The Hest Sleep System

I was looking for a comfortable camping mattress and after testing several sleep solutions, I settled on the Hest Sleep System.

Initially, I tried to use a cot and quickly realized they all were too bulky for Subaru Outback car camping.

I purchased a Sea to Summit foam mattress and realized I needed more foam support to make the mattress more comfortable. I did keep this mattress in case I do an overnight hike somewhere.

What’s To Like

Tent Fit: This fits nicely in my North Face Summit 2 tent.
Inflatable: There are two parts to the mattress. The top consists of “two-layer memory foam construction” and an inflatable bottom. The two are attached by sturdy zippers on the sides. The inflatable bottom can be made as hard (very) or soft as I want.
R-Value: The manufacturer states the foam mattress provide an 11.8 r-factor. This will really help keep cold ground temperatures from impacting my sleep. I’m using a Big Agnes Lost Ranger 3N1 sleeping bag rated to 15 F. If it gets colder than that, I’ll be finding an airbnb.
Support: On my first use of the mattress, I broke the storage clip. I contacted the Hest customer support team and quickly received an email. A few days later, I received a complete strap for rolling up the mattress.
Deflating: When I deflate the mattress, the valve can be pushed and twisted to lock it open. I then roll across the mattress to deflate it. This is very quick.
Sturdy Construction: This is a high quality mattress and should last for many years of daily use.
Storage Bag: The mattress comes with a large bag for storing the rolled up mattress and pump.

The mattress comes with a large pump to make inflating easier and quick. For car camping, this pump takes up far too much space. I already had a pump to inflate my tires. Again, Hest customer support provided feedback saying they “use a Halkey-Roberts valve which is pretty standard for many SUPs. There are a variety of tubes and valve adaptors available online which may work with your set up.” I purchased a SUP Pump Adaptor on Amazon.

Potential Issues

I purchased this mattress for use in my car and tent. The only issue I have with the mattress is the rolled up size. It takes up a lot of precious space. I’ve read one review by a woman that had trouble rolling up the mattress. I haven’t had that issue.

For me, the comfort of a good night’s sleep, far out weighed the the slight inconvience of dealing with a larger sleep system.