Zorali Camp Cradle Insulated Sleeping Mat – Review

Mattie reviewed Zorali’s updated Camp Cradle Insulated Sleeping Mat to see if it did indeed cradle him to sleep like a baby. Or did it keep him up all night crying? Read on to find out!

I’ve been using Zorali’s original sleeping mat for every hiking and bikepacking trip I’ve been on in the last few years, including my recent completion of the Hunt 1000. 

It’s been my number one choice because of its combination of lightweight packability and luxe 9cm of thickness. 

Mattie reviewed and hugged the original ultralight Zorali sleeping mat here.

So when Zorali announced an updated version of my favourite Zorali Camp Cradle Insulated Mat, I was keen to check it out. 

Design – What’s new?

The main difference between this new version and the previous version is the introduction of an integrated foot pump. While the old mat was inflated by blowing directly through the two-way valve, the new mat has an in-built foot pump at the bottom end of the mat. 

So what’s the benefit of this change? Zorali mentions on their website that by using the foot pump, you’re saving extra breath for campfire yarns, but another benefit is that you’re no longer at risk of moisture entering the inside of the mat from your breath. This means that there’s less risk of mould building up, prolonging the life of your mat.

Alongside the foot pump, there’s a new valve at the head of the mat for releasing air during packaway. This twisty valve (surely that’s the technical name, right?) makes the mat far easier to deflate than its predecessor, rolling away and into its stuff sack with ease.

Comfort

My favourite aspect of the Zorali Camp Cradle Insulated Mat is how well it performs on the comfort scale. This new version has retained its lofty depth, making it ideal for side sleepers like me. With 9cm of inflation to play with, you have room to under-inflate the mat for added squish. 

The rectangular dimensions afford plenty of room for tossing and turning during the night and 188cm of length keeps your toes hanging ten rather than slipping off the end. Primaloft insulation helps keep you warm from underneath and the larger ‘pillow’ baffle continues to be a nice touch. 

As I’ve let go of my weight-weenie aspirations, I still favour a pillow, and Zorali have a new insulated pillow to accompany this mat. 

The pillow is a simple design and packs away to the size of a small apple.

Lightweight Packability

A significant difference between this new version of the Zorali sleeping mat is that the mat is no longer labelled as ultralight, which is probably a result of the aforementioned foot pump.

That being said, it’s only 60g heavier than its predecessor, weighing 800g. The mat packs away to around 30cm long, which is also longer than previous, but not too long to fit into a decent sized backpack or bike bag. 

This is a little larger than ultralight mats (which this isn’t) but competitively sized for an insulated mat.

I’ve been using the Camp Cradle Insulated Mat while bikepacking and it easily fits into my bags. The stuff sack is a generous size, so you’re not struggling to pack it away. 

The foot pump takes a bit of getting used to; I needed to watch the instructional video a couple of times before I worked it out. It probably takes a little longer to inflate than blowing into a valve, but it’s certainly not hard work to inflate.

Final Thoughts

The Zorali Insulated Camp Cradle Mat is a comfy, luxurious feeling mat that’s ideal for comfort seeking campers. I’m not totally sold on the foot pump, as the benefits don’t necessarily outweigh the extra bulk, but it’s certainly not a deal breaker. 

The one ‘improvement’ that I’m most stoked about is the new deflation valve and high vibes of the bright red colour.

Mattie was given the Zorali Camp Cradle Insulated Mat for this review and allowed to keep it, but he was not paid for this review and the thoughts are his own.