What Is The Best Thing To Sleep On When Camping?

If you’re like me, you’ve got to be pretty comfortable in order to sleep.

This isn’t exactly as straightforward as it seems while you’re out camping.

You’ve got to worry about packing things in the car or in your pack; you can’t just pack up your mattress and bring it with you!

So, what is the best thing to sleep on when camping? Placing a sleeping pad or mat underneath your sleeping bag can make sleeping much more comfortable while you’re out camping. If you have your car nearby, you can opt to bring an air mattress for even greater comfort.

Since we are all different and have different needs, you might find that something else works better.

There are quite a few options you can use when trying to find something to sleep on.

I went ahead and pulled them all together in this article for you to compare so you can choose what’s best for you.

Let’s dig in!

Using Just A Sleeping Bag

If comfort isn’t an issue for you at all, using just a sleeping bag is always an option.

And I don’t mean that sleeping bags aren’t comfortable.

In fact, there are some very comfortable ones you can use.

But, if you tend to need a little extra comfort to fall asleep, using just a sleeping bag might not be enough.

Sometimes you’ll need to couple it with one of the options below.

The other thing to think about is keeping your sleeping in good shape.

The ground can be moist and the dirt, rocks, and sticks are not friendly to your bag.

The way I like to think about it is it’s much cheaper to purchase a new sleeping pad or mat than it is a new sleeping bag; so bringing along at least one of those will help protect your sleeping bag.

This, of course, isn’t an issue if your tent has a floor (same thing applies to tent floors. Better to ruin a tent footprint than the bottom of your tent!).

Sleeping Pad

I really like sleeping pads.

They blow up and essentially act as mini air mattresses.

A lot of sleeping pads nowadays are self-inflating, so no need to spend too much time setting your sleeping arrangements up every night.

Although, even regular air pads usually blow up in 3 minutes or less.

And you can even purchase very lightweight air pumps or purchase a sleeping pad with a built-in hand pump, so there is really an option for everyone.

When it comes to taking up the least amount of space, air pads take the cake.

They roll up smaller than self-inflating pads, so if space is your main concern, choose an air pad.

Both types of pads are comfortable and you adjust their firmness by simply filling them up with more air or releasing air.

You will find pads that are lightweight and built for warmer summertime conditions as well as those built with insulation and reflective materials to increase warmth in cooler weather.

If you plan on not traveling too far, there are thicker, wider sleeping pads that are best suited for car campers.

And if you plan on thru-hiking, you’ll want something durable.

For this, a closed-cell foam pad is likely your best bet.

That is because you won’t need to worry about punctures or leaks with these pads, and the last thing you want is for you to tear your sleeping pad while you’re halfway into your trip.

Since foam pads won’t puncture, you can also carry these on the outside of your pack, creating extra space for your thru-hiking necessities.

While these aren’t the most comfortable, it’s better than having an air or self-inflating pad with a hole in it!

Sleeping Mat

Sleeping mats are essentially the foam version of a sleeping pad.

They resemble yoga mats (they’re both the same thing just different names).

Sleeping mats are roughly the same length and slightly wider than your sleeping bag when unrolled.

Rather than adding or releasing air to adjust comfort, you’ll need to find a mat with the right thickness for your comfort.

Thicker mats will generally be more comfortable but will also take up more space and weigh more.

However, you won’t need to worry about punctures or leaks with sleeping mats, so you can roll them up and attach them to the outside of your pack, just like the closed-cell foam pads.

Air Mattress

Air mattresses are great because you likely already have one in your house.

I have quite a few laying around just in case I stay with friends or they come stay at my place.

And they can also be used while camping.

You’ll need a way to blow up an air mattress, so be sure to at least bring a hand pump.

There are also electric air pumps that you can plug into an AC outlet if it’s available, or get the DC outlet ones to hook into your car.

I even shared a video recently of a way to blow up an air mattress with a garbage bag.

There are many different types of air mattresses that fit all budgets.

You can even buy a twin air mattress at Walmart for $8.

If you’re looking for something a bit sturdier, they make taller air mattresses that will keep you from sleeping on the ground if any air is lost.

And nowadays you can even purchase air mattresses that are made for your car.

If you plan to bring along an air mattress, just be sure to inflate it a few times before camping with it.

That is because new air mattresses need to be stretched out before sleeping on, otherwise they’ll sag and you’ll be sleeping on the floor.

You’ll also want to keep in mind that air mattresses are blown up with the air around them.

And they are horrible at regulating temperature.

That means that if it’s cold outside, the temperature in the air mattress is going to be cold.

Not super fun to be freezing during the night.

The way you get around this is to place something insulating in between you and the mattress.

This can be a foam pad, a quilt, or just using a thicker sleeping bag.

Cot

Camping cots are essentially collapsible beds.

They tend to be too heavy for backpacking or hiking trips, but are a great option for recreational or car camping.

Depending on how comfortable you want to get, you can even use a mattress topper on top of the cot for maximum comfort.

A cot by itself will be fairly comfortable though.

When comparing these to similar sleeping options such as an air mattress, they provide more structure.

An air mattress (especially the single style ones) tends to compact where your weight is, meaning that you can sometimes be touching the floor while sleeping.

That obviously doesn’t help to stay comfortable.

A cot will eliminate this problem and keep you off the ground so your hips and joints can be comfortable.

Just remember that since you are up off the ground, you are losing some heat and gaining a bit of a draft underneath you.

You’ll need to compensate for this in colder weather to make sure you stay warm!

Hammock

Sometimes you’ll want to bring along something a little different as your sleeping option.

Hammocks are great contenders for super comfortable things to sleep on.

You’ll have to switch up your gear a bit to accommodate, but hammocks are known to help ease stress on joints and provide a great night sleep.

One thing I would recommend before hammock camping for the first time is to try sleeping in one at home.

It’s all personal preference, but I don’t like sleeping in hammocks at all.

I feel really comfortable in them when I’m lounging around trying to relax, but the second I try to close my eyes and sleep my head won’t stop spinning.

The slight rocking back and forth is just enough to make me not want to sleep in them.

Your experience may be a better one, but you always want to make sure before you rely on that as your method of sleeping.

Better to find out at home that you don’t like it than out in the wilderness.

If you do plan to use a hammock for sleeping while camping, you’ll want to bring along a tarp or rainfly and set it up to cover you in case it rains.

A mosquito net can also be very valuable.

There is a whole host of camping gear that goes along with hammock camping, but you could always bring it along with while recreational camping to test your setup.

Worst case you just hop back in the tent and take notes for what else you need to bring the next time!

Don’t Forget A Pillow!

All this talk about what to sleep on yields the question: what about a pillow?

Fortunately, there are some really great options in this department as well.

Firstly, if you are car camping you could consider just bringing along the pillow you always use.

Just switch out the pillowcase for one you don’t mind getting a little dirty just in case!

If you need something a little more lightweight that takes up less space, inflatable camping pillows are a great option.

Some hikers will opt for bringing just a pillowcase instead of a pillow.

They then fill the pillowcase with their spare clothes rather than adding the extra weight of a pillow.

And some inflatable sleeping pads come with pillows built in.

There are many options, but you’ll want to choose what’s best for you.

If a comfortable and full night’s sleep depends on you bringing a pillow, then absolutely do that.

It’s better to carry a little extra weight and be well-rested than have to dread the hike ahead of you because you didn’t get a good night’s sleep!