Finding the best car camping mattress can take your camping trip from okay too extraordinary. What if you could find a mattress that rivalled your home mattress? There are many options for car mattresses depending on your needs and desires.
What Kind Of Mattress Is Best For Car Camping?
Self-inflating foam mattresses are the best car camping mattresses. When it comes to car camping mattresses you generally have two options: Inflatable air mattress and foam air mattresses hybrid. Each mattress has its perks but for us we lean towards a self inflating foam mattress.
Air Mattress
An air mattress is generally the type of mattress people associate with camping. I am sure we have all had the air bed experience at some point in our lives and I am yet to find someone who believes they are comfortable or woke up feeling refreshed and ready to go hike a mountain.
One of the key purposes of air mattresses is to keep you off the ground while camping. While this is good in theory the issue lays with the fact that all that air spaces leads to a very chilly night. The lack of insulation is the air mattresses biggest downfall.
Self Inflating Foam Mattress
Car camping generally doesn’t require you to be off the ground as your car will provide that element for you however, what you really need is a firm and comfortable surface that provides adequate insulation.
Insulation
Self inflating foam mattresses are a lot lower in height than air mattresses, they usually average 3-5 inches in height. Surprisingly this is not an issue when it comes to comfort, and reduces the vast amount of free air that is present with a traditional air mattress. The lower height, and the fact that the mattress is full of high density foam means that there is a great deal more insulation which in turn results in a better nights sleep.
Comfort
A second quality of self inflating foam mattresses which lends itself to car camping is their ability to “absorb” any lumps and bumps. We have used our mattress in many different camping situations and have found that it is far superior to any other mattress at providing a comfortable sleeping space regardless of which surface you lay it on. On our last camping trip our tent was on some pretty unfavourable ground riddled with rocks, however we didn’t feel a single rock during the night despite laying right on top of a million of them.
Self inflating mattresses are ideal for car camping because they provide an even sleeping surface. Everyone who has slept on an air bed knows about the inevitable sag in the middle of the night. This is even more apparent if you are sharing the bed with someone else.
Ease Of Use
One con I will concede to about self inflating mattresses is that they can be a pain to pack away if you are using anything bigger than a single/twin size. If you have another adult to help you then this will negate the issue
We especially love the ease of use that comes with self inflating mattresses. There are significantly less moving parts and which means less opportunity for things to go wrong, less storage and less effort. When we camp we are able to throw the mattress on the ground or in the back of the SUV undo the valves and forget about it. By the time we have finished setting up camp the mattress is ready to go. There is no fussing with pumps, or realising in the middle of the night that there is a leak somewhere. On one camping trip with the kids we experienced both! We ended up blowing up four air mattresses with just our lungs, and felt very light headed at the end, and discovered two of the air mattresses had leaks in the middle of the night.
Best Car Camping Mattress Recommendations
Heyoh Self Inflating SUV Mattress
This mattress is ideal for if you are looking for a mattress for mainly car camping. You could however use it for normal tent camping if you wanted. It is uniquely designed to fit in the back of an SUV, minivan or truck. You can totally fit two adults and a small child in there. Tried it and it works. And let’s be honest it will probably feel just like home with a toddler squished in between you.
We really love the waterproof quality of this car mattress. Spills and moisture can cause mould to build up in the foam of your mattress which can be quite harmful to the health of you and your family. This is a great extra bit of reassurance especially if you have a newly toilet trained child. Spills from drinks and food will be easily cleaned up too.
QOMOTOP Ultra Thick Self-Inflating Camping Mattress
I am in LOVE with this mattress and am wanting to upgrade immediately. This beauty is 4 inches thick and has a super soft pillowy top which is also waterproof which we feel is essential for car camping. This self inflating mattress is multi-purpose so you can use it for car camping and regular camping. It is always great when big purchases can serve more than one purpose.
This car camping mattress comes with the option of a single or double. If you have a few kids that won’t fit in your car for car camping, this would be ideal for putting in a little tent nearby or in an annex attached to your car. They are super well insulated so sleeping near to the ground wont be an issue.
A bonus for this car mattress is that it deflates itself! That gets rid of the hassle we currently have with our mattress and needing to squish out the air. This mattress does the hard work for you. See why I need to upgrade!
Grassman Inflatable Car Mattress
This is our third and final recommendation for car camping mattresses. We left this one for last because we focus on camping with kids and families and this one is probably not going to suit that demographic. However I am sure there are people for which this final car camping mattress would be ideal.
This car mattress is designed to fit in the backseat of your car which is a really fantastic concept. It is an air bed mattress and comes with a pump for you to inflate the mattress. One really neat feature that they have build in is an anti-drop component. This is great for if you do manage to take your little one with you, it means they can sleep comfortably without worrying about falling down the side in the night.
How To Make Car Camping More Comfortable
Now that you have your mattress sorted for car camping you might need a few ideas on how to make it more comfortable in order to get a good rest. There are a few little things that you can do that have a huge pay off when it comes to car camping.
Privacy Shades
Privacy shades are almost essential when it comes to car camping. Nobody wants anyone creeping past them in the night seeing them sleeping or even just chilling with Netflix. It is always just a good idea to invest in privacy when it comes to camping.
If you are unable to get your window tinted well enough to provide adequate privacy, we suggest using these awesome window shades from Zatotoo. They come in a pack of four which is perfect for the front and back door windows. The are easy to install and pack away when not in use. What we really like about these kinds of window screens is that they help keep the car cool which is highly desirable when car camping, especially with kids.
On your front and rear windscreens we you will want to use a shade visor similar to this one here. They come in a multitude of sizes, just put in your cars details and they will tell you what size to purchase. Like the window screens these shades block out light and keep the car cool. We really like these shades because they look plain and simple. Simple is our motto these days!
Insulated Sleeping Bags
Do not skimp on sleeping bags. In many areas it may be very warm during the day but frigidly cold during the night. When you purchase a sleeping bag look for a high quality brand like Hyke and Byke. Sleeping bags come in different weights for different temperatures so be sure to select the appropriate sleeping bag for the job. We really love the philosophy behind Hyke and Byke so be sure to check out there range, they are doing great things in the world.
Bring Entertainment
The fun doesn’t have to end once the sun goes down or the weather turns bad. Make sure you have things to keep you busy and entertained during the evenings or whenever you have down time. If you are traveling with kids and car camping it might be a good idea to load up an ipad with movies or their favourite shows. We aren’t big on screen time but sometimes the situation calls for a bit of a snuggle with a good movie at the end of a long day. Car camping makes the perfect cozy movie watching scenario.
A pack of cards will never go unused so bring your favourites and store them in the glove box. Whatever it is that brings you joy and you can occupy yourself with will be perfect. Maybe you are on a bit of a knitting or crocheting binge at the moment or reading some great books.
Keep A Window Open For A Little Ventilation
Cars can become quite hot and stuffy at the best of times. Make sure you open a window or two just a little to allow for some fresh air to flow through. It will really make all the difference in the world!