Exped MegaMat Duo 10 vs. REI Dreamer Double: I Bought & Tested Both
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In this blog post, we’ll be looking at both the Exped MegaMat Duo 10 (I bought the Medium Double size), and the REI Co-Op Camp Dreamer Double.
Summary
Here’s a table on all the important differences between the Exped MegaMat Duo 10 (Medium) and the REI Co-Op Camp Dreamer Double:
| Product | Recommendation | Score | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|
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BEST OVERALL Exped MegaMat Duo 10
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VALUE FOR MONEY REI Camp Dreamer Double
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Check out the Exped MegaMat Duo 10:
Or, check out the REI Camp Dreamer Double:
Detailed Comparison
For this detailed comparison, we’ll be looking at:
- In the Box
- Thickness
- Dimensions
- Comfort
- Inflation
- Pump
- Deflation
- Packed Size
- Weight
- Insulation
- Material Quality
- Valve Quality
- Stuff Sack Quality, and
- Price
In the Box
For the Exped, I got the MegaMat inside a stuff sack, a mini-pump, some instructions, and a repair kit.
For the REI, I got only the Dreamer Double inside a carry bag, and a pump, with no repair kit.
Thickness
The REI Camp Dreamer Double gets me about 3 and three-quarter inches off the ground.
In contrast, the Exped MegaMat Duo 10 gets me 4 inches off the ground.
But with either mattress, my body does not touch the ground whether I’m sleeping on my back, stomach, or side.
Dimensions
The REI Dreamer Double is much bigger, and measures about 81 by 54 inches:
On the other hand, the Exped MegaMat Medium Double is much smaller, and measures about 73.5 by 42.5 inches. (If you buy the Exped MegaMat Long Wide Double though, it’ll measure about 78 by 52 inches, which is still smaller than the REI Dreamer Double.)
I really like the sizing of the Medium Double. Because it’s just the size of 2 regular sleeping pads put together (~ 72 by 20 inches), it fits nicely into all 2-person tents.
And you can fit 2 MegaMats in a 4-person tent, and so on.
On the other hand, I couldn’t fit 2 Dreamer Doubles into this Coleman 4-Person Dome Tent.
Comfort
I found both the Exped and REI very comfortable when I was sleeping on both, complete with vertical side walls and minimal bouncing for both, but if I have to pick one, I’m going to say that the Exped MegaMat is slightly more comfortable than the REI Dreamer.
The sleeping surface of the Exped MegaMat Duo 10 is flatter, and it feels plusher and softer.
The sleeping surface of the REI Dreamer Double is slightly less flat, and it feels slightly less plush and less soft. But this is just my opinion.
Inflation
Inflating both the Exped MegaMat Duo 10 and the REI Camp Dreamer Double took about 10 minutes for the self-inflation, and about 1 minute of pumping after.
Both the Exped and REI self-inflate quite quickly. The Exped MegaMat Duo 10 comes with an attached toggle that you can push into the Inflation valve for a faster inflation.
The REI Dreamer Double has 2 valves that can both be flipped to the Inflation side, and both valves will let air in.
Pump
But when it comes to the pumping to top the mattresses off, the Exped MegaMat Duo 10 is slightly faster. I feel that the pump of the Exped takes in air much more quickly than the REI Dreamer Double.
Each pump of the Exped takes only 1 second, while each pump of the REI takes about 3 to 4 seconds. Topping the Exped off takes closer to 30 seconds, while topping the REI off takes closer to a minute.
Also, I found it easier to attach the mini-pump to the Inflate valve of the Exped than it was to attach the REI pump to one of its valves.
Deflation
Because the Exped MegaMat Medium Double is quite a bit smaller, it takes me only about 2 minutes and 45 seconds for me to deflate the Exped on my own and pack back into the stuff sack.
As for the REI Dreamer Double, it takes me closer to 5 minutes to do so.
Packed Size
After deflating, the smallest packed size I could get the REI Camp Dreamer Double down to is about 29 x 15 x 12 inches, while the Exped MegaMat Duo Medium has a packed size of about 23 x 11 x 10 inches, which is about slightly less than half the size of the REI Dreamer Double.
