Best Camping Mattresses to Sleep Like a Champ

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If you’re camping, you’re probably also hunting or hiking. If you don’t get a decent night’s rest, then you’re going to be groggy and stop finding enjoyment in the whole trip.

Put an end to that nonsense, upgrade your mattress, obtain a more restful night’s sleep, and relish your camping excursion.

Who wants to sleep on the ground? Let’s explore some options that will help you get the best sleep.

5 Best Camping Mattresses Reviewed

1. SoundAsleep Camping Air Mattress

Finding what works for you is crucial if you want to be a top contender. With a primary PVC design to keep costs down, SoundAsleep offers a more eco-friendly, natural-feeling way to enjoy your time in the great outdoors.

PVC is known to be one of the most durable materials for use in just about any situation, and when you’re dealing with the unknown outdoors, this can be some beneficial peace of mind.

As the best queen air mattress for camping, it supplies superior comfort with a fantastic thickness of 9” (the standard thickness of most medium-tier queen mattresses for your home).

ComfortCoil technology and I-Beam air coils work simultaneously to contour pressure and your body’s shape, providing support while you’re asleep.

With all of those components tucked away inside the mattress, the weight limit of 500 lbs makes this an excellent air mattress for couples camping out under the stars.

There’s also an inclusive electric pump to get camp set up far earlier than the old way of manually blowing air into the plastic tube. The electric charger comes with a great battery life, but it’s also rechargeable, so you won’t have to toss out batteries all the time.

Between that and the lightweight mattress itself, you can carry everything in the included travel bag. Stash it in your backpack, and you’re ready to go.

Pros

• The included electric pump is rechargeable.
• Eco-friendly PVC design is sustainable and comfortable.
• Joint 500 lb maximum weight

Con

Product Information

• Dimensions: 78” x 60” x 9” (Queen)
• Weight: 13.9 lbs.
• Material: PVC

2. Intex 64417E Camping Mattress

Are you a light sleeper? We’ve found your replacement if your back is always killing you in the middle of the night.

The best camping mattress for severe back problems is here to offer immense comfort, but more than that, it brings support to help alleviate middle-of-the-night pain and discomfort.

Breaking up your sleep not only reduces the enjoyment of your camping trip but also lowers your alertness. Save the hassle. Compare to most mattresses, Intex keeps you 22” off the ground, which is insane.

It’s taller than most queen bed and box spring combinations, except it’s all support. It isn’t just there for your back troubles, though; it’s also there for peace of mind. Intex made this completely waterproof from top to bottom, and thanks to that durable finish, the maximum weight limit is raised to 600 lbs.

You’ve already got back issues, so Intex didn’t want to make you bend over and manually blow air into the tube. You get a rechargeable electric pump—one that fills this mattress up in under five minutes.

Ensure you fully adjust your dial settings, as failure to do so will result in your pump wasting its charge. Fiber-Tech construction keeps you aloft, so you can keep your dream clouds floating overhead instead of waking up in back pain.

Pros

• Elevated to keep you comfortable.
• Fills up in under five minutes.
• Completely waterproof

Con

Product Information

• Dimensions: 80” x 60” x 22” (quiet, thick)
• Weight: 22.1 lbs.
• Material: Fiber-Tech

3. Lightspeed Camping Mattress

One of our runner-up models comes with an unbeatable price and is arguably one of the best inflatable mattresses for camping. Period.

PVC is often disliked in the camping community due to its ridged nature, which is why Lightspeed aimed to address concerns about the material. TPU is a durable and flexible material, and this air mattress guarantees zero air leaks throughout your product’s lifetime.

You can comfortably accommodate two people, but bear in mind that the mattress is only 7? thick and has a maximum weight capacity of approximately 450 pounds.

However you sleep on this, your weight won’t negatively impact comfort; there’s a system in place to evenly distribute support no matter where you lay, so you don’t sink into one side of the mattress while the other puffs up (we’ve all had bad aero beds before and remember this happening).

One of Lightspeed’s distinguishing features is its ultralight carrying weight. You’ll be able to stash this in just about any bag, regardless of your total liter capacity.

It folds up to a compact size and weighs a total of 6 lbs, making it one of the most lightweight, quality air mattresses for camping that we’ve ever used. You’ll also get an electric pump with three different attachment heads and a carrying case to keep everything in.

Pros

• Durability guarantees zero air leaks.
• Designed to comfortably sleep two
• Extremely lightweight, even when packed

Con

Product information

• Dimensions: 80” x 55” x 7” (Queen)
• Weight: 6 lbs.
• Material: TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane)

4. Therm-a-Rest Camping Mattress

If you’re a minimalist camper, you’ll find massive value in Therm-a-Rest’s revolutionary air bed solution.

This also doubles as the best travel mattress for road trips and visiting the in-laws because it’s super lightweight at 5.5 lbs and compresses extremely well. Its compressed self-inflating foam setup process, which takes only seconds, is its defining characteristic.

There’s no better way to set up the campsite right away. It does have a slightly thin build at 4?, which isn’t an issue for most campers. However, depending on the terrain or if you don’t use a sleeping pad underneath it, you might feel a little something through the mattress.

