The Best Budget Sleeping Pads of 2024: Tested

Good thing the Trailmade Self-Inflating Sleeping Pad from REI Co-op is so affordable, because as soon as your tentmates get a load of your blissful night’s sleep, they’ll want one of their own. (Our Illinois tester went the generous route instead: “Will be ordering one for my husband,” they said after one solo car-camping trip.)  

While the 1.5-inch pad thickness might seem spare on paper, at the campground you’ll feel like you hit paydirt: The plush sleeping surface elevates your joints above rough terrain, while open-cell foam insulation brings the cozy comfort even in more extreme temps. While back-sleeping testers reported “exceptional” comfort, another said that rolling onto her side left her self-described bony hips feeling less supported. However, she said the insulation value makes up for the lack of cushion: “A 5.5 R-value is hard to come by at this price. You would typically have to pay 3x as much for that warmth value.” The pad’s durable bottom layer, comprising recycled polyester, resists wear and tear on twigs, ice shards or sharp stones. All of our testers found this pad to be an ideal car-camping companion, but likely wouldn’t tote it along for a backpacking trip due to its longer packed size and 2-plus-pounds heft.  

One of the best features of the Trailmade self-inflating pad is that it doesn’t whisper all night like your kids might: It scored perfect marks for noiselessness. “Unlike air pads, it wasn’t noisy like a potato chip bag.” Buy here. 

"My pad is comfier than your pad," declared one tester of the Divide Insulated from Big Agnes. Those are backcountry fighting words, but this 3.25-inch-thick mattress backed up the claim, tallying a perfect score in the comfort department in our head-to-head test. But this pad's ability to lift your weary joints more than 3 inches off the ground is only part of the story. 

The most affordable sleeping pad in the Big Agnes lineup, the Divide Insulated boasts an R-value of 4, making it warm enough for three-season use when paired with the right bag. Big Agnes achieves this relatively high warmth rating with lightweight polyester insulation that works in conjunction with a reflective foil that traps heat and sends it back to your body like an emergency blanket. Our testers also praised the guardrails on the Insulated Air Core Ultra: The chambers are one-quarter inch thicker on the outside (3.5 inches total) than in the middle, which helps the sleeper stay centered on the pad. 

The Divide Insulated is an air pad, which means that it's louder than other mattresses in this lineup. ("I sounded like I was snoozing on a pile of crumpled newspapers," our Montana tester reports.) Though aviation-grade TPU lamination ups the sturdiness factor, air mattresses are generally more susceptible to pops and leaks, so always travel with a patch kit. Our sample held its own against sticks and brambles in Glacier National Park, but we wouldn't make cowboy camping a habit. Buy here. 

If there’s one thing backpackers love, it’s a blink-and-it’s-inflated sleeping pad that’s ready for bedtime in less time than it takes to eat two PB&Js. The Camp Self-Inflating Sleeping Pad from Sea to Summit goes from flat to full in mere moments, and its one-way inflation valve prevents air from leaking out even if you lean or lay on it. When you’re ready to roll (or at least roll the mat up), reverse the valve to keep air from drawing back in as you flatten the pad. 

High packability is thanks to Sea to Summit's Delta Core technology, or triangular-shaped cut-outs in the core of the pad that reduce weight and bulk without compromising heat retention. While this pad might not be the pick for gram-counters, our testers were happy to tote it along for a little extra cushion on a backpacking trip. “Compresses nice and small,” says one tester who is an avid camper and backpacker and shared that it’s “one of the most comfortable of the smaller packed-up pads.” (The regular version is about the size of a Nalgene bottle.) Another tester said they’d happily backpack with it: “Having used foam and inflatable sleeping pads before, this was the most comfortable one that I've used. I’ve carried heavier!” One tester was grateful to use it as a kneeling pad quite a bit while getting themselves situated in their tent.  

While the 75D polyester shell is durable against abrasion, it might be just a bit too “buoyant” for one tester, who was dumped from it like a capsizing ship. “On the one hand, the padding was extremely comfortable, when I was able to stay on it. On the other hand, rolling off it all night long means I woke up a lot.” A different tester solved this problem by going sleeping-bagless on the warmest nights, which was made easier by the pad’s toasty 4.2 R-value. An included pillow lock system (adhesive patches, included with the pad, that stick your headrest to your pad) make sure your head stays aloft. Buy here. 

It's no surprise that a closed-cell foam pad was the lightest, most durable and most affordable in our test. What is surprising is that this particular one—the Switchback from NEMO—is comfortable to boot. It's almost an inch thick (20% thicker than its competitors) with squishy nodes that cushion joints and muscles. One tester dubbed it plush enough for back or stomach sleeping, "and when folded back on itself, it's the comfiest sit pad I've ever used," she says. 

And the comfort doesn't come with a size penalty. When folded, the Switchback's nodes nest together, so it packs down just as small as thinner closed-cell foam pads, making it a good option for backpacking. "I used this on a fast-and-light desert mission, and I barely noticed I was carrying it," said one tester after a week-long trip through Utah's San Rafael Swell. (Note: An inch of cushion likely isn't enough to support your hips on hard ground if you're a side sleeper. And, as one tester noted, this isn’t our pick for most other camping. Despite its paper-thinness, the Switchback was a great barrier against cold and damp misery: One of our Minnesota testers woke up to the sounds of a massive late-spring downpour, and though the bottom of their tent was drenched, their Switchback was an island oasis.  

The versatility of a closed-cell foam pad like the Switchback belies its categorization on REI.com. Our testers used the Switchback as an ultralight backpacking pad, a durable car-camping pad and a sit pad (you can't puncture a foam pad). They layered it on another mattress to double the warmth rating, accordioned it on its side to create a windbreak for their stoves and laid it on the beach in lieu of a towel. That's good bang for your buck. Buy here. 

Unfold comfort in a snap with the FlexMat Sleeping Pad from Exped, a featherweight but supportive closed-cell foam pad that’s a backpacker’s dream come true. Hardy microcellular IXPE foam can stand up to almost anything you might lay it down on, from packed dirt to rocky soil to “wet, uneven snow” as one tester experienced in Washington’s North Cascades. Its air-trapping egg-carton-style cell design locks in warmth and fits snuggly together when you accordion-pack the mat during waking hours.  

A moderate R-value of 1.5 means this pad is mostly designed for cool-not-cold nights. When paired with another pad, it can also serve as an extra layer of insulation (without adding much weight or expense) when paired with another pad on extra chilly evenings. 

Wondering whether a mattress barely thicker than half an inch could truly be comfortable? Don’t just take our word for it: Our Idaho tester reports, “Sleeping during pregnancy has been a major challenge, but I had no problems with this sleeping pad. It provided the perfect amount of support for my back.” (You heard it here first: Could the FlexMat be the best one-person pad that comfortably sleeps two?) Buy here.