A comfortable sleeping mat is essential if you want a good night's sleep in your tent. A self-inflating sleeping pad, a foam sleeping mat or airbed. Do you need help picking out the right one? We’ll be happy to help you.
Just open up the air valve on the self-inflating sleeping pad and air fills the chambers automatically. If you like a firmer mattress, you can blow it up a bit more yourself.
This type of pad is:
✓ lightweight,
✓ compact,
✓ comfortable,
✓ insulating.
A closed-cell foam pad is incredibly durable. Moreover, it is ultra-lightweight and cheaper than a self-inflating pad. Unfortunately, it lacks more in comfort. A foam sleeping mat is relatively stiff and quite bulky.
Are you looking for more comfort? Then the traditional airbed is your best option. However, you must take a number of cons into account:
✓ You will never be able to warm up the air inside an air pad with your body heat alone. So, the insulation value is low.
✓ Air pads weigh more and are much bulkier.