The best camping mats
A good night in a tent starts underneath you: five camping mats compared, from a foam pad that can’t puncture to thick self-inflating mats and an air mat that packs down to the size of a water bottle.
The ground draws heat out of you all night, so a camping mat is as much about warmth as comfort. There are three kinds. Closed-cell foam is light, can’t puncture and is ready in seconds, but it’s thin. Self-inflating mats have open-cell foam inside an airtight cover, so they fill themselves once the valve is open; Therm-a-Rest’s founders, who had worked at Boeing, came up with the idea in the early 1970s. Air mats are the thickest and pack the smallest, blown up by mouth or with a built-in foot pump.
Weight and packed size matter most when everything is carried on foot or by bike; for car camping, thickness and width count for more. R-value, where the maker gives one, measures insulation from the ground: the higher the number, the warmer the mat. A foam mat laid under an air or self-inflating mat adds warmth on cold nights.
What matters
- Type: foam for toughness, self-inflating for comfort with little effort, air for thickness and a small pack.
- Weight and packed size, if it’s carried on foot or by bike.
- Thickness and width, for side sleepers and car camping.
- Insulation (R-value), where the maker states it.
#1 of 5
Best overall
Therm-a-Rest Z Lite SOL Foam Sleeping Mat (Regular)
£60 RRP
Closed-cell foam can’t puncture or go flat, and the Z Lite SOL folds up like an accordion in seconds. A silver ThermaCapture coating on one side reflects warmth back, and at 410g it adds little to a rucksack.
What owners say: Owners rate how warm it keeps them off cold ground and how tough it is, with no punctures to worry about, and the dimples come in for praise too.
Heads up: It’s 2cm of firm foam rather than a cushion: side sleepers can lay it under an air mat for extra comfort and warmth.
A closer look: Lay it silver side up, facing you, so the coating can send warmth back your way. The dimpled foam is softer on top than underneath, and the concertina folds mean a couple of panels can be opened out as a seat or kneeling pad around camp without unpacking the whole mat.
- Closed-cell foam: nothing to puncture
- Folds concertina-style
- Reflective ThermaCapture coating
- R-value 2.0 (Therm-a-Rest)
- Dimpled for comfort
Best for: Rough ground and long walks
- Type
- Closed-cell foam
- Thickness
- 2cm
- Size (L × W)
- 183 × 51cm
- Weight
- 410g
- Packed size
- 51 × 13 × 14cm
- Built-in pillow
- No
#2 of 5
Runner-up
Trail Self-Inflating Camping Mat (5cm, Single)
£34.99 RRP
Five centimetres of expanding foam give a proper night’s sleep in a tent, on a mat a little longer and wider than the Vango’s. Open the valve and it fills itself; a few breaths firm it up.
What owners say: Owners find it fills itself quickly once the valve is open, and one found it comfortable even on rocky ground.
A closer look: Unroll it, open the valve and leave it a few minutes while the foam draws in air, then add a few breaths for a firmer feel. To pack it, open the valve and roll it up from the far end towards the valve, squeezing the air out as you go, before doing up the straps.
- 5cm open-cell foam core
- 186 × 53cm
- Quick Flow self-inflating valve
- Water-resistant 190T polyester
- Roll straps and carry bag
Best for: Tent camping for less
- Type
- Self-inflating foam
- Thickness
- 5cm
- Size (L × W)
- 186 × 53cm
- Weight
- 1.6kg
- Packed size
- 55 × 15 × 15cm
- Built-in pillow
- No
#3 of 5
Vango Adventure DLX Self-Inflating Mat (5cm, Standard)
£30–£50 Price range
Vango’s 5cm self-inflating mat has a non-slip 75D polyester top and base, so it stays put on a tent groundsheet and you stay put on it, and the Fast-Flow valve lets air in and out quickly.
What owners say: Owners report good nights on it, free of aches, and like how easily it rolls back down to its original size.
