A car mattress is one of the best upgrades you can do for your sleep.
This article is based on my experience with several car air mattresses (and foam). I will also include my thoughts on other options available.
My Experience (SUV and Car Camping)
I began car camping 5+ years ago without any comforts of a car air mattress. Sometimes, I would sleep in my reclined passenger seat of my car until upgrading to an SUV (Subaru Forester). Not a great long-term strategy for combining the outdoors and normal life.
Eventually, I slept in the back of my SUV for 20+ weekends of the year (and even living in my SUV). Getting quality sleep was essential to remain a functioning member of society during the week. And a good car mattress was required.
A car camping mattress was a huge upgrade to my SUV camping and it will be for yours as well.
Note: Some links in this article go to marketplaces where I earn a small amount if you purchase any product. I have never accepted discounted or free gear in exchange for reviews.
Best Car Mattresses: Foam & Inflatable
My favorite car mattress is the EXPED. It’s super comfortable and is the best car camping mattress I’ve used.
It is a luxury car camping bed as reflected in its price. But if sleep is important to you, it’s worth considering.
It’s an absolute game-changer. It feels like a real bed. Also, if you’re a cold sleeper, the R-value is 8.1, meaning you will not feel the cold from the ground/car through your mattress. We’ve had this down in the low 20sF and never had an issue.
This car mattress is comfortable without being fully inflated, so if you pop it like we did, it’s still useful. Around 2 or 3 years ago, I accidentally left my ice scraper behind my seat and when I jumped onto the mattress, I just heard “sssssssssssst” and it immediately deflated!
The slice was so large we never could patch it properly (there are at least 3 holes in it now, all my fault for not being careful over the years). So, the mattress still fully inflates, but by the time we wake up it’s mostly deflated.
However, there is so much foam support in it, it’s still more comfortable than our other sleeping pads, and we still use it to this day.
The Benefits
- It is super comfortable
- It fits perfectly in the back of my Subaru Forester (and many other SUVs)
It’s as simple as that. It does its job of getting better sleep while car camping and on the road.
The Cons
- Not easy to patch (at least ours was never the same after a major hole)
- Takes up space when packed (but all air mattresses will)
- The hand pump can be frustrating (it takes ~5 minutes of pumping)
- The valves can be tricky to close, especially in the cold
Because the Exped has padding inside the mattress, it is bulky when rolled up. You really need to put your body weight into it while rolling it up and deflating it.
In addition, even though it’s a “self-inflating car air mattress,” you still need to use the hand pump for a bit. Enough where one arm will tire of pumping it and you’ll need a break or your partner to step in.
In addition, the inflate and deflate valves can be tricky to close and leave a bit to be desired. After a few uses, you get used to the nuances of it or just use brute force.
Car Air Mattresses for Camping and Overlanding
Luno makes the best car air mattresses on the market. Shop their car air mattresses here.
Luno creates air mattresses for cars, SUVs, trucks, and vans, so if the Exped doesn’t fit your vehicle, Luno will likely have something that does. They even have a specific mattress for a 4Runner.
Benefits of Luno Car and SUV Air Mattresses
- Comes with a pump (easier than Exped)
- A variety of options to fit your vehicle
The Cons
- Need to be more careful than other car mattresses
It’s potentially on par or more comfortable than the Exped. The primary difference is the Exped uses air AND foam padding inside it, while the Luno is purely an air mattress.
If we had the Luno and had our ice scraper incident, we would likely be out $300+ and be shopping for a new one.
It is puncture-resistant material, but if it pops, it’s completely useless on that trip and in the future if you can’t repair it. If you’re rough on gear, I’d go with the Exped since it’s still useful even if it pops, lol. But if you’re careful, the Luno might be a better option, especially since it has more sizing options available.
Budget Car Air Mattress
I purchased my car air mattress 4+ years ago. Since then, prices increased dramatically.
While I don’t have experience with the more affordable budget car air mattresses, I suggest looking at the RHOAM. It looks similar to Luno, but it’s about a third of the price.
The problem is, it’s a random seller on Amazon and it has few reviews.
Single SUV Camping Mattress
My favorite single-sized car camping mattress is the Teton Sports camping pad. It’s perfect for solo trips and takes up about half of my Subaru.
This car camping mattress is rugged, comfortable, and warm. It’s similar to the Exped in that it uses a combination of air and padding, but it’s much easier to inflate and seems more durable. This was my sleeping pad for my van life alternative.
I’ve used it for over 3 years, and I’ve never put a hole in it. And this includes having my mountain bike uncomfortably close to it.
In addition, it’s more affordable than many options.
If you’re a backpacker, it’s a great secondary sleeping pad when you’re not backpacking. It helps save the wear and tear on your more expensive gear.
Car Camping Air Mattress: Final Thoughts
No matter which car camping mattress you choose, it will likely be a huge upgrade to your sleep system.
Getting quality sleep on camping trips was essential for us to continue being weekend warriors while not impacting our jobs and being exhausted during the week.
When asking the gal “would you get the Exped again?” she said “Uh, yea. It’s so comfortable.” She also likes that it sits low in the car and you still have ample headroom.
