Thick Foam Sleeping Pad

One of the most often heard complaints about foam sleeping pads is that they are not as comfortable as inflatable sleeping pads, and a lot of that has to do with how thick the sleeping pad is. A thick foam sleeping pad will offer you quite a bit more comfort at night, which will let you sleep that much better. Of course a thicker foam sleeping pad is also going to be a bulkier, heavier sleeping pad, so you need to take that in to consideration.

Thick Foam Sleeping Pad

What to look at when you want a thick foam sleeping pad.

• Contoured – Many thicker foam sleeping pads use contours to make the foam thicker, while at the same time keeping weight and bulk as low as possible. Many sleeping pads, for instance, have an egg carton design on the top. Another popular way to increase the thickness while keeping weight down is with ridges built in to the top of the sleeping pad.
• Shape – If you are concerned about the weight of your thick foam sleeping pad, one good way to get it down as low as possible is to get a mummy shaped sleeping pad. There aren’t too many mummy shaped foam sleeping pads, however, but you always have the option of hacking off a few corners with an exacto knife, since it’s just about impossible to break a foam sleeping pad.

Best Thick Foam Sleeping Pad

Some of the best thick foam sleeping pads for your next outdoor adventure.

• Therm-A-Rest Z Lite - The Z-Lite is one of the thickest pure foam sleeping pads on the market. It's a total of .75 inches thick, and has a egg crate design on the top, which maximizes thickness and comfort while keeping weight as low as possible. It's not super warm, with an R-value of 2.2 and a weight of 14 ounces, or 396 grams, but it's an ideal choice for backpackers looking for a thick foam sleeping pad.
• Big Agnes Two Track Pad - The Two Track is a warm, but relatively lightweight sleeping pad. It's inflatable, but also has 2 inches of foam on top, which adds insulation and also comfort. With an R-value of 6.5 it's definitely a warm choice, though at 36 ounces, or 1020 grams for the rectangular version it's not the lightest choice ever. The mummy shaped version does weigh a bit less. So a good choice if you want something relatively warm, but not unbearably heavy.
• Exped SIM Comfort 10 LW - The SIM Comfort abandons all thoughts of lightweight design and goes all in for comfort. It's another combination of foam and inflation, with a total of 4 inches of padding between you and the ground, which is rather impressive. The R-value of 9.5 is also rather impressive, as that makes it the warmest sleeping pad on the market. But at 67.4 ounces, or 2.24 kilograms it's not even close to the kind of sleeping pad that you would want to carry backpacking. So very thick, but also very heavy.

Find more sleeping pads, sortable by thickness, over at the compare sleeping pads page.