Weight
The REI Dreamer Double weighs 11.6 pounds for just the mattress alone, while the Exped MegaMat Medium Double weighs 7.2 pounds, which is about 38% less.
I find it surprising that the Exped MegaMat Medium Double has only 29% less sleeping surface than the REI, 38% less weight, yet it compacts down to more than 50% smaller than the size of the REI Dreamer Double. In terms of portability, the Exped has the REI beat.
The Exped mini-pump weighs 1.6 ounces, while the REI pump weighs 11.8 ounces. The Exped stuff sack weighs 5.3 ounces, while the REI carry bag weighs 11.5 ounces.
Insulation
The Exped MegaMat Duo 10 is slightly more insulated with an R-value of 8.1, while the REI Dreamer Double is slightly less insulated with an R-value of 6.5.
I did not use any of these in the off-season, but I used both in summer temperatures between 60 to 80, and never felt too hot even in higher temperatures. (But I’m a cold sleeper, and I like it warm when I sleep.)
Material Quality
The top of the Exped MegaMat Duo 10 is made of 50D nylon with a polyester laminate, while the bottom is made of 75D polyester for added durability.
The seams of the Exped MegaMat Duo 10 are welded and feel high quality.
The REI Dreamer Double is made of polyester with similar welded seams.
For material quality, I think I’m going to go with the Exped MegaMat, because my REI Dreamer Double actually came with 2 small holes in the mattress, which is a manufacturing defect. So that was a little disappointing.
Also, I used the Exped more frequently and mistreated it more, and it’s still holding up great.
Valve Quality
I also prefer the valves on the Exped MegaMat Duo 10, which are low profile FlatValves, with separate valves for inflation and deflation, and the deflation valve is also slightly larger for a quicker deflation.
The hi-flow TPR valves of the REI Dreamer Double aren’t too shabby either, but it’s a little higher maintenance. To ensure that it doesn’t leak, I usually have to make sure to align the valves properly, and also to tighten the screw-on caps on the valves.
Stuff Sack Quality
The stuff sack that came with the Exped MegaMat Duo 10 feels slightly softer, smooth and overall higher quality than the carry bag of the REI Dreamer Double.
But I do really like the both of them though, and they both also come with shoulder straps for easy carry.
Price
At full price, the REI Dreamer Double costs about 15% less than the Exped Medium Double, and about 27% less that the Exped Long Wide Double.
I personally got my REI Dreamer Double at 30% off during one of REI’s sales, so it cost me even less. In terms of price, the REI beats the Exped hands down.
Recommendation
Overall, I think that the Exped MegaMat Duo 10 is the better sleeping pad, because it beats the REI Dreamer Double in many aspects, like comfort, inflation, deflation, portability, insulation and quality.
But the REI Dreamer Double beats the Exped in terms of sleeping surface and dimensions, and especially in price.
I bought the REI Dreamer Double when it was on sale, and I paid more than $100 less for the REI than I did for the Exped Medium Double. Compared to the Exped Medium Double, the REI Dreamer Double is a whopping 8 inches longer and 12 inches wider.
I really enjoyed both mats, the Exped MegaMat Duo 10 is really of superb quality, while I found the REI Dreamer Double to be really inexpensive. I think that the REI is easily one of, if not the, least expensive big-name self-inflating mattresses for the size, and it offers fantastic value when it goes on sale.
The bottom line is that if you don’t have a super large budget for a high-end self-inflating sleeping pad like the Exped MegaMat Duo 10, wait for the REI Camp Dreamer Double to go on sale, which happens a few times a year, and then pick it up.
Check out the Exped MegaMat Duo 10:
Or, check out the REI Camp Dreamer Double:
Bonus: Must Read!
To find out how the Exped MegaMat Duo 10 and the REI Camp Dreamer Double compare not only against each other, but against 8 other camping mattresses and sleeping pads for couples, check out this blog post where I bought, tested and compared 10 of the best camping mattresses for couples.