A closer look: Once the tent is up, unroll it and open the valve, and it will have filled itself by bedtime. At 1.54kg it suits car camping and festivals better than long walks, and the stuff sack keeps it neat in a crowded boot.
- 5cm laminated open-cell foam
- Non-slip 75D polyester top and base
- Fast-Flow valve
- Stuff sack and repair patch
- 183 × 51cm
Best for: Staying put on the groundsheet
- Type
- Self-inflating foam
- Thickness
- 5cm
- Size (L × W)
- 183 × 51cm
- Weight
- 1.54kg
- Packed size
- 55 × 15 × 15cm
- Built-in pillow
- No
#4 of 5
Best budget
HiiPeak Inflatable Camping Mat with Foot Pump (CM-04)
£20–£30 Price range
The thickest mat here at 8cm, blown up by stepping on the pump built into its foot end rather than by lung power, with a raised pillow and hexagon air cells. Press studs down the sides join two for a double.
What owners say: Owners like having the pump built in, with nothing extra to carry, and find it packs down small.
A closer look: Press the foot pump at the end flat with a heel, again and again, until the mat feels firm, and open the deflate valve to let it all out in moments when packing up. Two can be snapped together side by side for a couple, and a towel wipes it dry after a damp night.
- Built-in foot pump
- 8cm thick hexagon air cells
- Built-in pillow
- Joins to a second mat
- 50D polyester and TPU
Best for: Thick comfort for little money
- Type
- Air (foot pump)
- Thickness
- 8cm
- Size (L × W)
- 195 × 65cm
- Weight
- 930g
- Packed size
- –
- Built-in pillow
- Yes
#5 of 5
Most compact
TRINORDIC Vestra P Inflatable Mat with Pillow
£20–£30 Price range
At 550g and rolling down to about the size of a one-litre bottle, it’s made for hiking, bikepacking and motorbike trips where every bit of space counts, and the pillow has its own valve.
What owners say: Hikers, bikepackers and motorcycle tourers love how small it packs down, and say it blows up with hardly any effort.
A closer look: Ten to fifteen breaths fill the mat, and the pillow can be left a little softer than the rest for a more natural angle. The bungee band keeps it rolled tight in its bag, and the two glueless patches in the box are worth tucking into the first-aid kit on longer trips.
- 550g
- Packs to 24 × 9 × 9cm
- Pillow with its own valve
- 40D nylon with TPU laminate
- R-value 1.8 (Trinordic)
Best for: Hiking and bikepacking
- Type
- Air (by mouth)
- Thickness
- 5cm
- Size (L × W)
- 190 × 58cm
- Weight
- 550g
- Packed size
- 24 × 9 × 9cm
- Built-in pillow
- Yes
How they compare
| Feature | #1Therm-a-Rest Z Lite SOL | #2Trail 5cm | #3Vango Adventure DLX | #4HiiPeak CM-04 | #5TRINORDIC Vestra P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Runner-up | Best budget | Most compact | ||
| Picked Rating | 9.3 | 8.7 | 8.5 | 8.4 | 8.2 |
| Price | £60 RRP | £34.99 RRP | £30–£50 Price range | £20–£30 Price range | £20–£30 Price range |
| Type | Closed-cell foam | Self-inflating foam | Self-inflating foam | Air (foot pump) | Air (by mouth) |
| Thickness | 2cm | 5cm | 5cm | 8cm | 5cm |
| Size (L × W) | 183 × 51cm | 186 × 53cm | 183 × 51cm | 195 × 65cm | 190 × 58cm |
| Weight | 410g | 1.6kg | 1.54kg | 930g | 550g |
| Packed size | 51 × 13 × 14cm | 55 × 15 × 15cm | 55 × 15 × 15cm | – | 24 × 9 × 9cm |
| Built-in pillow | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Rough ground and long walks | Tent camping for less | Staying put on the groundsheet | Thick comfort for little money | Hiking and bikepacking |
| Check price | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
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