No single piece of outdoor gear has a larger impact on your sleeping comfort than your sleeping pad. Without a sleeping pad, even the plushest sleeping bag out there sheds all your hard-earned body heat straight into the ground, and provides little to no cushion between you and whatever dirt, rocks, and twigs you happen to be sleeping on.
Most sleeping pads fall into one of two categories: Camping pads and backpacking pads. Camping pads are those that focus solely on outright comfort and warmth, while backpacking pads focus on packability and lightness to save room in your back and keep weight off your back. Below we’ll break down the best sleeping pads of both disciplines for 2022.
Best Use: Backpacking
Nemo Tensor Insulated Sleeping Pad
Nemo has overhauled their popular Tensor Insulated sleeping pad for 2022, and the latest version of the pad manages to increase its R-value to an impressive 4.2 without adding an ounce of weight to the old design. The regular size rectangle-shaped pad still weighs in at an impressively light 15 ounces, and packs three inches of plush air baffle comfort, but is now warmer than ever. The Tensor is also available in a mummy shape for any backpackers looking to shave an extra half ounce off their pack weight.
Best Use: Backpacking
Sea To Summit Ether Light XT Air Sleeping Pad
Take Sea To Summit’s popular Ether Light XT Sleeping Pad and strip it down to its fastest and lightest form, and you’ve got the Ether Light XT Air. Weighing in at just 13.8 ounces for a regular-size pad yet still packing a full 4 inches of air-cushioned comfort, the XT Air is an ideal sleep system for ultralight backpackers that still want a good night’s sleep, especially if they’re side sleepers or tend to roll around a good bit throughout the night. The only drawback of the XT Air is that Sea To Summit removed the majority of the original model’s insulation to save weight. The resulting 1.2 R-value limits the XT Air to two-season use on its own, but if you prefer to hike in the warmer months anyway, it’s a great addition to your gear closet.
Best Use: Backpacking
Therm-A-Rest Neo-Air XTherm
Boasting an impressive 6.9 R-value, a backpack-friendly packed size, and a respectable 18.2-ounce weight, Therm-a-Rest’s Neo-Air Xtherm sleeping pad packs one of the most impressive warmth to weight ratios on the market. Therm-a-Rest has had the Xtherm in their lineup for a few years now, but recently updated the pad with an improved “winglock” valve that makes inflating and deflating the pad easier than ever. It’s a bit less roomy than other backpacking pads on our list, but if a compact four-season backcountry mattress sounds like your bag, the Neo-Air XTherm is your ticket to ride.
Best Use: Backpacking
Nemo Switchback Closed Cell Foam Pad
Closed cell foam pads aren’t the fanciest, most comfortable, or even the most packable, but there’s a reason they’ve remained popular over the decades as air pads keep getting lighter, quieter, and more comfortable: You can’t pop a foam pad. For years, the Therm-a-Rest Z-lite was the go-to foam pad of choice, but Nemo is giving them a run for their money with the Switchback. We’d never refer to a foam pad as “comfortable” but the Switchback is definitely the most comfortable foam option currently available.
Best Use: Backpacking
Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated Sleeping Pad
The Rapide SL Insulated is Big Agnes’ new flagship backpacking pad, and it’s brand-spankin’ new for 2022. The new Rapide maintains the larger outside air chambers found on popular models like the Ultra Air Core, but adds a quilted pillow top construction for added comfort. At 19 ounces for a standard size pad, the Rapide is a bit heavier than others on our list, but if you’re willing to trade a little weight for a lot of comfort, this one is tough to beat.
Best Use: Camping
Sea To Summit Comfort Deluxe Sleeping Pad
Kicking off the camping pad portion of our list is the Sea To Summit Comfort Deluxe, which very well may be the plushest pad you’ve ever laid eyes, hips, or elbows on. The Comfort Deluxe leans into its “car
Best Use: Camping
Exped Mega Mat 15 Sleeping Pad
The Exped Megamat Max 15 is the definition of a glamping sleeping pad. Its design stands squarely between a camping sleeping pad and a camping air mattress, which makes it a great match for plus-sized tents or anyone who loves being outside but doesn’t love the typical tent
Best Use: Camping
Hest Sleep System Sleeping Pad
The Hest Sleep System is a renowned sleeping pad/mattress hybrid with a serious reputation for other-worldly comfort. For this pad, the folks at Hest combine the best of both worlds, using a waterproof inflatable air mattress as a base, then topping it off with a packable memory foam topper. The result is an incredibly comfortable mattress boasting the highest R-value in our list at a whopping 11.8, which makes it suitable for year-round car camping in even the most bitter cold.
Best Use: Camping
Nemo Roamer XL Wide
We’ve been fans of Nemo’s premium line of camping tents, sleeping pads, and sleeping bags for years, and their Roamer XL wide is the plushest, thickest, and most luxurious sleeping pad in their lineup. With four inches of plush insulation, an extra wide and extra long sleep surface, and four-season-ready 6.0 R-value, the Nemo Roamer XL is a solid choice for year-round car camping, and comes backed by Nemo’s famous lifetime warranty for added peace of mind.
Best Use: Camping
REI Co-Op Camp Dreamer XL Self Inflating Pad
If you’re looking for a super-plush pad on an economy budget, check out the REI Co-Op Camp Dreamer XL. We love the camp dreamer because it packs a ton of the same features of premium pads, like a four-inch-thick sleeping surface, vented foam insulation, and a toasty 6.6 R-value, but it does it all at a price that’s tough to beat. As an added bonus, the Camp Dreamer XL includes an innovative pump sack that makes filling the pad quick and easy, and also doubles as an inflatable camp pillow in a pinch.
How To Shop The Best Sleeping Pads For Camping
A sleeping mat can make or break a camping trip. It can be the difference between an epic adventure and an ergonomic nightmare with sticks and rocks poking you in the back all night. Generally speaking, any sleeping pad you consider will come with some tradeoff, whether it’s weight vs warmth, packability vs size, or all the above vs price.
We generally recommend shopping based on the kinds of camping you typically do and narrowing down your search from there. If you’re the car-camping-only type and have no interest in backpacking, there’s really no reason to concern yourself with the size or weight of your sleeping pad. Get the plushest, most decadent pad you can afford, and never look back.
If you’re a backcountry enthusiast or even just an occasional backpacker who typically sticks to car camping, a backpacking sleeping pad can be a great jack-of-all-trades that pulls double duty in both the campground and on the trail. Choosing a backpacking pad used to be a tradeoff between warmth, comfort, and weight, but in 2022, that’s no longer the case. Traditionally, the lighter and more compact your pad was, the less comfortable and less insulated against the cold it would be. Nowadays you can pretty much have it all with pads like the Nemo Tensor above, but you’ll have to spend a little more money upfront for the extra versatility.
