REASONS TO BUY
Wide dimensions for one
Storage sack for quick inflation
Soft yet supportive
REASONS TO AVOID
Not the easiest to pack up
Heavy
Lost Horizon Air & Foam 4.5 inch Single Review
A top-scoring camping mattress that’s much more affordable than the competition
Credit: Zach Lovell
By Zach Lovell ⋅ Review Editor ⋅ September 24, 2026
RELATED: The Best Camping Mattress of 2026
Our Verdict
Comfort and a higher price point often go hand in hand, but the Lost Horizon Full won't damage your bank account or your back. This camping mattress is one of our favorites for comfort, with about 4.5 inches of thickness and a blend of foam and air that helped us get a decent night's rest. At nearly 30 inches wide, the Lost Horizon is also spacious enough for side-sleeping and campers who like to sprawl out. While it isn't the most packable camping mattress out there, the Lost Horizon Full is a high-value option that can even be used as a guest bed at home.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Lost Horizon Air & Foam 4.5 inch Single | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Bang for the Buck | Packability on a Budget | Soft Cozyness at a Great Price | ||
| Price | $130 List Check Price at Amazon | $100 List Check Price at REI | $129 List Check Price at REI | $67 List Check Price at Amazon | $70 List Check Price at REI |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | A top-scoring camping mattress that’s much more affordable than the competition | This summertime camping mattress lands at the intersection of affordability and packability | An inexpensive mattress for casual camping and light-duty backpacking | The most comfy soft pad we tested, and it won't pop. But it is bulky | A narrow pad that's just a little too heavy for backpacking and not quite comfy enough for camping |
| Rating Categories | Lost Horizon Air & F... | Coleman Cozy | REI Co-op Campwell | HomeMate CertiPUR-US | Coleman Silver Springs |
| Comfort (40%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (20%) | |||||
| Warmth (20%) | |||||
| Versatility (10%) | |||||
| Packed Size (10%) | |||||
| Specifications | Lost Horizon Air & F... | Coleman Cozy | REI Co-op Campwell | HomeMate CertiPUR-US | Coleman Silver Springs |
| Thickness | 4.5 in | 3.5 in | 2.5 in | 3.0 in | 3.0 in |
| Length | 80 in | 74 in | 72 in | 75 in | 72 in |
| Width | 29.5 in | 24 in | 25 in | 30 in | 20 in |
| Weight | 9 lb | 2.6 lb | 3.5 lb | 9 lb | 3.9 lb |
| R-Value | 13 | 3+ | 7 | None | 5 |
| Packed Size | 27 in x 9 in | 6 in x 11 in | 6 in x 26 in | 30 in x 17 in | 20 in x 7 in |
| Type | Self, pump, or inflation sack | Pump inflation | Self inflating | Memory foam | Self inflating |
| Test Model | Single | Standard | Regular | Single | Standard |
| Bed Material | 30D & 75D fabric | Brushed knit fabric | Recycled polyester | Polyester with TPU | 75D polyester |
| Valves | One valve | One valve | Two valves | None | One valve |
| Accessories | Stuff sack, pump | Stuff sack, pump sack | Stuff sack, repair kit | Stuff sack | Stuff sack, straps |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Lost Horizon will keep you comfy without draining your savings. Credit: Zach Lovell
Comfort
Comfort is the Lost Horizon's strongest metric and is bound to help you sleep well whether in a truck bed, tent, or lying out under the stars. It leans on a blend of foam and air to offer a relatively soft feel, though you can also inflate the Horizon to be as firm as you need. Regardless of your firmness preference, this model has plenty of structure, so you're less likely to wake up with a stiff back or neck.
The Lost Horizon Air & Foam 4.5 inch Single is about 4.5 inches thick, 29.5 inches wide, and 80 inches long, making it spacious for any sleeping position and suitable for shorter or taller campers. We slept on this mattress for several nights and ultimately got as much quality sleep as most of the premium competition. The Lost Horizon is compartmented inside, so if you adjust your shoulder position, for example, it won't affect how your hips press into the mattress.
