Whether you are going to a sleepover at a friend’s house or overnight camping, a nice and comfortable ground mat will have your back. It is not about just comfort or portability anymore. A camping mat will also keep you warm and protect you from the harsh environment that you could face outdoors.
Gone are the days when one kind of sleeping pad was available out there. The industry for travel gear has expanded and now you have a variety of camping ground pads to choose from. With more options, comes the difficulty of choosing the right product. Therefore, this guide will help you with making the right choice.
All you need to know about Camping Pad Construction
Before you make a final choice, you need to learn about the different sleeping mats. Here is a brief breakdown for you:
- Closed Cell Foam
- Inflating
While it is easy to inflate, comfortable, supportive, and less bulky than your average foam, it can still be fairly bulky and much less durable than an ordinary foam.
- Air Construction
After inflation, they provide a space of 2 to 3.5 inches between the ground and the user. Such pads offer sufficient insulation from the environment. Also, they are not durable and you need a kit to fix it.
Which one to choose?
Below we have highlighted some qualities offered by a sleeping mat. This will help you choose the best option according to your needs.
- Weight
- Pack Size
A Closed cell foam, for example, is bulky but comfortable and durable. Carrying it in your backpack will be next to impossible but you can hurl it along. Its durability will let you save space. However, this may not be a suitable option when traveling through dense vegetation or scratchy paths.
- Comfort
- Warmth
Other factors to consider include the surfaces you will sleep on, the temperatures you will experience, the area of contact (of the pad) and its inflation. For colder environments, a mat with high R-value should be preferred. A foam with low R-value is likely to become frigid.
What is an R-value?
Manufacturers label their pads with an R-value which determines the capacity of the pad to resist the heat flow. A pad with a high R-value will be warmer than a pad with a lower R-value. The math here is simple. While this factor is taken into consideration by most people, you should not rely on it completely. This is because there is no set industrial method of governing the R-value.
In conclusion, you should buy a camping mat that best suits your need. While mats with air construction are the latest and the best option nowadays, you must think of your particular requirements. Just make sure the product you choose gives you the perfect combination of warmth, comfort, R-value, weight, durability, and portability.
This article about camping ground mat was first published on our website here https://whiteduckoutdoors.com/blogs/blog/how-to-choose-the-best-camping-ground-mat