Are you planning to turn your car into a car camper and need help deciding between mattresses for sleeping in your car? Being able to sleep comfortably is one of the most important things you should be able to do in your car camper. After all, sleep affects your health, your mood, and your general quality of life. So why not get the best night’s sleep possible even when you’re sleeping in car? 🙂

This post includes a run-down of the considerations for picking a mattress for sleeping in your car, seven different mattress categories (with suggestions of specific products for each category), and a TL;DR summary at the end comparing the seven options against the mattress considerations. By the time you finish reading this post, you’ll be ready to pick your own mattress for sleeping in your car!

Note: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. 

Considerations for Picking a Mattress for Sleeping in Your Car

If you’re just getting started picking a mattress for sleeping in your car, the first thing to do is figure out what you need your mattress to do and what you’re looking for. There are six factors I considered when I was building my Honda Civic bed:

• Size – the first thing you need to consider is the size of your bed space vs. the size of the mattress. In my Honda Civic camper, I really only had 25″x72″ for my bed, and I didn’t want the mattress to be any more than 3-4″ tall.
• Price – what is your budget for your mattress? Mattress options run anywhere from $30 all the way up to $300 (and probably beyond). What price are you looking for?
• Comfort – how comfortable can your bed need to be–related to price and how much space you have?
• Durability – how durable is the mattress you’re considering? This is especially important if you’re planning on living full-time in your car or if you’re a large person.
• R-Value – a mattress’s R-value is how insulated it is, and therefore how comfortable it will be in extreme temperatures. Materials with a low R-Value (for example, air mattresses or memory foam) will get cold in the winter and won’t be comfortable to sleep on. How cold do you need to be able to withstand?
• Mobility – how mobile / compressible do you need your mattress to be? Will your bed be moving around a lot? In camper van build outs, you can get away with putting a bed down and not moving it, but there’s not space in my Honda Civic camper for a stationary bed.
• Noise / Smell – this is a personal preference of mine and might not even appear in your list of considerations, but if a mattress squeaks a lot or smells like chemicals, I’m not going to want to sleep on it for any length of time.

Mattresses for Sleeping in Your Car

When weighing the different factors, the following are the options I considered when picking a mattress for sleeping in a car and will be talking about in this post:

• Inflatable Car or Truck Mattresses
• Small Mattresses for RVs and Professional Truck Drivers
• Upholstery Foam
• Small Folding Memory Foam Mattresses
• Camping Air Pads
• Camping Closed-Cell Foam Pads
• Camping Inflating Open-Air Foam Pads

 

Inflatable Car or Truck Mattresses

Google “mattress for car” and you’ll probably find one of these babies. These inflatable mattresses often include inflatable blocks specifically designed to fit into footwells and provide support across the entire back seat area of your car.

Why you might want an inflatable car or truck mattress for sleeping in your car:

• They’re SUPER cheap
• They’re “made for purpose,” so in theory they should fit better than other options.
• You don’t need to build a bed frame to offer support
• They’re waterproof

Why you might NOT want an inflatable car or truck mattress for sleeping in your car:

• If you’re car camping, you’re going to want to use spaces such as footwells for storage
• Since they’re filled with air, they’re going to have extremely low insulation and will get very cold at night in the winter. (You could always add something on top to increase their R-value.)
• Durability on these things is low and they’ll definitely deflate overnight
• You absolutely need to buy an electric mattress pump
• Air mattresses like this squeak a lot when you move and smell strongly of plastic

Best options for inflatable car or truck mattresses:

• DS18 Backseat Inflatable Mattress – $26 (3.5 stars)
• FBSPORT BSport Car Travel Inflatable Mattress – $30 (3.5 stars)
• HAITRAL Car Inflatable Mattress – $30 (4 stars)

 

Small Mattresses for RVs and Professional Truck Drivers

Depending on your setup in your car, you may be able to get an ACTUAL mattress to fit in your car camper. These things run as small as 28″x6’5″, which is too big for a Honda Civic but may work for your car. Check the reviews on these, though, because some may actually be shorter than advertised.

