R-value carries the warmth; thickness decides whether your hip lands · review
The classic accordion-fold foam mat: 1.7 R-value, dimpled to trap heat, softer on top and denser underneath, 14 ounces, folding to 20 by 5 by 5.5 inches.
A Z Lite Original camping and backpacking sleeping pad in closed-cell foam.
Therm-a-Rest states a lightweight, compact closed-cell foam mattress, durable and economical for sleeping on the ground; a folding accordion-style construction that is compact and easily packable; dimples in the padding to capture and trap heat, at an R-value of 1.7; foam softer on the top for comfort and denser on the bottom for insulation, durability and protection from the ground; and a molded foam mattress measuring 72 by 20 inches, 20 by 5 by 5.5 inches folded, weighing 14 ounces, made in the USA.
No standard. No thickness figure.
The sum, not the figure.
This shelf’s introduction: R-value adds up, so a foam mat under an inflatable one gives you the sum — which is why the thin closed-cell mat still exists.
One point seven under a 2 R-value air mat is close to 3.7. Under the 4.3 mats in this group it is nearly 6, which is a different season.
Alone it is the lowest figure on this shelf. The five published here are 1.7, 2, 2.1, 4.3 and 4.3.
Two jobs, separated.
Softer on top: deforms under a hip, and feels like padding.
Denser underneath: resists compression, insulates better per millimeter, and takes the abrasion from grit and stone.
No other mat in this group publishes a two-density construction, and the dimples are the third part of the same design — molded hollows holding still air against the body, which is the cheapest insulation there is.
It is the only listing on this shelf that explains how its warmth is built instead of asserting it.
It lies down on the first night.
A rolled foam mat keeps the memory of the roll and lifts at the corners. An accordion pad opens flat in one movement.
It packs as a solid block, 20 by 5 by 5.5 inches, which straps outside a rucksack and can be sat on at a rest stop. A block cannot be wedged into a gap the way a rolled mat can.
The second narrowest here.
Fifty-one centimeters. This shelf’s buying tip says to buy the widest mat the pack tolerates, because shoulders and elbows off the edge undo the rating.
On a mat chosen to sit under a wider one, that is a smaller objection than it looks.
Therm-a-Rest’s instructions carry the use. Nothing here replaces them, and nothing on this page describes any product as safe.
The American Amazon store was listing it at about $50 at the time of writing.
Every figure here is what Keepa held on the day this page was last revised. Offers and prices shift without warning.
Prices quoted in this text were read on October 8, 2026. The live price is at the top of the page.
| R-value | R-value 1.7, published — the lowest figure in this group |
|---|---|
| Standard quoted | None |
| Thickness | Not published as a figure. The folded height of 5.5 inches over four folds implies a thin pad; the construction is dimpled molded foam |
| Packed size | 20 × 5 × 5.5 in folded, accordion-style |
| Weight | 14 ounces — about 397 g (14 oz) |
| Width | 20 inches — about 51 cm (20.1 in) |
| Length | 72 inches — about 183 cm (72 in) |
| Fabric denier | Not applicable — molded closed-cell foam, no face fabric |
| Inflation method | None. Closed-cell foam |
| Amazon reference | B00453NA1E |
| EAN | 0040818023020 |
For mild ground, and as part of a pair for anything colder. This shelf's introduction gives the arithmetic that makes this mat make sense: R-value adds up, so a foam mat under an inflatable one gives you the sum. One point seven under a 2 R-value air mat is close to 3.7, and under the 4.3 mats in this group it is nearly 6 — which is a different season. Alone, 1.7 is the lowest figure on this shelf, and the mats here publish 1.7, 2, 2.1, 4.3 and 4.3.
Separate two jobs that one foam has to compromise on. A softer top layer deforms under a hip and feels like padding; a denser bottom layer resists compression, insulates better per millimeter and takes the abrasion from grit and stone. No other mat in this group publishes a two-density construction, and the dimples are the third part of the same design — molded hollows that hold still air against the body, which is the cheapest insulation there is. It is the only listing on this shelf that explains how its warmth is built rather than asserting it.
Because it opens flat in one movement and never curls at the edges. A rolled foam mat keeps the memory of the roll and lifts at the corners for the first night; an accordion pad lies down. It also packs as a solid block — 20 by 5 by 5.5 inches — which straps neatly to the outside of a rucksack and can be sat on at a rest stop. The cost is that a block cannot be squashed into a space the way a rolled mat can be wedged.
Close prices, same category: comparable camping gear. We keep only the specifications all of them publish, because a column with gaps compares nothing.
| Model | Price | R-value | Thickness | Packed size | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Original | $50 | R-value 1.7, published — the lowest figure in this group | Not published as a figure. The folded height of 5.5 inches over four folds implies a thin pad; the construction is dimpled molded foam | 20 × 5 × 5.5 in folded, accordion-style | 14 ounces — about 397 g (14 oz) |
| Gear Doctors Oxylus self-inflating mat | $51 | 4.3 R-value, published, from a hybrid air-foam core — the joint-highest in this group | 1.5 in — 3.8 cm. The thinnest mat in this group to publish a 4.3 R-value | 8 in (20 cm) × 12 in (30 cm) | 35.2 oz — 997 g |
| Gear Doctors Ether air mat, 17.5 oz | $32 | 2 R-value, published, stated for spring and summer camping | Variable and published both ways: 3.35 in at the edges tapering to 2.36 in at the center — the only variable thickness in this group | 8.6 in high by 3.1 in diameter — the smallest pack in this group | 17.5 oz — about 496 g (17.5 oz) |
| FUN PAC 01 mat with pillow | $30 | Not published | Published twice and differently in the same bullet: the heading reads 3" thick, and the text gives dimensions of 78 × 27 × 8 inches | Not published. Stated to be weighed and sized "only like a water bottle" | Not published. The shipping weight is about 680 g (24 oz) |
A mat that cannot fail, under an inflatable or on its own in mild weather
Amazon reports what buyers took in the month before this page was last checked: at least 800.
The figure is a floor, rounded by Amazon, and read through Keepa — it says what buyers picked, not what a maker claims.
Specifications: the manufacturer sheet for camping and hiking gear and the matching Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure on this page names its source.
R 2.1, standard unnamed · XPE foam with aluminum film · 70.8 × 23.6 × 0.36 in · 0.7 lb
A folding XPE foam mat with a heat-reflective aluminum film and a published insulation rating of 2.1 — "tested to standard", with the standard never named.
Best for: A foam layer that packs flat rather than rolled, with a figure behind its warmth
≈ $25
531 g (18.7 oz) · 190 × 60 cm (74.8 × 23.6 in) inflated and 225 × 70 cm (88.6 × 27.6 in) flat · 40D material · inflated by breath · repair kit included · no R-value
A 531 g (18.7 oz) mat that publishes both its flat and its inflated dimensions — an honest distinction most listings skip — and no thickness and no R-value.
Best for: Lightweight trips where 531 g (18.7 oz) and a 190 cm (74.8 in) sleeping length are the specification, and warmth comes from the bag.
Built-in foot pump · 40D nylon/TPU · 78 × 27 in · 3 in in one line, 8 in in the next
The widest mat in this group at twenty-seven inches, with a built-in foot pump, a built-in pillow and side buttons to join two together — and a thickness published as three inches and as eight.
Best for: Two mats buttoned into a double bed, with no separate pump or pillow to pack
≈ $30
