A Great Night's Sleep: The Crua Community’s 7 Best Camping Mattresses

A short time ago, we highlighted four things to consider when choosing a camping mattress. This included the intended use, r-value, sizing and types of mats available. Now it is time to get down to the specifics. Once again, we utilized the great Crua community to map out our top seven camping mattresses. 

At Crua, we want to help you organize and design the perfect camping holiday. There are so many items on that camping checklist and knowing what you need can be tricky. That is why we’ve been slowly working our way through each item. We’ve been giving tips on what to consider when selecting each piece of equipment and some of the top models in each section.

We put a watchful eye of late over a piece of camping gear that is often neglected - the camping mattress. If you have a great tent and a great sleeping bag, you are almost 80% of the way towards a great night’s sleep. However, if you forget about the camping mattress or just buy any old camping mat as an afterthought, it can turn a peaceful night into a hardy challenge. Not only that, if you don’t plan in advance, the camping mattress can create an inconvenience, causing disruption and further annoyance.

A short time ago, we highlighted four things to consider when choosing a camping mattress. This included the intended use, r-value, sizing and types of mats available. Now it is time to get down to the specifics. Once again, we utilized the great Crua community to map out our top seven camping mattresses. We overlooked any mattresses that we thought were too big or bulky and tried to keep to the more reasonably-priced end of the spectrum.

There’s no particular order but the following seven are ones that stand out for us and provide that final 20% towards a great night’s sleep.

Let’s get into it.

Alps Mountaineering Comfort Series

 

 

Type: Self-Inflating Camping Mattress

Crua Thoughts: A self-inflating camping mattress of great value. With a high R-value, it provides plenty of heat and the suede finish gives that extra bit of comfort. One feature that we really like is the anti-slip dots underneath. This brazed finish keeps the mat in place under your bodyweight. This is a most useful feature if you have a habit of moving around in your sleep. As with most self-inflating mattress, the packability isn’t out of this world but it is quite compact. A minuscule price to pay for an all-round highly reliable option.

Klymit Static V Lightweight Sleeping Pad

 

 

Type: Air Pad

Crua Thoughts: The Klymit Static V sneaks into our top seven list for three main reasons - price, lightweight design, and packability. This simple air pad will really appeal to the minimalists. It’s easy to inflate, easy to store and provides decent comfort. The patented V-shape is designed to move with your body and adjust to your shape. Integrated side-rails are also a nifty addition. There are some obvious flaws to the Klymit Static V, the r-value is particularly poor and it won’t give you much insulation. There is an insulated version of the Klymit Static V that is a little more expensive. However, as a nod to all the minimalist campers out there we included this neater model instead.

 

Coleman Self-Inflating Camping Pad With Pillow

 

 

Type: Self-inflating Camping Mattress

Crua Thoughts: It’s becoming a bit of a tradition in our top seven lists to include an entry from Coleman. As always, this is a great option for the price-conscious. As is often the case with Coleman, this self-inflating camping pad offers spades of reliability and durability. It’s far more reasonably priced than the usual self-inflating camping mattress but what you save, you lose in quality. With thick padding and a built-in pillow, it is a far better option than a basic foam mat and has a price that competes. If you only make it out camping on the odd occasion this is a very steady option.

Therm-a-Rest MondoKing 3D

 

 

Type: Self-inflating Camping Mattress

Crua Thoughts: From the no-frills option above, we move to the almost overly luxurious. The Therm-a-Rest MondoKing 3D is undoubtedly the most expensive option on the list but it brings comfort and luxury that is hard to find on a camping adventure. With an exceptional 11+ R-value, it is by far the most insulated camping mattress of the seven. The four-inch padding provides outstanding support and comfort. Therm-a-Rest is a brand of great quality so we wanted to include at least one of their models in the list. Therm-a-Rest is the originals in the camping mattress market. It is the brand most commonly referenced when speaking with members of the Crua community.

There are a couple of pitfalls to this camping pad. It is heavier and not as convenient as other options. However, if you are getting a MondoKing 3D, you aren’t purchasing with convenience in mind. Just pure, unadulterated luxury.

Lightspeed Outdoors PVC-Free Warmth Series Self Inflating Camp Pad

 

 

Type: Self-Inflating Camping Mattress

Crua Thoughts: Another community favorite, this self-inflating camping offers great comfort with nice finishes. It is PVC-free, integrated with a pillow and has an oversized valve for easy inflation and deflation. The material is comfortable and incredibly durable. Like most self-inflating camping mattresses, it falls ever so slightly in packability. However, the carry bag and compression straps help to soften the blow.

Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest SOLite

 

 

Type: Foam Mat

Crua Thoughts: For the traditionalists out there, we wanted to include at least one foam mat in our list and what better entry than the Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest SOLite. This is not an endorsement or recommendation, more a look at what simplicity looks like. The foam mat requires zero inflation and simply comes as is. It’s cheap, lightweight and you needn’t worry out punctures. It will act as a barrier between you and the ground and will pretty much last forever. You cannot question the price but there are more advanced pieces of equipment on the market. If simplicity and no-frills is your thing, you cannot really go wrong here.

The Crua Self-Inflating Camping Mattress

 

 

Type: Self-Inflating Camping Mattress

Crua Thoughts: The list couldn’t be completed without mentioning Crua’s new addition to the camping mattress market. We know how important a night’s sleep is on any camping adventure. So, we took our job of creating a leading self-inflating mattress most seriously. We used our expertise in insulation and tent designing to create an outstanding self-inflating camping mattress. To check it out for yourself and look at the entire list of specs, follow this link. As we mentioned earlier, this list is in no particular order but we are particularly proud of this one.

 

Thanks for everyone that helped us in completing the list. We used all the resources we had available and appreciate the input from you all.

Do you have a favorite camping mat or inflatable pad that’s not included in this list? Tell us about it below.