Why you might want a small mattress for sleeping in your car:

• These have been designed for people on the on the road, so they should provide more support than other options
• Would feel more like a “real” bed, which can be an indulgence after sleeping in your car for long periods of time
• Shouldn’t smell or make noise

Why you might NOT want a small mattress for sleeping in your car:

• Reviews report that these tend to compress over time, especially for larger people
• Not foldable or compressible if you need to be able to move it around after it’s in place
• Most expensive of the options (especially once you start looking at memory foam, which will be more comfortable)
• Tend to have more vertical height (5.5-6.5″), which may take up too much space for your build
• Since they’re made of open cell foam, they may get cold at night, although you could add something to increase the mattress’s R-value

Best options for small mattresses:

• Mobile InnerSpace Truck Relax Mattress – $136 (3.5 stars)
• American Road Dream Memory Foam Truck Mattress, 77″ x 28″ x 5″ – $318 (5 stars)

 

Upholstery Foam

Upholstery foam comes in a range of densities and seems to be super popular on YouTube for making a car bed, but is it a good choice for making a mattress for your car?

Why you might want an upholstery foam mattress for sleeping in your car:

• Affordable
• Good compression
• Easy to cut to size if you have a nonstandard bed size
• Good for layering with other options to make a comfy nest

Why you might NOT want an upholstery foam mattress for sleeping in your car:

• Upholstery foam is VERY compressible, so it wouldn’t make a good mattress on its own (because it would just crush down to nothing underneath you)
• Open-air cells have poor insulation so they tend to get hot or cold depending on the outside temperature
• Since it’s unlined, it would get dirty easily (although you could obviously line it or at least cover it yourself to avoid this problem)

Best options for upholstery foam:

• FoamTouch Upholstery Foam 2″ x 24″ x 72″ High Density Cushion – $38 (4.5 stars)
• AK Trading Upholstery Foam 3″ x 24″ x 72″ Medium Density Cushion – $45
• Mybecca Upholstery Foam Cushion High Density, 4″ H x 24″ W x 72″ L – $50 (4 stars)

Small Folding Memory Foam Mattresses

If you have enough space, you may consider getting a folding upholstered memory foam mattress pad.

Why you might want a small folding memory foam mattress for sleeping in your car:

• Mid-range price compared to other options ($60-$100)
• Reviews report these are very comfortable and don’t compress over time
• Since they fold, they’re more movable and packable than other options
• Since they’re upholstered, they’ll be more durable and won’t get as dirty as unlined foam

Why you might NOT want a small folding memory foam mattress for sleeping in your car:

• Memory foam gets hard in the cold, so you’ll need some kind of insulation or topper in the winter
• Available sizes might not work for you. (For example, the smallest size I found was 25″ wide, which is almost the exact width of the opening of my car into the trunk, so if there’s any variability in sizing it wouldn’t fit)
• Not very compressible or mobile compared to other options like camping pads if you need to move things around a lot
• These are 4-5″ thick, which may take up too much vertical space for your build

Best options for small folding memory foam mattresses:

• Cozzzi Trifold Foam Folding Mattress (75″ x 25″ x 4) – $65 (4.5 stars)
• Zinus Memory Foam 4 Inch Tri-Fold Comfort Portable Folding Mattress (80″ x 27″ x 4″ in) – $90 (4 stars)
• Olee Sleep OLR04TM02S Tri-Folding Memory Foam Topper (7″5 x 25″ x 4″ in) – $61 (4.5 stars)

 

Camping Air Pads

Air pads are exactly what they sound like — inflatable air pads for you to sleep on. These come in a range of prices and qualities.

Strengths of air pads for sleeping in your car:

• Air pads are the most compact of the mattress pad options. This tends to matter more in backpacking than in car camping, but YMMV.

