Seasoned Campers Swear By This High-End Gear For A Comfortable Sleep Experience

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Camping involves a fair bit of grounding yourself in nature. Whether you're walking barefoot in a stream or foraging for wild, seasonal fruit, camping is the perfect time to try something new. But that all becomes no fun when you end up in a Princess and the Pea situation when you settle in for bed. That feeling of a rock poking through your not-so-ironclad bedding setup may cause frustration that can make you lose a couple of winks of sleep. It makes you wish you could have just brought along your mattress from home. But what if there was already a camping tool that could make you feel like you just checked into the Five Seasons without having to foot the bill?

Investing in a high-quality sleeping mat can completely change your sleeping game, and it just so happens that one of the highest-rated sleep mats from campers is the Exped MegaMat, available on Amazon. Beloved by campers for its simple setup and bed-like sleep experience, the MegaMat seems to have earned its place as one of the top sleeping pads for camping. Before you decide to upgrade your camping gear for a much sounder sleep, first hear from the experts to see what they think.

Laurel Hunter from GearLab wrote a review and said that her favorite thing about the Exped MegaMat is the comfort and warmth. She says, "Four inches of foam insulates from the cold ground and supports the pressure points of a sleeping body without the bounce of an all-air mattress." She also praised the mattress's easy set up, with self-inflating technology and a top-off pump for any extra air needed. She does note that the self-inflation can be slow, but acknowledges this is a small problem. Phillip Werner from Section Hiker loves the ultra-thick 4-inch mat, as it adapts to unnatural terrains. In his words, "I've tried other inflatable and foam sleeping pads [in the back of my car] and just hated them. The MegaMat 10 makes sleeping in my car something to actually look forward to."

The only downside campers noted about this sleep mat is that while it is easy to deflate and condense down to a compact roll, it's not the smallest or lightest mat to carry. This may not be the best option for backpacking, but for the car or casual camping, this mini-mattress will do just the trick. The MegaMat comes in both a single and double size, allowing for two people to sleep comfortably on the mat. This mat is also on the pricier side, coming in at around $240 to $500 on Amazon, depending what size you choose. While it sure is an investment, veteran campers seem to think it is worth the splurge to sleep comfortably while camping.