REASONS TO BUY
Incredible comfort
Spans big gaps in your car
Fast to inflate and deflate
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Bulky
Exped MegaMat Auto Review
This is the best mattress we have ever tested for sleeping in your car
The large and tapered Exped MegaMat Auto.
Credit: Chris McNamara
RELATED: Best Camping Mattress of 2024
Our Verdict
The Exped MegaMat Auto delivers the best car camping sleep we have experienced. Similar to other MegaMats, it provides exceptional comfort due to the nearly 4-inch thick combo of foam and air. During our test in a Kia Telluride with captain's chairs, we were concerned about the ten-inch gaps the pad had to bridge. We thought we'd need to fill them with clothes or bags for support. Thankfully, the MegaMat Auto's thickness and rigidity eliminated that worry. Unlike our experience with two single pads, these gaps caused no problems. Besides the comfort, we were impressed by the inflation/deflation speed. Two valves handle deflation in under a minute. Storing it is also a breeze, thanks to the included velcro strap that secures it before going in the stuff sack.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Exped MegaMat Auto | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Mattress for The Car |  Best Overall Camping Mattress |  Best Bang for the Buck | An Exceptionally Comfortable Mat | Great Lightweight Value |
| Price | $399.95 at REI Compare at 3 sellers | $204.99 at Amazon Compare at 4 sellers | $179 List $125.29 at REI | $239.95 at REI Compare at 3 sellers | $107.99 at Public Lands Compare at 3 sellers |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | What car camping dreams are made of | A high scorer in our tests, this pad is warm and comfy and easy to inflate | All the favorite features we love from a camping mat at a great price | With four inches of foam you can't go wrong, unless you don't have space to store it | Comfortable enough for car camping and backpacking, this is a versatile and packable mattress |
| Rating Categories | Exped MegaMat Auto | Therm-a-Rest MondoK... | REI Co-op Camp Drea... | Exped MegaMat 10 | Therm-a-Rest NeoAir... |
| Comfort (40%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (20%) | |||||
| Warmth (20%) | |||||
| Versatility (10%) | |||||
| Packed Size (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Exped MegaMat Auto | Therm-a-Rest MondoK... | REI Co-op Camp Drea... | Exped MegaMat 10 | Therm-a-Rest NeoAir... |
| R-Value | 8.1 | 7 | 6.6 | 8.1 | 3.7 |
| Thickness | 4.0 in | 4.3 in | 4.0 in | 4.0 in | 4.0 in |
| Length | 76 in | 80 in | 78 in | 78 in | 77 in |
| Width | 52/36 in | 30 in | 32 in | 30 in | 30 in |
| Weight | 8.5 lb | 5.3 lb | 6.4 lb | 6.1 lb | 2.3 lb |
| Packed Size | 28 in x 12 in | 9 in x 32 in | 11 in x 30 in | 9 in x 33 in | 12 in x 6 in |
| Type | Self inflating | Self inflating, inflation sack | Self inflating, inflation sack | Self inflating | Pump inflation |
| Test Model | Standard | XXL | XL | LXW | XLarge |
| Bed Material | 50D polyester with TPU polyether film laminate | Polyester | Recycled polyester | 50D polyester with TPU polyether film laminate | Polyester |
| Valves | Four valves | TwinLock | Two valves | Two valves | TwinLock |
| Accessories | Mini pump, stuff sack, repair kit and manual | Stuff sack | Air pump, pillow | Mini pump, stuff sack, repair kit and manual | Stuff sack, pump, pump sack |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
While this is one of the few mattresses designed specifically for cars, we are pretty sure it would be hard to come up with a better design.
Performance Comparison
The Exped MegaMat Auto fits our 2024 Kia Telluride perfectly. We highly recommend the Dr.meter pump (bottom right) for fast inflation and deflation.
Credit: Chris McNamara
Comfort
This pad has similar comfort to the other Exped Mats, which is to say, it doesn't get much more comfortable! The combo of foam and 4 inches of air space leads to dreamy nights of sleep. Even the surface material is relatively cozy.
The car design, of course, limited the amount of legroom you have when sleeping two people. Most people won't find this to be an issue, especially if you don't mind being cozy with the person next to you.
The Exped (bottom pad) is nearly 4 inches thick. By comparison, a more typical pad, like the Coleman Silver Springs, is about 2.5 inches thick, which makes a dramatic difference in comfort.
Credit: Chris McNamara
Ease of Use
For such a large pad, the Megamat is relatively easy to use. For one thing, it comes with four valves total: two to inflate and two to deflate. While we love using the Dr.meter Air Pump, which makes inflation and deflation take less than a minute; the included hand or foot pump also gets the job done in about 2 minutes. For the least amount of effort, we recommend letting the mattress self-inflate for a few minutes before using the hand pump.
Deflation was also a breeze. All Exped mats come with very generously sized stuff sacks. We highly recommend holding onto the included small velcro strap. After rolling up the pad, this strap will keep the pad relatively compact and make it easy to get in the stuff sack.
The MegaMat is relatively fast and easy to inflate, deflate, and store. We recommend an electric pump, but even the included hand pump is easy to use.
Credit: Chris McNamara
Warmth
With an R-value of 8.1, pads don't get much warmer. In addition, we loved the cozy surface which makes the pad just feel warmer.
While there is not as much room as a non-tapered double camping mattress, you can still easily sleep two people.
Credit: Chris McNamara
Versatility
A pad specifically designed for the car is only so versatile. You won't take it backpacking and if you have a very large tent, you will miss the missing real estate down by the feet. That said, this pad still works great as an extra bed at home. It also will fit in some 3-person tapered tents where other pads just won't.
While this pad will not fit all cars, we were blown away by how well it covered gaps. In our 2024 Kia Telluride, there are large 10-inch gaps between the captain's chairs. We were nearly certain the pad would not be able to span these gaps and require support from below by filling the air space with clothes and luggage. To our pleasant surprise, the Exped Auto flawlessly spanned these gaps. We could not feel them at all. Had we tried to use two individual pads, this large gap would have pulled us in.
Here, the MegaMat Auto spans gaps between the captain's chairs in a 2024 Kia Telluride.
Credit: Chris McNamara
We were pleasantly surprised that the MegaMat Auto could span a large gap between two captains chairs.
Credit: Chris McNamara
Packed Size
This is a massive pad. Exped gives you a very generously sized stuff sack that does have a compression strap. However, you can only make this pad so small. It takes up a lot of space in your car or closet. In our opinion, it totally worth it!
Deflating the Exped MegaMat Auto takes about a minute. We highly recommend holding onto the included velcro strap, which makes it much easier to get in the stuff sack.
Credit: Chris McNamara
The MegaMat Auto is large. Compared to a more standard sized pad, like the Coleman Silver Spring (right), it takes up a lot of room
Credit: Chris McNamara
Should You Buy the Exped MegaMat Auto?
If this pad fits your car, and you sleep in your car enough to justify the premium price, there is no better pad. If you really value a great night's sleep, this pad is hard to beat.
We love how easy it is to get such a large pad stuffed.
Credit: Chris McNamara
What Other Camping Mattress Should You Consider?
If you are not concerned about a pad fitting your car, we recommend the Exped MegaMat Duo 10. It is essentially the same pad, but it gives you more footroom. This makes the pad work work better in tents, the back of a full size truck, or at home as a space mattress. If you are solo, and your car doesn't have captain's chairs, the Exped MegaMat 10 is more versatile and saves you quite a bit of money.
The large and tapered Exped MegaMat Auto.
Credit: Chris McNamara
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Chris McNamara
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