Weaknesses of air pads for sleeping in your car:

• This may be obvious, but air pads need to be inflated, adding an extra step to getting ready for bed. They also tend to deflate as temperatures drop, getting less comfortable.
• Air pads tend to have lower R-Values than other options and may trap cold air beneath you. If you’re planning on camping in your car in winter, make sure to either get a higher R-value sleeping pad or buy additional bedding to keep you warm.
• If you inflate an air pad with your mouth, moisture may get trapped inside and either freeze in the winter (yuck) or cause mold in the summer (double yuck)
• Depending on what they’re made of, they may make a lot of noise when you move on them.
• They can develop holes and leaks, especially if you have a dog with you.

Best Options for Air Pads:

• Outdoorsman Lab Ultralight Sleeping Pad – $40 (4.5 stars)
• VentureForth Self Inflating Sleeping Pad – $37 (4.5 stars)
• Sleepingo Camping Sleeping Pad – $38 (5 stars)

Camping Closed-Cell Foam Pads

Camping foam pads come in two types–closed cell (where the cells of the foam are intact) and open-cell cell (where the cells of the foam allow air to move through them). I grew up camping on closed-cell foam pads, and they’re SUPER durable, but also less comfortable than my current inflating open-air mattress pad.

Strengths of closed-cell foam pads for sleeping in your car:

• Closed-cell foam pads tend to be the most affordable mattress pad.
• They’re lightweight.
• Closed-cell foam pads are both durable and waterproof.
• They don’t require any set-up such as inflation.
• They offer better insulation than open-cell pads such as open-air and memory foam

Weaknesses of closed-cell foam pads for sleeping in your car:

• They can’t be compressed so they tend to be bulky, which may or may not be a problem in your car setup
• They’re probably the least-comfortable of the mattress pad options

Best Options for Closed-Cell Foam Pads:

• Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest Classic Foam Camping Sleeping Pad – $30 (4 stars)
• REDCAMP Foam Sleeping Pad – $30 (4 stars) 
• Zero Mile Mark Compact Foam Camping Mat -$28 (4.5 stars)

Camping Inflating Open-Air Foam Pads

Inflating open-air foam pads combine the best of two worlds–the compressibility of an air pad with the increased durability and comfort of an open-cell foam pad. Many open-air foam pads are self-inflating or they may have an electric pump (often sold separately). This is what I ultimately decided upon for my car camper.

Strengths of inflating open-air foam pads for sleeping in your car:

• Better-insulated than other options
• More durable than air pads
• Waterproof
• Firmness is adjustable by how much you inflate it, and they don’t deflate overnight.

Weaknesses of inflating open-air foam pads for sleeping in your car:

• You’ll probably want to get an electric mattress pump
• They can be bulky and heavy compared to other options
• May be punctured or ripped
• Good ones are ‘spensive!

Best options for inflating open-air foam pads

• Therm-a-Rest Dreamtime Self-Inflating Luxury Foam Camping Mattress – $200 (4.5 stars)
• Last Lake Camping Sleep Pad – $30 (4.5 stars)
• Lightspeed Outdoors XL Super Plush FlexForm Premium Self-Inflating Sleep and Camp Pad – $85 (4.5 stars)

 

So Which Mattress is Best for YOU for Sleeping in Your Car?

The answer: depends on your situation! Here’s a roundup of the different mattress options ranked by factor, but ultimately you need to decide

	Price	Comfort	Size	Durability	R-Value	Noise / Smell	Mobility	Overall
Inflatable Car or Truck Mattresses	😀	🙁	🙁	🙁	🙁	🙁	😀	🙁
Small Mattresses for RVs and Professional Truck Drivers	🙁	😀	😐	🙂	😀	🙂	🙁	😐
Upholstery Foam	😀	🙁	😀	🙁	🙂	🙂	🙂	🙁
Small Folding Memory Foam Mattresses	🙁	😀	😐	😀	🙁	🙂	🙁	🙂
Camping Air Pads	🙂	🙂	😀	🙁	🙁	🙂	😀	😐
Camping Closed-Cell Foam Pads	😀	😐	😀	😀	😀	😐	🙂	😐
Camping Inflating Open-Air Foam Pads	🙁	😀	😀	😐	😀	😀	🙂	🙂

Are you building a car camper and picking a mattress? Leave me a comment to let me know what you decided to get! – Lindsay