Exped MegaMat Duo review: a real bed for two, built for car camping

Most camping pads are a compromise you put up with until you get home. The Exped MegaMat Duo is built on a different idea: when the vehicle is carrying the weight, two people can have 4 inches (10 cm) of foam and air under them and sleep the way they do in their own bed. It is big, heavy and one of the most costly pads you can buy.

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What it does

The MegaMat Duo is a self-inflating mattress, which means it is filled with open-cell foam that springs back and draws air in when you open the valve. Unroll it, open the inflate valve, and the foam fills most of the mattress while you set up the rest of camp. The included Top-Up Pump, a small hand pump, finishes the job and lets you set the firmness. Because the body is foam, not just air, the surface is stable, with little of the bounce of an air bed when your partner turns over.

The edges are the detail that separates it from an ordinary double air bed. Vertical sidewalls keep the full 4 inches (10 cm) of thickness all the way across, so the usable sleeping area is the whole mattress. The top is a soft, stretchy recycled polyester that is soft against the skin, with a tougher 75-denier polyester underneath.

The foam is cored with horizontal air channels to cut weight and help it roll up, and it is heavily insulated. An R-value of 8.1 (the standard measure of a pad’s resistance to heat loss into the ground, where about 5 is enough for sleeping on snow) is enough for winter camping, with a maker’s rating down to −40°F (−40°C). Separate inflate and deflate valves make setup and packing simple: the inflate valve is one-way, so you can press its flap to let out a little air and soften the bed, and the large deflate valve empties it for rolling.

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Sizes

• Duo Medium: 72 x 41 inches (183 x 104 cm), 7 lb 4.5 oz (3.3 kg), packs to 22 x 11 inches (56 x 28 cm). The narrowest, for smaller tents and vehicles. Short for anyone tall.
• Duo Long Wide Plus: 77.6 x 52 inches (197 x 132 cm), 9 lb 11 oz (4.4 kg), packs to 27.6 x 11.8 inches (70 x 30 cm). Close to a double bed.
• Duo Queen: 80 x 59.8 inches (203 x 152 cm), 11 lb 14 oz (5.4 kg), packs to 31.5 x 11.8 inches (80 x 30 cm). The footprint of a queen mattress at home.

Measure the floor of your tent or the bed of your vehicle before choosing. The mattress does not taper, so it needs its full width at both ends.

What verified buyers say

Across verified-purchase reviews, the same points come up:

• It sleeps like a bed. The most common comment by far. Side and stomach sleepers say their hips and shoulders no longer reach the ground, and people with bad backs say they wake up without the usual ache.
• It holds air through the night. Most owners report no overnight sag, including on trips of two weeks or more.
• Setup is quick once it has been used. Several note that the first inflation out of the box takes longer than the instructions suggest, because the foam has been compressed in shipping. After that, a few minutes with the pump is typical.
• It fits vehicles well. Owners use it in SUVs, truck campers and tent trailers, and on top of cots.
• It is warm underneath. Buyers camping on cold ground mention how well insulated it is.
• It is bulky. Even happy owners say it takes a lot of room in the car and at home.
• The Medium is short. Some buyers of average height returned it for the longer size so they could stretch out without losing their pillow off the end.
• A small number leak. A minority report a mattress that lost air from the first night or punctured in use.

Who it is for

The MegaMat Duo is for couples and families who camp from a vehicle and have decided that sleeping well is worth paying for: weekend campers at drive-in sites, overlanders, people who sleep in the back of an SUV or truck, and anyone who has stopped camping because the ground hurts. Its insulation makes it a strong choice for spring, autumn and winter car camping, where the cold comes up through the tent floor. It is also useful at home as a guest bed.

It is not for anyone who carries their camp on their back or in a canoe over portages. For that, two NeoAir XLite pads weigh 26 ounces (740 g) together. If you camp alone, the single Exped MegaMat gives the same comfort at about half the weight.

Specs at a glance

• Typeself-inflating foam mattress for two
• Thickness4 in (10 cm)
• R-value8.1
• Listed weight9.7 lb (4.4 kg) · Duo Long Wide Plus
• Toprecycled 50D stretch polyester
• Baserecycled 75D polyester
• IncludesTop-Up Pump, roll-top stuff sack, repair kit
• Best forcar camping for two

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The Verdict

The Exped MegaMat Duo lets two people sleep in a tent nearly as well as they do at home, in any season, and nothing else we have reviewed comes as close. The weight, the bulk and the price are all high. If your camping starts at a parking spot and comfort has been the thing holding you back, this is the mattress to buy, in the Long Wide Plus unless only the Medium fits your tent. Solo campers should look at the single MegaMat, and anyone carrying their bed should stay with a backpacking pad such as the NeoAir XLite. For getting the rest of the sleep system right, see how to stay warm through a cold night.