Exped MegaMat review: the car-camping pad that sleeps like a mattress
A backpacking pad is designed around the weight you can carry. The Exped MegaMat is designed around how you sleep. With 4 inches (10 cm) of foam and air, flat edges and a soft fabric top, it is a single car-camping mattress that comes close to the bed you have at home. It is far too heavy and bulky to carry down a trail, and it carries a premium price.
Quick take
A one-person self-inflating foam mattress, 4 inches (10 cm) thick and wide enough to turn over on, with an R-value of 8.1 that is warm enough for winter. For side sleepers, larger campers and anyone whose back aches after a night on a thin pad, it makes a tent floor comfortable. At 4 lb 9 oz (2.1 kg) and up, with a packed roll the size of a small duffel and a premium price, it is for car camping only.
What it does
The MegaMat is a self-inflating mattress: its core is open-cell foam that expands 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 pitch the tent. The included Top-Up Pump, a small hand pump, adds the last of the air and lets you set the firmness. Because you are lying on foam as well as air, the surface is stable under you, without the bounce of an air bed or the narrow, tippy feel of a tall backpacking pad.
Vertical sidewalls keep the full thickness right to the edge, so the whole surface is usable. The top is a soft, stretchy recycled polyester that is soft against the skin, and the base is a tougher 75-denier polyester.
The foam is cored with horizontal air channels to save weight and help it roll up. Insulation is far beyond what three-season camping needs: 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), with a maker’s rating down to −40°F (−40°C). Separate inflate and deflate valves keep things simple. The inflate valve is one-way, so pressing its flap lets out a little air to soften the bed, and the large deflate valve empties it for packing.
Sizes
- Medium Wide: 72 x 25.6 inches (183 x 65 cm), 4 lb 9 oz (2.1 kg), packs to 26.5 x 7.9 inches (67 x 20 cm).
- Long Wide: 77.6 x 25.6 inches (197 x 65 cm), 5 lb (2.3 kg), packs to 26.4 x 8.7 inches (67 x 22 cm).
- Long Extra Wide: 77.6 x 30.3 inches (197 x 77 cm), 5 lb 11.5 oz (2.6 kg), packs to 31.1 x 9.8 inches (79 x 25 cm).
The Medium Wide is 6 feet (183 cm) long, so anyone close to that height, or who likes to stretch out, should choose a Long. Two singles side by side also make a good alternative to a double when partners want different firmness or keep different hours.
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 it saves them from the tent floor.
- It holds air through the night. Most owners report no overnight sag.
- 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 works beyond the tent. Owners use it on cots, in vehicles and as a replacement mattress in tent trailers.
- Worth the money, for those who camp often. Buyers call it expensive and then say they would buy it again.
- It is heavy and bulky. Even happy owners point out that it is not light and takes real space in the car.
- A small number leak. A minority report a mattress that lost air early or punctured in use.
Worth knowing
This is not a backpacking pad: it is carried from the vehicle to the tent, not down a trail, and it needs storage space at home. The stretch top is comfortable but can be punctured, so keep keys, tools and dog claws off it, check the tent floor for sharp debris, and carry the repair kit. Inflate it fully and leave it for a few hours before the first trip, which lets the compressed foam recover and gives you time to find a leak while a return is still easy. Use only the supplied pump or Exped’s own: a powerful electric pump can overinflate and damage the mattress.
Who it is for
The MegaMat is for the camper who drives to the site and wants to sleep properly: side sleepers, larger and older campers, anyone with a sore back or hips, and people who have been put off camping by bad nights on thin pads. Its insulation makes it an excellent base for cold-weather car camping, and it is a comfortable spare bed at home.
It is not for backpacking, canoe tripping with portages, or any trip where you carry your bed. For those, the NeoAir XLite gives three-season warmth at 13 ounces (370 g), and the budget Klymit Static V is an inexpensive way to start. Couples who want one shared bed should look at the MegaMat Duo.
Specs at a glance
- Typeself-inflating foam mattress, one person
- Thickness4 in (10 cm)
- R-value8.1
- Listed weight4.6 lb (2.1 kg) · Medium Wide
- Toprecycled 50D stretch polyester
- Baserecycled 75D polyester
- IncludesTop-Up Pump, roll-top stuff sack, repair kit
- Best forcar camping
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The Verdict
The Exped MegaMat is the most comfortable single sleeping pad we have reviewed, and it is also the heaviest and among the most expensive. The comfort comes from the thick foam, and the foam is what makes it heavy. If you camp from a vehicle and a good night’s sleep decides whether you enjoy the trip, it is worth the money, and its insulation is enough for frozen ground. If you ever carry your camp, keep a backpacking pad such as the NeoAir XLite for those trips. Sharing a tent with a partner? The MegaMat Duo is the same mattress built for two. For the rest of the sleep system, see how to stay warm through a cold night.
