Your sleeping system is key
There are times when you just can’t avoid being uncomfortable, but when you’re not bivvying on a ledge a decent sleeping mat is an essential piece of kit.
Sleeping mats are often overlooked when thinking about sleep systems in favour of more immediately appealing sleeping bags. However, sleeping mats influence how warm, comfortable and rested you can feel, as well as how much weight you carry and how big your bag must be. To ensure you're warm enough overnight you need to think about your entire sleep system from your sleeping mat and bag to where you'll sleeping and the conditions.
Using a warm sleeping mat means that you can sometimes carry a lighter sleeping bag, and the result is often lighter and more comfortable than using a thin mat and a warm bag.
Feeling strong and ready for a big day ahead or recovering after a long route requires good sleep, and a sleeping mat is essential for that. Suddenly, even the most remote and inaccessible camp can be made to feel comfortable.
The ground conducts heat up to 60 times faster than air, and if sleeping on ice that it increases to 90 times. That means a huge amount of heat can be lost to the ground, and a sleeping mat helps negate that.
A test worth trying is to use a warm sleeping mat instead of a regular one and see how much lighter a sleeping bag you can get away with. Often the resultant combination of mat and bag is lighter, and more comfortable too.
Types of sleeping mat
There are four main types of sleeping mats, each with their own characteristics.
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Closed-Cell Foam Mats
These are a classic benchmark product recognised by hikers and mountaineers across the generations. They provide an extremely durable and relatively inexpensive option which is crampon-proof, lightweight, and completely idiot proof. But they’re also really uncomfortable.
Foam mats remain a common sight strapped to the packs of alpinists on big routes, and we would recommend them for many alpine bivvies, or in scenarios where mat failure is likely and would result in serious consequences.
As well as lacking comfort they don’t fold up very small and provide precious little insulation. For certain situations they are still hard to beat, but for many applications there are now better options available than the closed-cell foam mat. -
Uninsulated Inflatable Mats
Essentially using air mattress technology, these mats are phenomenally lightweight and relatively comfortable, but they lack any real insulation and are quite vulnerable to puncture. When low weight is critical and in applications where mat failure is not disastrous (for example, some adventure races or mountain marathons) they are a good option, and we ourselves have used them regularly, but we would not recommend these mats for most applications unless you’re obsessed with saving weight.
We once made a sleeping bag which was Balloonbed compatible: it had fabric tubes running along its length which were then filled with long modelling balloons. The resultant bag/mat combination was extremely light and relatively comfortable, but the sound of bursting balloons during overnight camps at Mountain Marathons defined some competitors’ experiences. -
Insulated Inflatable Mats
These mats offer the greatest performance across most metrics. They are the warmest option, they are very light, they are exceptionally comfortable, and they pack up very small. Their limitations are their relatively high price, and the risk of puncture (though this is seldom as much a problem as many people expect). For cold-weather camping, for weight conscious users, or for those to whom comfort is key, this is the best sleeping mat option available.
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Self-Inflating
These are another veteran and iconic product. They use foam to pull air into them (‘self-inflating’) and then a little air is used to top them up and increase the pressure. Self-inflating mats are significantly more comfortable than closed-cell foam mats, they are warmer, and weigh only a little more. They are easy to use and pretty durable, and pack up much smaller than a foam mat too. However, self-inflating mats can puncture and lack the real intense warmth and comfort of an insulated mat. They are a good all-round option for many campers, but are no longer the highest-performing option available.
Sleeping Mat Temperature Rating
What is an R-value?
R-values measures how warm a sleeping mat feels. ‘R’ refers to thermal resistance, and a greater R-value means a warmer mat. Until very recently there was no universal test for assessing a mat’s warmth, making direct comparison between the R-values from different manufacturers difficult, but in 2018 publication of ASTM F3340, a Standard test for sleeping mats, greatly improved this situation. Our Aerostat mats are all tested using ASTM F3340.
Sustainability
Sleeping mats are energy-intensive products to manufacture, and being composed of multiple different parts, difficult to recycle at the end of their life. Little to no impact occurs in their ‘use’ phase – unlike with for example clothing, which uses energy and water when it is washed – but the user is still essential to sustainability when it comes to a sleeping mat. Looking after your sleeping mat, caring for it, repairing it when necessary, and not replacing it until you really have to play a huge part in minimising a sleeping mat’s product impact. We are working hard to reduce the impact of manufacture and are exploring numerous options for this, from recycled fabrics and fill, to dope-dyed fabrics, more durable materials and processes, to minimising the impact of shipping.
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Get some sleep, tomorrow's a big day
Explore our range of sleeping mats.
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Sleeping Bag Guide
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Revere Your Gear
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Caring for your mat