Your questions about camping mats answeredWhat is the best camping mat?The Quest elite sleeping mat is my top pick for the best of this bunch. The velvet material is super soft and at 15cm thick, you’re guaranteed a warm and comfortable night’s sleep. It’s more suited to camping than hiking but it’s a top quality product which could be used for an outdoor adventure or as a mattress at home when friends or family come to stay. It’s also worth mentioning the Vango shangri-la lux 12 double for its innovative inflating and deflating technology which makes it ready to use in just a minute. How I tested camping mats I had a ready-made team of volunteers willing to help unroll the mats, pump them up and lie on them. Three boys, aged nine and twins who are seven, and my husband put each product through its paces. We looked at how comfortable the mats were to lie on, how easily they inflated and deflated and whether the price gave good value for money.Comfort: This is a key factor when buying something to sleep on, especially if you’re lying on uneven and cold ground. We looked at the thickness, surface material and level of cushioning. Warmth: No one will get a good night’s sleep if they’re cold so we made sure to try out a range of mats with different R-values, suitable for all four seasons of the year. Weight: Backpackers or people who enjoy wild camping are likely to choose a camping mat over an airbed and its weight will be important to them. Carrying everything you need on your back means every Portability: As we’ve said above, if you’re wild camping/bothying or trekking, you’ll only want to carry the essentials and the weight and bulkiness of your bed will be a big factor when choosing your kit. A roll-up mat in a stuff sack can fit in a daypack or be clipped to the side of it. A larger double, foam-filled mattress isn’t portable or suitable for those activities but works well for a camping trip where you’re staying in one stop. Are self-inflating camping mats worth it?A self-inflating camping mat contains a compressed inner foam that expands into shape when a vacuum valve is released, enabling air to flow into the camping mat.While they’re heavier and bulkier than pure air mats, they come with a few added benefits. For one, you save a lot of time and effort blowing them up. Most self-inflating camping mats will let you add a few more breaths to increase the firmness of the padding, but they’re typically ready to use in a few minutes.They’re also more durable than standard inflatables, as a puncture doesn’t render them useless, while the inner foam reduces noise and adds extra insulation and warmth. So, if all of this sounds like music to your ears, a self-inflating camping mat could well be worth the investment.Why you can trust IndyBest reviewsIndyBest is The Independent’s product review section, where experts cut through marketing jargon to bring you products that actually work.Kat Storr has been a writer for more than a decade, becoming especially interested in parenting after becoming a parent herself. She has tested remote control cars, football goals and water and sand play tables for IndyBest, each time prioritising the things that parents actually care about, such as quality, safety and affordability. Recruiting her own kids – following her shoes as tough critics – Kat has put these helmets through their paces in real-world conditions, so you can be confident that her verdict is based on hands-on experience and that her recommendations are fit for purpose.Want even more comfort while camping? Take a look at our guide to the best airbeds