Gear review: HeyTrip Self-Inflating Sleeping Pad

Read why HeyTrip’s slogan, “built on exploration and innovation” rings true with their self-inflating sleeping pad.

What is it?

HeyTrip’s slogan is “built on exploration and innovation.” HeyTrip products are designed to bring comfort to wherever your travels may take you. The HeyTrip self-inflating sleeping pad lived up to its mission. At 4 inches thick, this sleeping pad brings comfort to your outdoor adventures whether you are sleeping in your car or a tent. In addition to giving you a good night’s sleep while on the road, it is easy to transport and even easier to set up and tear down.

What sets it apart?

The HeyTrip self-inflating sleeping pad is uniquely made with space-saving foam technology to reduce weight and size when folded up. It rolls into a compact travel bag that weighs around 6 pounds and is 32 x 10 inches in size. In addition to being 4 inches thick, it is also wider than many other sleeping pads, meaning you can comfortably stretch out while sleeping. It has an R-value of 9.5, making it a great choice for camping in any season.

How do I use it?

Once you arrive at camp, the first step is to take it out of the bag and remove the straps. When it is in the right spot to inflate, move the valve to the middle position. This is the fastest way to inflate the sleeping pad. It will inflate most of the way within a minute. You can then move the valve to the inflate setting and use the pack sack (the carrying bag) to pump the remainder of the needed air in. You can also finish the inflation by breathing into the sleeping pad on the inflate setting. Enjoy your comfortable night’s sleep and then flip the valve to the deflate setting in the morning. It will deflate most of the way on its own, and the remaining air will release once you start rolling it to fit in the bag.

How much?

$129.99

Joanna’s insight:

I recently tested this product on my weeklong road trip. I was traveling through southern Colorado on a hiking trip, camping at a variety of dispersed campsites. This sleeping pad was the key to my success, leaving me well rested and ready for a full day of hiking every day! It was extremely easy and fast to set up and tear down after each night and kept me very warm despite the cold temperatures overnight. I tested this product in both a tent and a car, and it is definitely better suited to tent camping than car camping. In a car, at least my Toyota 4Runner, it is too long for the sleeping area. I deflated it slightly to bend it and create a headboard behind my pillow. It worked great like this, but in a tent, it can be fully extended. Additionally, if there were two people sleeping in the car it would not fit two because of the width. Since I was doing a mixture of car and tent sleeping on this trip, it was nice to have a versatile sleeping pad, and it worked great for me. HeyTrip also makes an inflatable bed specifically for car sleeping, which is something I may check out in the future and would recommend if you plan to do more car sleeping.

More information:

Amazon.com