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How This Memory Foam Camping Bed Changed Our Lives

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Are you sick of waking up sore and tired while camping? Do you have trouble finding the right camping pad as a side sleeper? Are you looking for the best camping bed for bad backs? Or maybe you just want the best memory foam camping bed you can get.

As avid campers and travelers, we’ve spent hundreds of nights sleeping on a wide variety of camping pads, mattresses, and memory foam camping beds - we know the struggle for a decent night’s sleep can be real. So in this post, we’re sharing our review of the Hest Foamy mattresses that we’ve used for the last several years and why we’ve found them to be the best overall memory foam camping bed out there.

*(This post contains affiliate links. This means we may receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. See our full disclosure.)

What Makes the Hest Foamy the Best Memory Foam Camping Bed

There are a ton of memory foam camping beds, camping mattresses, and sleeping pads on the market. Here’s what makes Hest…the best! 😴 


It’s the Most Comfortable Camping Bed

Comfort (or lack of), especially while you’re sleeping, can make or break a camping trip. Over the years, we’ve found that investing in a high quality memory foam camping bed is well worth it, especially if you have any plans for longer term overland travel or camping road trips.

The Hest Foamy uses two high-quality layers of supportive memory foam to properly align and support your body’s curves and relieve pressure points, and the 3.9 inch thickness doesn’t “bottom out” easily. I am a die hard side-sleeper and Lindsey has a bad back, and we both sleep better on our Hest memory foam camping bed than we have on any other camping mattress we’ve tested.

Like all other memory foam camping beds, you can’t adjust the firmness of the Foamy. We feel it strikes an exceptionally good balance of firmness, but Hest does offer a complete camping Sleep System* which includes an additional 3 inch drop-stitch air mattress base. This allows you to further dial in the firmness, and bumps the insulation rating up too - though this is at the sacrifice of some of the simplicity-of-setup that makes the Foamy such a great memory foam camping bed.


It’s Easy to Set Up

The Foamy memory foam camping bed is super easy to set up and use. Unlike camping air mattresses, there’s no air chamber to fill, time spent waiting for a mattress to “self-inflate", or air pump you have to hook up. And unlike our previous tri-fold memory foam truck bed mattress, there are no sections to, often awkwardly, unfold. The Foamy can be deployed in a single step in seconds!

 You simply unfasten the bundling straps, let the mattress unroll, and boom! It’s good to go! 


It’s Customizable

The Foamy comes in three standard sizes to fit your personal needs, camping setup, or vehicle: 

Or, if you’re not afraid to void the warranty, you can cut the internal memory foam to a custom size - like we did. 😅

Hest also includes a unique locking clip feature on the sides of each Foamy memory foam camping bed (pictured below) that allows you to link multiple mattresses together into one GIANT memory foam camping bed. We have a total of three linked together in our Tune M1 Truck Camper to fill the camper’s huge king-size sleeping platform and sleep our entire family of four comfortably while camping for weeks at a time!

Excellent Cold Weather Performance

Hest uses a special temperature resilient memory foam in the Foamy camping mattress so it doesn’t get firm in cold weather like other memory foam camping beds. And with an impressive R-value of 8.8, the Foamy is one of the warmest camping beds on the market, ensuring a toasty night’s sleep even in the coldest of camping conditions. 


Superior Durability

The adage “you get what you pay for” definitely applies to memory foam camping beds, and the Foamy delivers for its higher-than-average price point with premium materials throughout. 

The Foamy’s memory foam is encased in a machine washable 2-part zippered cover. The lower, ground-facing half of the case’s material is heavy-duty and waterproof to keep it protected from moisture wicking into the inner memory foam, while the upper half is a soft and stretchy hydrophobic fabric that doesn’t restrict the high-performance polyfoam inside from doing its job in supporting you all night long. And everything from the hidden stitchwork to the integrated carry handles exudes craftsmanship. 

Ours have weathered the storm of countless camping trips, toddler mishaps, and off road adventures while being stored year-round in our last two truck camping setups. And they're no worse for wear.


Additional Features

Hest includes a bunch of extra features built into their Foamy memory foam camping bed that add a ton of value to its already premium design and quality.

  • Built in Bundling Straps - two robust nylon straps are built into the mattress to help store the mattress when it’s not in use

  • Welcome Mat - integrated into the mattress and bundling straps is a section of waterproof dust resistant fabric that serves as a “welcome mat” - a convenient way to keep your dirty hiking boots off your camping bed

  • Stash Pocket for Cell phone and Keys - this is a super handy little pocket that’s integrated into one end of the mattress to keep your valuables from growing legs in the night

  • Carry Handles - these aren’t your typical cheap nylon strap handles; the Foamy has two ergonomic metal encased nylon carry handles that won’t dig into your hands when you’re hauling them to and from the car or tent

  • Integrated Compression Strap - the welcome mat and bundling straps work in tandem to act as a compression strap after rolling the mattress up

Another great thing about the Hest Foamy is that its home-mattress-like comfort and modularity make it great to use as a spare bed for company, kid’s slumber parties, or even the in-laws when you’re not out camping!


Caveats of the Hest Foamy Camping Bed

The Hest Foamy may be the best memory foam camping bed on the market, but it’s not perfect. There are two main caveats to these awesome camping mattresses:

Cost

Though the Foamy is expensive, we feel this price represents an exceptional value compared to other memory foam camping beds on the market, which have all increased in price over the last several years. 

And where other less expensive mattresses will typically fail, puncture (air mattresses, we’re looking at you), or need repair every couple years, the Foamy should last you a LONG time with minimal care.


Personally, we were so satisfied with the difference these memory foam camping beds made in our lives while camping and traveling that we invested in a total of three so our whole family could use them.

Bulk & Weight

All memory foam camping beds are inherently heavier than other camping bed options, and the Foamy, at 10 - 13 lbs depending on the size, is no exception. 

With a 12” x 25” packed size, it can also be a bit bulky to store. So while it's a fantastic option for tent, car, or truck camping trips, it’s not something you’d want to huck on your shoulder for a long distance backpacking trip.

Memory Foam Camping Bed Accessories

After years of dialing in our camping sleep system, we’ve found a few accessories that can really make your memory foam camping bed as comfy as your bed at home.

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  • Pillows

    Hest offers 3 pillow sizes to pair with your memory foam camping bed. They’re made with high-quality memory foam fill and have a built-in compression case that provides a water and dust resistant cover when stored.

We’ve also been happy with these Thermarest Pillows* if you’re looking for a more budget friendly option.

See this Amazon product in the original post
  • Fitted Sheets

    Grab a sheet to help keep your nice clean memory foam camping bed protected from the telltale dirt, grime, and campfire residue associated with any good camping trip.

Or, if your Hest mattresses fit together to make any of the standard sheet sizes (the three we use fit together to create a standard king), grab the appropriately sized fitted sheet from your local box store to save a few bucks.

See this Amazon product in the original post
  • A Quality Sleeping Bag / Quilt

    We prefer the non-confining freedom of a quilt over a more restrictive traditional sleeping bag, and this 20-degree Thermarest Vela that we’ve used while camping and traveling has been the perfect addition to the Hest Foamy camping mattresses.

    Its top-tier hydrophobic down fill dries quickly if it gets wet and will keep you (and your significant other) toasty warm!

The Hest Foamy memory foam camping bed has truly been a total game changer for our family camping and overland travels! It’s allowed us to get a solid night’s sleep no matter where we find ourselves camped up for the night. And we hope this guide helps you decide if it may be the right sleeping mattress for your camping needs too. 


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