Back in 2016, I reported on exciting innovations that were, for the first time, enabling two people to sleep together comfortably outside. Now听I鈥檓 even more excited to report that the nascent couples camping space is already evolving quickly. New pads promise to make such sleeping arrangements听more comfortable, lighter, cheaper, or considerably easier to transport than ever before.听
I want to get right to the innovations, so excuse me if I recap only briefly. Until just a few years ago, if you wanted to cuddle your buddy in a tent, you had to do so either across the gap between your two听separate sleeping pads听or, worse, camp on one of those too cheap inflatable air beds that provide zero support or insulation.
Something better was needed, and that need was met by two amazing products: the Exped MegaMat Duo听and the two-person Big Agnes Q-Core SLX. The former is ridiculously plush听but way too big and heavy to fit in a backpack. The latter actually creates a lighter, more compact base weight than two one-person pads. I鈥檝e found both to be听life changing.
The trouble with the MegaMat is that it鈥檚 both expensive and challenging to pack, even in a car. To remedy those issues, the Swiss mountaineering brand will reveal a slimmer, more affordable luxury camping pad this week called the DeepSleep. Like the MegaMat it will be available in both regular and long-wide sizes. The long-wide听DeepSleep Duo matches the full-size bed length and width of the long-wide听MegaMat Duo听(77.6 inches by 52 inches) but will cost听$279 to the MegaMat Duo鈥檚 price of $389. Compared to the four-inch-thick MegaMat, the DeepSleep measures just three inches thick听but still features a comfortable, durable, stretchy, and totally flat sleeping surface, vertical sidewalls, and the two separate flat valves for inflation and deflation. It听sacrifices the MegaMat鈥檚 plush tricot top fabric for a slicker, cheaper alternative. The long-wide DeepSleep Duo weighs just under 9.9 pounds and packs down into a 27.6-inch-long-by-11.8-inch-thick roll. The听long-wide MegaMat Duo weighs 10.2 pounds and packs down to the same size.听
I laid the DeepSleep out next to the MegaMat to see how they differ. Immediately, I noticed that听while sitting on the thinner DeepSleep, my butt would hit the floor if the pad wasn鈥檛 inflated absolutely as firm as it gets. That never happens with the MegaMat, even at lower levels of inflation. With that thicker pad, even if you鈥檙e on your hands and knees, bouncing vigorously, no part of your body will ever come into contact with the ground. But听rolled over on my side, the DeepSleep听did still prove extremely comfortable and supportive. R-value drops from 9.5 for the MegaMat to 8.5 on the DeepSleep. Still, that鈥檚 enough to keep you alive down to minus 45 degrees Fahrenheit when paired with the right sleeping bag.听
There will also be one-person versions of the DeepSleep starting as low as $149 for the 72-inch-by-20-inch model. This is a great, more affordable option for campers who don鈥檛 need their pad to support athletic sexual endeavors (the MegaMat remains the superior option in that regard).听
I鈥檇听never have thought there鈥檇 be a need for an even more ridiculous MegaMat, but Exped is also introducing a six-inch-thick version of that pad called the MegaMat Max. That will be available in two sizes: a听77.6-inch-by-30.3-inch one-person pad for $299听and a 77.6-inch-by-52-inch Duo for $429. The Max is built just like the four-inch MegaMat, just with more air and foam creating those two extra inches of thickness听and a level of comfort that鈥檚 almost obscene. It also has a hitherto-unheard-of R-value of 11, meaning it鈥檚 good for sleeping outside in temperatures as low as minus 76 degrees. It鈥檚 obviously also heavier (13.6 pounds)听and more difficult to pack (30 by 14 inches). I think it鈥檚 total overkill for even luxury car camping, but if you鈥檙e looking for the most comfortable听mattress money can buy to install in your custom-built Sprinter van, cabin, or canvas tent, then this is absolutely it鈥攂y a long shot.听
All three Expeds remain bulky and difficult to transport. That鈥檚 a problem Nemo set out to tackle with ,听available in two sizes: 听or . Both are four inches thick and offer an equivalent experience to the regular MegaMat. You may have noticed that I haven鈥檛 mentioned a two-person version. That鈥檚 because Nemo doesn鈥檛 make one, instead relying on a coupling system that allows you to join two one-person pads into one two-person pad. I鈥檝e听never found two coupled pads to offer anything like the unified comfort of a true two-person pad, but Nemo seems to have solved that problem with a toggle system that鈥檚 both easy to use and pulls the pads so tightly together that you can genuinely detect no gap or crack while laying or moving around on them.听
Achieving true two-person comfort from two separate pads makes the system much easier to pack and transport. The smaller version of the Roamer weighs just 3.9 pounds听and packs into a 12.5-by-8.5-inch roll. Inflated, two of those together provide similar full-size bed dimensions to the MegaMat Duo, while saving over two pounds. Two of the bigger Roamers add up to a 60-inch-wide, 80-inch-long, completely听flat sleeping surface. That鈥檚 exactly equivalent to a queen-size mattress听but with a total听weight that鈥檚 just three ounces more than the full-size MegaMat Duo. Together, two of those big Roamers take up about two-thirds听of the packed space as the MegaMat Duo, and听by splitting them up, they鈥檙e made even听easier to pack into a truck, raft, or luggage.听
That queen-size Roamer setup is what Wiley, Virginia, Kevin, and I are pictured in up top. There really is enough room for three people and a dog to sleep comfortably in it, so long as you like each other. More typically, it鈥檒l just be housing Virginia and me, plus our three big dogs. So听it鈥檚 a nice upgrade in size from the MegaMat Duo, with the same comfort, plus improved packability.
It鈥檚 also nice that Nemo makes a rectangular sleeping bag sized exactly to queen-size dimensions. 听($350) features a generous hood (it鈥檒l easily swallow pillows from home), two full-length zippers on each side, and synthetic insulation that helps make it comfortable down to 20 degrees. An integrated pad sleeve and strap help attach it securely to the pads, so it won鈥檛 bunch up听or allow you to roll off while you sleep. Because the Roamers are good down to minus 30 degrees, the bag is also a solid听start for cold nights when paired with these pads. Just pile on more blankets or quilts to achieve even more insulation.听
What if you want to sleep together while pursuing type-two fun? Well, there鈥檚 news from the ultralight market as well. Big Agnes has taken the already excellent 听and made an upsize听version scaled to exactly fill the dimensions of most two-person backpacking tents. Compared to the rectangular alternative, its dimensions at the head end grow from 40 to 50 inches, then taper down to 40 inches at the foot. At 78 inches, it鈥檚 also six inches longer. Weight increases听from 2.4 pounds to 2.6 pounds.
While Big Agnes doesn鈥檛 currently make one of its awesome system bags scaled to fit , it can be used with either traditional mummy bags, quilts, or, better yet, its three-pound 听($90). That on its own won鈥檛 be enough for nights dipping below about 50听degrees, but in the summer, this setup could bring unprecedented space and freedom of movement deep in听the backcountry.听
And that鈥檚 the point of the entire couples camping space. There are听plenty of people who will look at this stuff and see ounce counts that don鈥檛 add up听or price tags that scare them off. But听for those of us who can think of nothing better than spending a night outside with someone (or some people) we love, and doing so comfortably and enjoyably, then this gear听is just awesome.听
