Sleeping Mat
The purpose of the sleeping mat (or sleeping pad) is to insulate the sleeping person from the grounds coldness and humidity. Depending on the thickness and the quality of the sleeping mat it also makes it more comfortable to sleep than on the hard ground.
Cell Foam Sleeping Mat
There are two kind of sleeping mats: the first type is made of cell foam and the other type is inflating mats. The inflating sleeping mats can be manually or self inflating. Cell foam sleeping mats are naturally cheaper and also more reliable because of the solid indestructible build. The insulation of the cell foam mats is a bit better than in inflating mats.
Some more expensive inflating sleeping mats can include down which increases the inflating capabilities and sleeping comfort. The risk with the inflating sleeping mats is that the surface can be damaged easily, that's why you should always have a patch kit with you to repair the possible damages.
