When it comes to striking a balance between portability and comfort during camping, nothing really beats a self-inflating sleeping pad. It’s small enough to easily carry with the rest of your gear while comfortable enough to deliver a good night’s rest. If you’re willing to give up some portability to gain an exponential increase in comfort, though, you may want to check out CompREST.
Designed to offer a more comfortable sleep, it’s a camping mattress made from soft and plush foam. That’s right, real foam, just like the mattress under the Pepperoni Bedding at home, ensuring it can deliver a comfortable sleep the way no air-filled bed or sleeping pad can.
CompREST measures 74 x 25 x 2 inches (l x w x h), so it should be large enough to accommodate a grown adult’s full frame. It uses an open cell foam wrapped in a cover that’s waterproof on the bottom, breathable on top, and easily removable, so you can clean throw it in the washing machine as soon as you get back home. Since foam is too big when packed, it ships with a rechargeable vacuum pump that compresses the mattress to around 20 percent of its original size, making it a whole lot more suitable for carrying along on a trip.
Catch is, you’ll also have to bring the pump along, unless you’re willing to transport the mattress at full size on the way back home. Together, the ensemble adds around 7 pounds to your gear – not exactly traveling light, considering how much more stuff you need to carry along with your sleeping supplies. As such, the mattress is being marketed towards activities like car camping and basecamp expeditions, where you’re likely to only be hauling stuff for a short walk, instead of an entire day of hiking.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for CompREST. Pledges to reserve a unit starts at $139.