Let’s face it: Car camping isn’t glamorous. Is it basically free? Yes. And is it way cheaper than investing in an RV? Oh yeah. But does it compare in any way to sleeping in your own bed? Definitely not. Until now, that is.
Enter: Luno’s Air Mattress 2.0. An inflatable mattress that fits in your car, the Luno allows you to achieve hotel-quality sleep without the cost. Sure, camping outside is always an option, but it’s one that comes with uncontrollable variables like harsh weather, animals and bug bites. I tested the mattress out myself, and while it turned out to be too small for my Chevrolet Suburban (more about that below), I think it has the potential to be a great fit for more compact SUVs or hatchbacks.
For campers who want to sleep in their car in ultimate comfort, Luno’s car-specific mattress turns the back of your SUV or hatchback into a cozy retreat.
What we liked about it
It’s easy to set up
Born in 2017 when friends Pete Ducato and Sarah Van Berkum were on a Mammoth ski trip and didn’t want to spend $300 a night for lodging?— but woke from their car camping adventure having barely slept and feeling utterly sore — Luno is a car-custom air mattress that snugly fits into more than 1,800 SUVs and hatchbacks.
“The birth of the Luno mattress was us trying to find a more comfortable and convenient solution to sleep in your vehicle,” says Van Berkum. “Today, Luno as a brand is aiming to make the outdoors more accessible, more convenient and more comfortable.” Built specifically to elevate the car camping experience, the Air Mattress 2.0 aims to turn your regular ol’ car — whether it’s a 1998 Subaru Outback or a 2022 Tesla Model Y — into a mobile bedroom.
Here’s how it works: On the Luno site, head to the air mattress listing and select your vehicle’s make, model and year and, ya know, click “Add to cart.” When the mattress arrives in its handy carrying case and you’re ready to take it for a spin (er, snooze), push your front seats all the way forward, fold down your back seats and remove the headrests if that’s an option. Next, unpack the Luno case. In there, you’ll find the mattress, two base extenders and the air pump.
Meant to take advantage of the dead space behind the driver and front passenger’s seats and the middle row of your car, the base extenders should be placed in that area and inflated by inserting the pump into your car’s power outlet. Next, unroll the Luno and perform the same task by inserting the pump into one or both sides of the mattress. Because it has a twin chamber design, you can opt to inflate just one side and use the other side of your car for storage if you’re camping solo.
If this process sounds labor-intensive, I promise you it’s not. It took me less than five minutes, and that included at least a minute or two of cleaning out all of the trash my kids left in the backseat of the car. Seriously, I was impressed by not only how easy the inflation setup was, but also how sturdy the materials were. While I had read reviews that the air pump was flimsy, I disagree — I found it to be small but mighty, inflating both extenders and the entire car mattress in less than two minutes. I’m also pretty excited to have this pump in my realm of handy gadgets, as you never know when you might need to inflate a water slide or some balloons on the road!
It’s both comfortable and durable
In terms of the mattress itself, the brand’s 300-denier Oxford fabric is not only crazy durable — I let my dog walk on it with zero damage — but it also has a soft finish that ensures you’re not slipping and sliding while sleeping. And at 4 inches thick, trust me, you’ll be snoozing in total comfort.
Two things really stood out to me about the mattress design. One is that each side includes a “comfort valve” that lets you manage the firmness of your side of the mattress. Similar to the perks of a split mattress, the Luno allows users with different sleeping preferences to customize the density to their preference. Second, the mattress is mapped with “O beams” that are meant to support the pressure points in your body similar to an egg crate.
Customization makes for the perfect fit
Because the mattress is cut specifically to the make, model and year of your vehicle, it fills the entire rear cabin with zero gaps. Growing up, my family and I road-tripped from Boston to Chicago, and in doing so, I learned exactly what sleeping on the hard car floor feels like. The point being, the Luno experience is pretty much the opposite of that. It turns the back of your vehicle into a luxe, cushiony, cozy oasis.
Lastly, there’s the price. No, Luno isn’t cheap, but considering what you get — a double mattress with extra length to fit the entire back of your vehicle — the price tag is just right in my opinion. And it’s comparable to smaller versions on the market that don’t sleep two comfortably.
