A Camping Mattress does two basic functions; they insulate you from the cold ground and provide cushioning for your aching body and a long strenous hike.

Without a camping mat, you lose most of your heat to the ground through conduction even with a good quality down sleeping bag.

There are basically two types of camping mats; air mats and foam pads. The thicker the camping mat, the warmer it will be and the more cushioning it will provide.

So do you just choose the thickest mats and be done with it? No. You also need to consider weight and how small it packs.

The following are the bestsellers I found in my search for something to replace my old Prolite 3 mat.

Some air mattresses also contain a layer of foam which provides one of the best in comfort and insulation. They often come with pumps that usually requires a power source. The problem with this type of sleeping pad is that they’re heavy compared to the other types of pads.

Air mattresses are more commonly used at home than for camping but even some light backpackers use them because they double as pack support in lieu of a frame. They’re also popular with car campers and people who camp on campgrounds. The popular ones for camping and/or backpacking are:

Intex Queen Prestige Downy Airbed with Hand Held Battery Pump

With a price tag as low as $16.99 it’s no wonder that this air mattress (or more accurate, air bed) is one of the bestselling air mattresses on Amazon. Don’t be fooled by the price. It still has a lot of good customer reviews. However, people complain about the cheap feel of the pump and tendency for leaks if you rough it out.

Aerobed All Terrain Air Bed

This one is a lot more expensive but still quite popular. To say that its comfort is unrivalled sounds like a sales pitch. However there are quite a few complaints about leaks and faulty pumps. It seems that buying this one is a bit of a gamble. You might get one that meets your expectations if you’re lucky.

Exped DownMat 9

At 24 ounces, the Exped is not the lightest of camping mats but the comfort is well worth it for many hikers. I think the integrated pump is brilliant. This is the one that I intend to buy to replace my old pad.

Therm-a-Rest Prolite Series

The is a self inflating pad and you can top it up by blowing into it if necessary. It is slightly heavier than the Big Agnes but on par in terms of comfort and warmth. This is a good pad to have but a lot more people prefer the Big Agnes.

People choose foam mattresses mainly because of the weight and price but foam mats are also fuss-free (one piece), puncture free and can serve as a pack frame. Therm-a-Rest makes foam mattresses that are consistently bestsellers but Gossamer Gear (GG) is a good contender.

Therm-a-Rest Ridge Rest Deluxe

This one has an R-value of 3.1 which means that it should provide enough warmth for sleeping on snow down to zero degrees when combined with an appropriate sleeping bag and insulated clothing. An R-value is a measure of thermal resistance that’s used in the building and construction industry. The bigger the value, the better the insulation.

At 0.75”, it provides just about enough cushioning for most backpackers yet it weighs just 19 ounces. The combination of weight, thickness, R-value, and cost makes this foam pad is very good compared to most of the competition so I’m not surprised that this was a quick bestseller.

Gossamer Gear ThinLight Insulation Pad

This is a very thin pad that is used in combination with a camping mat (of any type) for waterproof and puncture proof protection. It provides minimal cushioning and it’s not recommended that you use this as a standalone camping mat. The 1/8” version is only 2 ounces and cost only $9 so it’s well worth it.

Gossamer Gear Nightlight Torso

The insulation in this pad is good when it’s new but it tends to lose its loft, the more you use it especially if you pack it inside your backpack. People tend to use the Nightlight pad as pack frame as well and it is very light (~3.6 ounces).

The weight is good but comfort and longevity may be a problem.