most of the pads here are self-inflating. Resist the urge to blow them up. Give them a few minutes to do their thing and you'll avoid creating that mold-friendly environment. Sometimes manufacturers include a pump sack, which is fine, though I prefer a motorized option for pads that don't self-inflate.

Don't over-inflate: Insulated sleeping pads work by putting air and material between you and the cold ground, but that doesn't mean you need to inflate it until it's taut. It varies by pad, and you'll want to experiment to find what works best for you on your particular pad, but I generally find that letting out some air yields a more comfortable sleep. The downside is that your pad isn't as thick, and you're more likely to bottom out. I find this isn't much of an issue for stomach or back sleepers, but if you're a side sleeper it might take some time to find the sweet spot between comfort and warmth.

Carry a repair kit: All the pads recommended below come with some kind of patch kit for punctures. Make sure you throw it at the bottom of the stuff sack in case tragedy strikes. I also like to bring some Tenacious Tape, which I find often works better for repairing air pads. While I've never had a pad completely deflate on me overnight, I have developed a few leaks that required patching in the field. Avoid damage by keeping your tent floor clean, and check your campsite for any sharp objects before pitching your tent.

Storage: The best way to store a self-inflating sleeping pad, if you have room, is unrolled and fully inflated in a dry place with the valve open. This helps preserve the self-inflating aspect. If you don't have room to do this … I've stored camping air mattresses for years in a half inflated, rolled up state, and, while they definitely lose their self-inflating aspect, they survived and remain comfortable. The key is to keep them dry. Any moisture for a prolonged period of time will cause mildew damage.

Pads that aren't self-inflating can be stored deflated and rolled up, though I still like to leave the valve open.

Cleaning and Care: Keeping your mattress clean will make it last longer. Never put one of these in the wash machine. Therm-a-rest recommends washing in a bathtub or using a hose, which is what I've always done. Just make sure you have the valve(s) closed before you get the pad anywhere near water. For stubborn stains, Therm-a-rest recommends “Formula 409, BioClean All-Purpose Cleaner, or other general household cleaner.”