A pair of large twin-lock valves help air easily enter and escape. Simply twist open the “in” valve to inflate and the “out” valve to deflate. All in all, it takes about 15 or so minutes to puff it up. Deflating is as simple as unscrewing the deflation valve, waiting a few minutes, and then pressing and rolling the remaining air out. The MondoKing’s carrier bag doubles as an attachable inflation aid, too. And, thanks to a roll-top construction, that bag compresses nicely when tucking away the mattress and has a strap for slinging the five-plus pound inflatable mattress over your shoulder. Available at both Backcountry and Amazon, this is an excellent inflatable sleeping pad that could convince even the least outdoorsy folks to sleep in the woods.
Best Budget Camping Mattress: Kelty Galactic Si Sleeping Pad
Everyone who sprawled out on the Galactic SI assumed it cost nearly double the price, which gives you an idea of how comfy this self-inflating pad is. Available at Backcountry, the mattress holds air well overnight, its polyester pongee shell material is soft, and the internal foam core is cushioned and nicely supportive. It has a pair of brass valves on one end that are sturdy, easy to operate, and inflate the mattress in a matter of minutes—though it takes a little while to press out all the air. Fully filled, it only has 2.5 inches of loft, but at 78 inches long, it’s accommodating for most.
Because of its size, the Galactic Si takes up a decent amount of room when burrito’d into its stuff sack. We also would prefer if said stuff sack had a carry handle, and one tester wished the mat’s polyester material was a bit less slippery. But these are minor issues, and overall, the Galactic Si camping mat is an excellent, shockingly affordable addition to any campground. It’s comfortable, durable enough to use on a variety of surfaces—and, with an R-value of 8.4, it can handle very cold temperatures. It weighs roughly 4.5 pounds, is about two feet long when in its sack, and is covered by Kelty’s one-year warranty.
Best Camp Mattress For Actual Car Camping: Luno Air + Foam Pro Camping Mattress
With the right setup, your car can be a pretty cozy basecamp. Luno sells a variety of self-inflating models designed exactly for this purpose. (The company even makes a line of vehicle-specific mats customized to fit the measurements, including the wheel-well angles, of more than 4,000 vehicles.) The Air + Foam Pro isn’t precision fit, but rather a long, ribbed rectangular mattress designed for both campground and in-car snoozing—and it performs well in both scenarios.
The mattress is 72 inches long by 25 inches wide and made of tough, TPU-coated nylon. It features a springy, open-cell foam and has a very high R-value of 11.2 so it’ll keep you toasty in frigid weather. Fully inflated, it has a nice four inches of loft, and there’s a pair of leak-proof, lay-flush valves that fill and deflate the mattress in just about a minute. It also comes with an Air Roll bag that you can attach to the valve and squeeze for some inflation assistance. Resting on the mattress in both a tent and the back seat of two different SUVs, testers were impressed by the comfort of its ribbed top layer as well as its overall versatility.
Sprawling out in your vehicle can be tricky when you have a trunk full of stuff, but Luno makes this less of an issue—and ups the overall comfort—with the included head support bridge. This wide, apron-like piece attaches to the front headrest and fastens to the bottom of the mattress, raising and bracing your head as you sleep, preventing you from sagging into the chasm between seats, and providing clearance for extra storage space.The bridge has pockets for stowing items you’ll want to keep within arm’s reach and doubles as the handled case for carrying the rolled, cinched, deflated mattress. It’s a super clever camp bed, and both literally and figuratively elevates the in-car sleeping experience.
