How to Choose a Sleeping Pad for Camping and Backpacking

The thickest camping mat from Exped, the Exped MegaMat Max Duo sleeping pad offers an additional 50% thickness compared to the MegaMat for enhanced support and pressure relief while sleeping.
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Imported.
View the Exped MegaMat Product LineView all Exped Self-inflating Pads| Best Use | Camping |
|---|---|
| Sleeping Pad Type | Self-inflating |
| Sleeping Pad Shape | Rectangular |
| Insulated | Yes |
| Insulation Type | Open-cell Foam |
| R-Value | 10.6 |
| Repair Kit Included | Yes |
| Stuff Sack Included | Yes |
| Packed Size | 11 x 31.1 inches |
| Sleeping Capacity | 2-person |
| Pad Thickness (in.) | 6 inches |
| Dimensions | 77.6 x 52 x 6 inches |
| Weight | 13 lbs. 2.6 oz. |
| Gender | Unisex |
| Sustainability | Contains recycled materials |
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Been sleeping on the MegaMat Max 15 (6") every night for the past three years. Not something to ever put in a backpack, but for car camping, RV, boat, cabin or home it's extraordinary. You'll be getting custom sheet sets; Exped's fitted sheet is for their 4" mats. Full XL is closest standard sheet size. My only critique would be that this mat is not in a standard mattress size, and it's also too wide to fit in a 50" width (2-person) tent. Get whatever size works for your needs but get the "Max" (6" depth), which allows for a softer feel without bottoming out. If you do take it into the outdoors, the 10+ R-value will turn deep winter into deep comfort. Worth the money; no other air mattress or camping mat compares.
I just recieved the Megamat Max DUO. i am wondering if the 6 in size is TOO big to self inflate. I left it on open for over one hour out of the box. It barely moved in height. It comes with a hand pump but so far, I am not able to raise the height more than a10%? I do have an electric SUP pump but the connections do not fit. I think for the price, this matt should come standard with the electric pump or at least fittings so that a SUP pump can be used. I will play around with it a few more days to see if I can see it at the full 6 inch height. After two hours, I think it may be 3 inches that required 30 minutes of hand pumping.
The previous version of this item was much more comfortable. I have a feeling that the coring of foam is to save money on materials while still charging a premium price point. I may try to find the previous model and trade this one in
I’m entering my second year using this sleeping mat, and I love it. First use last year was on concrete and I never felt cold. Be used it for up to 7 nights in a row and only ever top it off after the first inflating. I’ve used foam and latex mats, air mattresses, thin backpacking pads, and tri-folding mats. I wake up happy every morning on my MegaMat.
The first time I slept on this, I slept 16 hours straight without even realizing it. It’s the real deal. Life changing for camping and glamping alike. Challenging to deflate to a small size, so absolutely not backpacking friendly. But oh so comfortable!
This mattress is comfortable. Really comfortable. The whole things is a memory foam reinforced with air. HOWEVER, the pump should not be optional but a must. Inflating the mattress with the included little air blower took me I don’t know how long to fill it up, probably longer than setting up a tent. Now, forget about deflating it and rolling it up into the bag. Because the whole thing is a memory foam, there is no way you can fully deflate this and roll up. Maybe roughly possible with two adults? I highly doubt it will be small enough to fit back in to the sack. It is a very good comfortable warm soft mattress. BUT THE ELECTRIC PUMP IS NECESSARY. I am so glad I tested this out at home before going to camping.
Buy once cry once. One of the best inflatable mattresses you can get. The memory foam makes it feel like a regular mattress. Deflating can be tricky at first but once you get it figured out it's easy. I bought this for camping and would use this in any sleeping situation where I needed an inflatable. Would highly recommend to any of my friends or anyone needing an inflatable sleeping pad.
The MegaMat is about as cush as you can get outside of your home mattress. The inflate and deflate valves work great. Do yourself a favor and buy the Mega inflator to save some work inflating and deflating.
This mat exceeded my expecations. Comfortable and big enough for two people. Especially liked the length.


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