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Best Car Camping Sleeping Pad for Summer?
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backpacking, or packing gear up to a climb, I'm minimalist to ultra-light. But for car camping - I decided last weekend that my two ridge rests were done, and I just want some comfort. (Clarification during edit : I mean camping next to my car, not in it. Plenty of space, don't care how much it weighs or how it carries. I just want to sleep well in a wide range of temps with a wide range of flatness and rockiness.) There is a "base camp" and a "luxe" thermarest, but those are both R=6, which should be really really hot to sleep on warm summer nights. So, what is your favorite heavy, luxurious, strictly car camping sleeping pad or matress or whatever? I mostly sleep on my stomach, sometimes on my back. I like thermarest for not being made in China (PRC), and they seem to have really good customer service. Any recommendations or comments much appreciated. -TPC |
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I wonder what the R rating of the average home mattress is. I personally only have a year round queen. Haven’t considered getting a less insulated one for the summer. |
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Depending on how literal you are on the "car" part: https://lunolife.com/products/luno-air-mattress-2-0 edit: can confirm from winter car camping that this thing is not warm. Recommend pairing with a high R-value sleeping pad if it's cold out. |
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Is there such a thing as a “cool” comfortable pad? Any kind of “Cush” adds R value (Aside from an active cooling device you’d plug in) For river camping, maybe a flow through waterbed pad, that allows cool river water to flow through it. Plus adds more of that soothing flowing river white noise right in your ear to lull you to sleep. Good luck on your unicorn quest. |
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Yeah I wouldn’t be too concerned about the r value, but if you are, I think a regular (non camping) air mattress will be the comfiest thing you can find with a low r value. Personally I would go with something like the exped mega mat. |
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Xped - a Swiss company. |
Cherokee Nunes wrote: I absolutely love my Exped pad; it rivals my home mattress for comfort. We have the MegaMat Duo 10 Medium and it fits perfectly in the back of our Subaru (or in our 2 person tent) and sleeps 2 comfortably. BUT - It had an R value of 8. That's really warm! Great in the winter. It's also fine in the summer for us, since during the summer we're going up to high elevations in the Sierra and the nights are still pretty cool. But I probably wouldn't want to sleep on it during really hot weather. I think a reasonable option for hot weather is a basic uninsulated air mattress (if in a tent) or that Luno mattress in a car. The Luno mattress is not insulated. I saw this as a downside since I mostly camp in cooler weather. But in this case it's a plus. Alternate option - start hammock camping! |
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Dunno if that can work with your setup, but here we've been using whatever cheap pads (something like that https://www.amazon.ca/RockWater-Designs-Airlift-Standard-20x72x1-5in/dp/B06XR1DHJL). Those we actually got from step parents who never really used them. |
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If weight wasn't a concern, I would probably get one from this company: https://klymit.com/collections/sleeping-pads/products/insulated-static-v-luxe-sleeping-pad |
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Could be worth considering a cot for the summer, or even a hammock for near car camping if that's your thing. Having air flo under you on super hot nights feels great. |
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Xped Megamat duo is more comfortable than I believed was possible. |
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+1 for the megamat (just the small one though, the duo is probably gigantic packed?). I've slept on living room floors, the dirt, in cars, garages, whatever. You wont care cause it's so comfy, lol. It will serve you well. The only time I've ever been hot sleeping on it was on river trips when it was 100+ during the day. |
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Home Depot 3” upholstery foam! Cheap and super comfortable and easy to cut to size. Plus with a staple of gun and plywood you can buy some duck canvas and upholster it for aesthetic/cleaning purposes (see my car photo for reference :))   |
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For car camping we have the Thermarest BaseCamp™ Sleeping Pad in a large so 2" thick 25" wide 72" long. I find them to be comfortable and not too hot in the summer. Further not too bulky when traveling. Shameless plug, in addition to the two we have, we inherited two from my parents. These have always been stored unrolled and inflated which is how they should be stored. If interested send a message. |
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Nothing wrong with the Basecamp, though I prefer the Nemo Roamer, pricey but worth every penny (basecamp is prob similar expense)... that said, Ally is a queen dirtbag at maximizing dollars and her bed is pretty awesome, pretty economical to boot (Roamer is $250, retail). plus you can build a platform the exact size you want, though the Roamer/Basecamp can squish into most any space. Mine is in the passenger side of a standard prius, fits like a champ with passenger side front seat slid all the way forward, and leaned upright (use gear bags to fill the empty space and make level). I sleep as well on that as a $2K memory foam mattress at home, so $200-250 seems like a worthy investment, IMO. |
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https://www.costco.com/klymit-klymaloft-xl-sleeping-pad.product.100709842.html |
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exped - 3 people who have slept on min over the past years have ended up buying one |
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+1 for Paco Pad Silverback |
FrankPS wrote: Thanks for that. Getting several recommendations for Klymit. Can you tell me, in what country are they made? No, weight is not an issue. In fact, to clarify, by "car-camping" I mean next to the car, not in it. |
Nathan E wrote: This pad is $480. Isn't that a bit, forgive me, a bit nuts? |