The Lost Horizon Full is incredibly wide and has a compartmentalized construction, so your hips, neck, and shoulders can sink naturally into the mattress. Credit: Zach Lovell
Ease of Use
Overall, the Lost Horizon is intuitive to use and can be quickly set up, even in the dark. If you need it firmer or softer, the valve is easy to open, and adjustments can be made in a matter of seconds. Throughout our testing period, we also didn't experience any leaks or fabric degradation.
When the time comes to pack up the foam-laden Lost Horizon and head home, you'll want to spend some extra time making sure it's fully deflated before sliding it back into its bag. Fortunately, it has a great compression strap system, but it still requires some wrestling to store. The storage bag is well-sized and doubles as an inflation bag, which makes it easier to inflate than many other models.
The storage sack of the Lost Horizon Full doubles as an effective inflation bag. Credit: Zach Lovell
The surface of the Lost Horizon is also well-textured, reducing the sliding we experienced with our sleeping bags and pillows.
We appreciated the grippy surface of the Lost Horizon Full, which kept our bedding right where we wanted it throughout the night. Credit: Zach Lovell
Warmth
Lost Horizon reports this mattress has an R value of 13, which is the highest possible rating for warmth. In our experience, this model is fairly warm, but we felt some cool spots in sub-35-degree weather, which led us to conclude the manufacturer's reported R value is a bit too optimistic.
We'd consider the Lost Horizon a dependable 3-season mattress for car-camping in the mountains, and it could even be used in winter at lower elevations. To extend the Lost Horizon's warmth, add a foam pad underneath it to better insulate from the ground, and use a sleeping bag or blanket between you and the mattress.
We stayed warm on the Lost Horizon Full throughout testing, though we felt a few cool spots below about 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Credit: Zach Lovell
Versatility
This robust camping mattress is great for camping in a tent or under the stars…as long as it's close to your car. It also offers enough comfort for a van or camper, though in those settings, a compressible mattress is less valuable in our experience.
When hosting and visiting friends and family, our testers tried several mattresses indoors, including the Lost Horizon. We're pleased to report this camping mattress was a hit, though if you're hosting guests for longer than a few nights, they might prefer a cushier bed. The Lost Horizon might also be too bulky for some campers traveling in a smaller vehicle from their home to the great outdoors.
Besides only fitting one person, the Lost Horizon Full is great for visiting or hosting, but it isn't the easiest to squeeze into a packed car. Credit: Zach Lovell
Packed Size
The Lost Horizon weighs a hefty 9 pounds and is very bulky when packed. In the category of a camping mattress, it's not as critical for your sleeping system to be super light, but if you drive a smaller sedan or often travel with several people to the campground, a mattress as bulky as the Lost Horizon Full might be an issue.
Our testing team here at Gear Lab drives vehicles of all shapes and sizes. For those lugging camping gear in a truck, from a Toyota Tacoma to a Ford F-150, the bulk of the Lost Horizon will likely have minimal impact on your camping trip, but in a Toyota Prius or a Toyota RAV4, it took up a bunch of room. We measured this mattress at about 32 inches long, and it was about 12 inches high and wide.
If you need something easy to pack in a car or to carry to the campsite, the Lost Horizon might not be our first recommendation, but its comfort and value are hard to beat Credit: Zach Lovell
Should You Buy the Lost Horizon Air & Foam 4.5 inch Single?
This camping mattress costs substantially less than the competition while still offering incredible comfort. It offers enough cushion for a variety of outdoor trips and even works well for guests staying at your home for a few nights. However, if you occasionally find yourself camping a few hundred feet from the car, which is common in some campground areas for sites known as “walk-in” sites, the weight and bulk of the Lost Horizon might be a deal breaker.
You'll be hard-pressed to find a budget camping mattress as comfy as the Lost Horizon; just make sure its packed size will fit in your vehicle. Credit: Zach Lovell
What Other Camping Mattresses Should You Consider?
If you want something even cheaper than the Lost Horizon, the HomeMate CertiPUR-US is great for a quick weekend camping trip here or there. It's only about 3 inches thick, but it's about as wide as the Lost Horizon and has some nice foam to complement the air cushion. If you'd like a more portable camping mattress but still need to save money for other gear, consider the Coleman Cozy, which only weighs about 2.6 pounds and is much smaller than the Lost Horizon when packed.
—Zach Lovell
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