What we didn’t like about it
Lack of storage
For me, Luno’s biggest pain point is the loss of storage once the mattress is inflated. The brand recommends transferring your gear — coolers, backpacks, etc. — to the footwells of your front seats, which totally works, but would be tough if you have oversized items like a piece of checked luggage. A good alternative storage solution would be a car roof cargo carrier.
Misleading sizing
There’s also the fact that Luno’s largest mattress didn’t fit my 2015 Chevrolet Suburban despite originally saying that it does on the site. Once I discovered that the mattress fell short (literally) inside my car, I was instructed by the brand to place it solely on the flatbed of my vehicle, thus losing the extra 15 inches of the mattress length the base extenders provide.
The brand claims someone who is 6 feet, 2 inches tall can sleep comfortably on the Luno mattress, but unfortunately, without the additional base extender length, my 6 feet, 1 inch husband couldn’t do so. While Luno has since updated its site to reflect that it doesn’t have an option currently available for the Suburban, it certainly makes me wonder whether other consumers have experienced a similar situation where the ultra-specific cut of the mattress doesn’t perfectly fit their make, model or year.
How it compares
There are dozens and dozens of car camping mattresses on the market, but Luno is the only brand currently offering car-specific options, thus taking the guesswork out of measuring and finding the correct traditional mattress size for your vehicle. That said, if you’re up for a little grunt work (get your tape measure ready!), there are some highly-rated options out there that are much cheaper.
Among them is Best Price Mattress Store’s Trifold Memory Foam Mattress Topper, which comes in sizes twin to California king (most SUVs can fit a queen, which costs $142) and boasts more than 7,000 positive Amazon reviews. Because it’s not an air mattress, you don’t have to worry about leaks, and the trifold feature allows relatively easy portability, though it does weigh about 22 pounds (you can also buy a carrying case for another $30).
Traditionalists who prefer an air mattress that can fit in their tent and their car could also consider the Therm-a-Rest MondoKing 3D Sleeping Pad, which comes in large and XX-large (from $240) and is top-rated among critics and consumers alike. A major selling point is that the pad comes insulated, mixing thermal foam with air and allowing for a warmer sleep. Reviewers also rave about how quickly it can inflate and deflate and that it’s ultra-portable, clocking in at just 4 to 5 pounds (depending on the size you buy). It comes with a pump and carry case and has an impressive 4.25-inch thickness. We’ve also reviewed the Nemo Roamer Double Sleeping Pad, which, if it can fit in your car, provides a luxurious sleeping experience wherever you are.
For anyone looking to dip their toe in the car camping pond — and not spend a ton of money — a smaller, cheaper option is the Sleepingo Sleeping Pad, which rings in at just under $40. The downside is that the mattress fits one person and is only 2 inches thick. The upside is that it weighs just 14 ounces, can be inflated in 10 breaths and is waterproof, durable and portable, thanks to the included carrying case. The Pad also has more than 33,000 Amazon reviews and a 4.3-star rating.
Bottom line
All in all, I’d have to say that the Luno Air Mattress 2.0 is not only a great idea, but also a high-quality product that delivers. No, it’s not a hotel, but it’s a significant upgrade to car camping and will certainly entice non-campers (like myself) to head into the great outdoors, albeit safely ensconced in my car, achieving a great night’s sleep away from the bears and bugs. And when its car-specific sizing actually fits, you can get a lot more sleeping area than you would if you threw your normal sleeping pad in the back seats.
“Our goal is to make the outdoors feel more approachable,” Van Berkum told CNN Underscored. “As a solo female traveler, car camping feels 10 times more safe than a tent — I can lock myself in a vehicle and it’s a lot more quiet. Beyond that, we see that there’s this kind of barrier to entry with camping and the outdoors, so the goal with Luno is to say, ‘Hey, if you have a car, all you need is our mattress and you can literally go anywhere.’”
I don’t disagree. While hiking and outdoor adventures still aren’t my favorite, Luno is making the idea of a fun car camping adventure with my kids a reality.
Luno also sells a bunch of add-on products to enhance your sleeping experience like car window screens, a privacy curtain, a camping fan, fitted sheets and more.
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