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Most of the time, choosing a sleeping bag and pad is about compromising comfort for the sake of weight. Car camping eliminates the need for such concessions. There are plenty of great such options on the market, and picking a winner is difficult when every product invites a nap. So we homed in on a few main criteria: packability, portability, and features. Here are the car camping sleeping bags and pads that stood out for delivering both extreme comfort and ease of use.
NEMO Jazz ($300)
Best Solo Bag
Everything about this 30-degree synthetic bag feels indulgent, from the 77-inch girth (roomy enough for side sleeping) to the removable, washable microfiber liner sheet that buttons into the inside for added coziness. That’s in addition to an oversize draft collar and an extra-large insulated hood. The Jazz is stuffed with synthetic insulation designed to mimic the warmth and packability of down. On a 40-degree night in Tofino, British Columbia, one tester stayed so toasty he had to crack the two full-length zippers for ventilation. When it’s time to break camp, just drop it in the storage duffel, no stuffsack cramming required. Bonus: the fill and silky 50-denier ripstop polyester fabric are fully recycled. 6 lbs
Hest Foamy ($299)
Best Solo Pad
Three Benjamins for a sleeping mat? Trust us, Hest’s newest offering is worth it. For one, it’s made from a memory foam that’s infused with billions of small air pockets, which help retain gentle support even in subfreezing temps—unlike home-goods varieties that turn hard below 40 degrees. Then there’s the waterproof nylon bottom shell, which paid off when we spilled our Nalgene on the tent floor. A built-in strap system helps roll the pad up for transport. This does little to save space (packed up, the Foamy is more than a foot thick and two feet wide and the size of Oscar the Grouch’s garbage can). But during a 32-degree night on a Rocky Mountain logging road, we slept so soundly we forgot to complain. 11 lbs
REI Camp Dreamer Double Sleep System ($299)
Best Couples Bag
The only thing separating this sleep set from the one you use at home is that REI designed the fitted sheet to stay put on an air mat (its elastic sides are only six inches deep, ideal for double-wide camping pads). The kit pairs that sheet with a synthetic-insulated quilt, removable hood, and cotton top sheet, all of which pack into an included storage bag. Arrange the pieces together to lock in warmth or layer them unattached for easy heat dumping. The set doesn’t have a temperature rating, though one couple slept cozy down to 45 degrees. But the real winning feature is washability: simply remove the sheets to clean your sleep system between trips. 7.19 lbs
Ust Fillmatic Doublewide Air Mat ($180)
Best Couples Pad
Be careful when you pull out this two-person pad. Its three-inch-thick cushioning and large size (four feet two inches across and six feet eight inches long) spell such comfort that the pad had a way of making testers forget what they were supposed to be doing. (Some immediately wanted to lie down and take a nap on the soft, bouncy expanse.) Luckily the Fillmatic mostly self-inflates in a few minutes and thus requires little focus to set up: just open a valve, wait a bit, and then top off the pad with a minute or so of huffing and puffing. The internal foam structure is firm, warm enough for winter use (R-value of 6), and sized to fill most two-person tents. 8.3 lbs