SLEEPING MATS BUYING GUIDE

Essential for a good night’s rest, sleep mats come in three varieties. Here’s Trail’s guide to finding the best one for you.

1

WHICH DESIGN?

Sleeping mats come in three primary designs. The lowestpriced type is the closed-cell foam mat, which is durable and surprisingly lightweight, but quite bulky to carry and the least comfortable option. Next up the price scale is the self-inflating mat, which has a layer of foam sandwiched between two layers of material; which provide air pockets for more comfort. They’re more compact than closed-cell foam mats, but heavier. Finally, the air mat, which has baffles inside to trap air once inflated. These are very lightweight and compact but tend to be a little bouncy and not generally very warm, unless they have additional insulation inside, which some do (but they cost more).

2

WATCH YOUR WEIGHT The lighter the mat, the lighter your rucksack when backpacking.

If you’re camping near the car this weight is likely to be of little concern. But the focus for Trail readers is often low weight with comfort – so we’ve focused on mats that are good for wild camping when the mat has to be carried for a few hours at least.

3

SIZE MATTERS

Most mats we test are around 180cm long and 50cm wide, which is the standard size; but you can get shorter and longer options either to save weight or to fit your body size better. The thickness of mats varies greatly, and this is important to note as it will affect comfort, as well as price, weight and packed size.

4

MATERIAL DURABILITY Closed-cell foam mats can be punctured with no loss of performance, but this is not the case with an air mat or a self-inflating mat. Some lighter mats may need more care in use than heavier mats that use harder-wearing and more puncture-resistant materials. Some mats come with a puncture repair kit.

5

HEAT RETENTION

A mat will insulate you from the ground below. Its ability to prevent heat loss is important, so some manufacturers provide an R value, which is a measure of the heat resistance. A rating of 2 is good for summer and 6 for winter. Thicker pads generally offer higher R values.

6

PACK IT DOWN

When backpacking you’ll need to carry the mat in or on your rucksack. The smaller it is when deflated and rolled, the easier it is to carry. Closedcell foam mats often need strapping to the outside of a rucksack. Compact selfinflating and air mats will fit in a pack.