Most foam sleeping pads are of the cheap, basic foam variety, but there a memory foam sleeping pad is certainly not impossible to find. Memory foam is not often used for sleeping pads, however, in part because it is quite a bit denser than the usual foam, and thus heavier. Memory foam does, however, offer a much more comfortable sleeping surface than regular foam, and if your main concern is comfort, it makes for a very restful night in the outdoors.
Memory Foam Sleeping Pad
What to look for when you want a memory foam sleeping pad.- Topper – Just like memory foam mattress toppers for your bed at home, there are memory foam mattress toppers for sleeping pads. By using just a topper you don’t add a needlessly large amount of weight to your sleeping pad, and you get all of the comfort of memory foam, which is the main reason to have a memory foam sleeping pad.
- Shape – Memory foam being a heavy option, there is potential to save a fair bit of weight with a mummy shaped memory foam sleeping pad. Even if your sleeping pad doesn’t come in a mummy shape, you certainly wont break your memory foam sleeping pad by hacking off a few corners with an exacto knife.
Best Memory Foam Sleeping Pad
There aren't too many to choose from, but these are the best memory foam sleeping pads.- Big Agnes Memory Foam Pad Kit - This Foam Pad Kit from Big Agnes is designed to work as a cover for a sleeping pad, but there's no reason you couldn't just use the foam itself as a sleeping pad. It weighs 2 pounds 11 ounces, or 1.21 kilograms, however, so it's not the lightest thing in the world, but then memory foam is heavy stuff to begin with. It's 3.5 inches thick, which will provide a good enough sleeping pad for most people, and a luxurious sleep with a sleeping pad inserted in.
- Therm-A-Rest Dream Time Sleeping Pad - The Dream Time is a combination of 3 inch thick memory foam on top, with an inflatable portion underneath that, so you end up sleeping on a bed of air and a bed of foam, which might even be more comfortable than your mattress at home. Of course the whole things weighs 6.6 pounds, or 3 kilograms, so it's not exactly a lightweight choice, but then for this much comfort you have to expect that it's going to be heavy.
- Big Agnes Sleeping Giant Deluxe Pillow - If you have a memory foam sleeping pad then there's no reason you should stop there, when you could have a matching memory foam pillow as well. Like the Big Agnes memory foam upgrade kit up above, this is a 2 inch foam portion which is meant to slip on to an inflatable pillow, though you can order the insert and inflatable pillow together if you don't already have the pillow. It weighs just 6.5 ounces, or 184 grams.