Foam conforms more to the environment, so as long as you pick a good spot, comfort issues will be minimal. You’ll also get a compact carrying case for backpack storage.

Last but not least, there’s a firmness setting you can utilize. You don’t need to do anything to set this up, but if you want to make the mattress more firm, you can give a few breaths into the valve to tighten everything up.

The sidewalls can attach together without much of a seam in the middle if you have a second person.

Pros

• Extremely lightweight (under 6 pounds)
• Self-inflating technology means no work for you.
• Attached to another Therm-a-Rest for more sleeping space.

Con

Product Information

• Dimensions: 77” x 25” x 4” (Queen)
• Weight: 5.5 lbs.
• Material: self-inflating foam

5. Etekcity Upgraded Camping Mattress

Etekcity has produced some average products, especially in the electronics sector, but they have excelled in this area.

With your purchase of the best inflatable camping mattress for budget buyers, you get an electric pump that handles all the hassle for you.

It takes an average of five minutes to get this 9” airbed pumped up, and as a heads up, the pump’s power supply won’t be able to handle two full inflations on a single charge. Ensure you connect it correctly from the outset to prevent the need for manual labor.

Etekcity calls their comfort technology wave beam inner support walls, and while it’s a comfortable enough air mattress, their marketing makes this seem like a more high-end product than it is.

The only other dubious marketing tactic was disclosing their one-year warranty unless you register your product with your order number. Is it a big deal? No, but other brands don’t do this; they’re banking on forgetfulness.

Fortunately, this is incredibly durable, so we doubt you’ll ever need to use it. The mattress itself is designed for single use, but a couple could squeeze in on this. You have a 450-pound maximum weight capacity, which is a testament to the quality of your build.

They really put durability first, making it completely waterproof and puncture-proof as well. They made this out of natural fibers, which actually pass the Prop 65 approval requirements, and it is available for sale to residents of California.

Pros

• Includes a rechargeable, lightweight pump
• Puncture-proof and waterproof
• Total 450-lb weight limit

Con

Product Information

• Dimensions: 75” x 39” x 9?.
• Weight: 10.1 lbs.
• Material: natural fiber, Prop 65-approved
• The design of three-ply fabric offers a high level of protection.

Things to Consider Before Buying

1. Support

Support and comfort are two different things. There are plenty of air mattresses that offer short-term comfort but leave you feeling stiff and achy the next morning.

Good support will lead to excellent comfort, so long as it matches up with your height and weight. You’ll find that materials like TPU and PVC give a great level of support; they’re ridged, durable, yet soft enough that you won’t regret your decision.

The main thing to consider with support is that you need to cradle your neck and spine, and no air mattress will do that for you; you also need to bring along a great camping pillow, which none of these brands offer with your purchase.

2. Size

Most camping mattresses are available in three size variants: twin, queen, and a grey area that is within a few inches of a queen mattress.

These usually measure about 77” x 30”, and the thickness is dependent upon the brand and what they’re using. For most adults, this will work as a single sleeper, but you’ll want 36” of width or more for a double sleeper.

Size also shouldn’t impact your comfort, at least with these air mattresses, which feature weight distribution properties to prevent “dip spots” that feel like they’re sucking you in.

3. Comfort

There are a ton of ways to measure this, but one of the most reliable is to look at what top-level technology the compact is using.

They’ll try to toss around a lot of high-end buzzwords to make it seem better than it is, which is why it’s a beneficial time to scan reputable, legible reviews to see what customer experiences have to say about it.

Air cells and additional padding up top are usually adequate enough to sustain a high level of comfort for your trip.

4. Portability

We know the dimensions are important, but deployed size isn’t the only thing you should be looking at.

If you’re a minimalist camper who takes one backpack with you, storage space is also important. Keep in mind that with some of these, you’ll also be bringing the electric pump with you, so account for that in your backpack space.

Remember that portability is important, so check the deflated weight of these mattresses—some may surprise you.

5. Durability

This is where you get into the argument over materials. PVC is durable but not always eco-friendly (it takes a special brand to make it environmentally conscious), and TPU is far more elastic and resistant to punctures.

The durability heavily depends on the brand; you’re not going to find a no-name, cheap air mattress that can handle the mishaps that happen out on the campsite.

Whether you’re sleeping with your keys in your pocket or keeping your boots on and accidentally dragging them across the sidewall, you need a durable air mattress to help you account for the unknown in the wilderness.

6. Inflation Method

We all have vivid memories of manually inflating aero beds in the past, but no matter which option you choose from this list, you won’t have to do that.

You’ll either be able to pick a self-inflating foam mattress that gives you a quick setup or any other mattress that comes with an electric air pump to take care of everything for you, usually in five minutes or less.

Electric pumps are a standard accessory that comes with most air mattress purchases nowadays.

FAQs

Wrap-Up

You’ve got the most comfortable camping bed; now it’s time to put it to beneficial use.

We can’t tell you where your camping trail is going to take you, but we know that with one of the camping mattresses we’ve reviewed today, you’ll be comfortable when you get there.

Pop open the air mattress, take a load off, and enjoy.