Camping Mattress: Choosing Between Lightweight and Comfort

Unfortunately, if you're looking for the most comfortable camping mattress you'll be hard pressed to find one that is lightest at the same time.  Usually, the more comfortable a camping mattress is the heavier it gets. For example, Cascade Design's Dream Time is one of the most comfortable camping mats I've ever used but it weighs 8 pounds (XL). That's heavier than my current backpacking tent so I use it exclusively for car camping.

It seems that the more lightweight your sleeping pad, the less comfortable it is. In general, there are two types of camping mattresses: foam pads and air mats.

Foam pads are lighter than air mattresses but they don't provide as much cushioning and can be very uncomfortable for a lot of people. Most foam pads take up a lot of space, depending on the material used. They do however provide great insulation, especially closed-cell foam pads.

The difference between a closed-cell foam pad and an open cell foam pad is that the former is more durable, a much better insulator but provides less cushioning for the same thickness.

Open-cell foam pads are more sponge-like and less durable compared to closed-cell foam pads but they offer much more cushioning for better comfort. Even though the insulation is no better than in closed-cell pads, it's still better than air mattresses. One disadvantage of open-cell foam pads is that they tend to be very bulky which makes it difficult to pack.

Air mattresses provide the most cushioning so they're very comfortable but they're also the heaviest option and not suitable for backpacking. They also tend to be expensive and bulky. Since air inside an air mattress can circulate, they also tend to be poor insulators.

Not only is it too heavy but it's also risky to use air mattresses on a backpacking trip because they can puncture quite easily. When an air mattress in punctured there will be no cushioning and no insulation.

An air mattress may be able to provide you the best comfort but you need to be aware of the risk and weight. Take with you another mattress as a backup in case of punctures. This type of mattress is only suitable when weight is not an issue like when car camping.

One other type of foam pad is the self-inflating pad. It's an open-cell foam pad enclosed in an air-tight, waterproof shell. When it is unrolled with the valve open, the expanding foam  draws in air.

Self-inflating pads are different from air mattresses because you don't need to pump it although in most cases you might want to blow into the valves to adjust the level of comfort. This is the most popular type of pad for backpacking because they're not as heavy as air mattresses but a lot more comfortable  other foam pads.

When weight does not matter go for comfort. While choosing the heaviest camping mattress does not guarantee that you'll get the most comfortable sleeping pad, a highly comfortable camping mattress will likely be heavy. Most will be too heavy for backpacking.

When weight does matter, it depends on the level of comfort you require. If you don't need much cushioning to sleep well at night you can go for the lightest foam pads to keep down your load to a comfortable weight.