Forclaz Inflatable Trekking Mattress MT900: first impressions
If you ask me, Decathlon has long been behind some of the best bang for your buck outdoor kit there is. Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to test a ton of their sleeping bags, various tents, trousers, jackets, poles and more. And, honestly, even when their gear has underwhelmed me, the price has always remained impressive. Somehow, Decathlon consistently puts out kit that is well designed and performs well at prices substantially below what you’d pay at more ‘premium’ retailers and brands.
Therefore, when Decathlon announced that Forclaz, their dedicated in-house outdoor brand, was about to launch a new 4-season sleeping pad that came with a high R-value at a low price, I was excited. And after a visit to their manufacturing facility in the French Alps in March, I was pumped to come home with a brand-new one under my arm. Ready to put it up against a gambit of UK camping conditions very few people get excited to camp in.
• List price: £129.99
• Weight: 615g / 1.6lb (L)
• Length: 183cm / 72in (L); 195cm / 76¾in (XL)
• Width: 54cm / 21¼in (L); 63cm / 24¾in (XL)
• R Value: 5.4
• Compatibility: Backpacking, trekking, 4-season camping
Decathlon’s new-for-2024 Forclaz Inflatable Trekking Mattress MT900 is a 4-season inflatable sleeping pad that comes with an impressive 5.4 R-value. Compare this to the likes of Sea to Summit’s Ether Light XT Extreme which comes with an R-value of 6.2, or the frankly excellent Therm-a-Rest Neoair XTherm NXT which comes with an R-value of 7.2. Whereas these other big-name brand pads cost well over £200, however, Forclaz’s humble little MT900 comes in at £129.99 when you buy from Decathlon, or not much more than half the price. Is it the world’s biggest bargain, then? Or is it only half as good?
Forclaz Inflatable Trekking Mattress MT900: in the wild
I tested the Forclaz Inflatable Trekking Mattress MT900 on numerous outdoor adventures through spring, summer and autumn of 2024. In total, I had it on a multi-day trip through Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons) when the temperature hovered at around 4°C / 39.2°F at night, a handful of Dartmoor overnighters in a variety of conditions, and two early-spring wild camps in a local woodland where the temperature got down to freezing. Therefore, despite not being able to use this thing in snow (yet!), I’ve still been able to give it a proper test in 4-season British conditions. So here’s what I think after all that time.
Forclaz Inflatable Trekking Mattress MT900: packability
The first thing I particularly appreciate about this pad is its size and weight. Coming in at 615g / 1.6lb, it’s impressively light for the level of comfort and warmth it delivers, and it packs down small to boot. Granted, it easily loses out in both size and weight when compared with some of the bigger brands out there, namely Therm-a-Rest and Sea to Summit, but it strikes an excellent balance between warmth, pack size and, most interestingly, price.
Forclaz Inflatable Trekking Mattress MT900: comfort
Price and packed size aside, the one thing a sleeping pad is there to do is help you get a good night’s rest outdoors. And to my surprise, the Forclaz Inflatable Trekking Mattress MT900 does this better than most pads I’ve tried. Seriously, this thing is super comfortable. With horizontal baffles all the way along, as well as being wider and more rectangular than most pads in this space, I felt incredibly supported and very comfortable all night. What’s more, due to the included stuff sack and the easy-to-use valves, I was always able to inflate and deflate the Forclaz MT900 quickly and easily. To me as someone who wriggles around in their sleep, the level of comfort afforded by the MT900 was on par with the likes of the bigger brands out there – though this is deeply personal and will, of course, change from person to person.
When it comes to warmth, the Forclaz Inflatable Trekking Mattress MT900 also punches well above its weight. With an R-value of 5.4, it’s capable of keeping you warm in temperatures well below freezing and is about as warm as a pad needs to be for 4-season camping in the UK, in my humble opinion. Naturally, were I to camp in temperatures below -5°C / 23°F, I’d probably pair this with a hard foam sleeping pad to add some extra warmth. But I’m an exceptionally cold sleeper who uses a -5°C / 23°F sleeping bag even on the warmest summer nights. Therefore, I think the MT900 is one of the warmest pads out there at its £124.99 price point, and if you want something warmer that you can still carry out into the backcountry with you, you’re going to need to spend a lot more money.
Forclaz Inflatable Trekking Mattress MT900: durability
Made from a 50% polyamide, 50% polyurethane blend, the Forclaz Inflatable Trekking Mattress MT900 feels pretty durable for a glorified balloon. In fact, I never paired this pad with a groundsheet and am thankful to report that it never leaked, popped or sustained any damage whatsoever. That being said, it’s always smart to be cautious where you lay down an inflatable sleeping pad, even though this one is certainly more robust than other ultralight pads, such as the Big Agnes Zoom UL.
Overall, I think the Forclaz Inflatable Trekking Mattress MT900 is a great choice for anybody looking for a reasonably priced sleeping pad that is easily capable of keeping you warm in all four seasons. Coming in at nearly half the price of pads from the big brands, the performance is incredible for £129.99, even though you will have to contend with slightly more weight and a markedly larger pack size for the privilege. For me, however, I consider this to be a very fair trade-off, and I think you’ll be hard-pressed to find a sleeping pad that delivers more bang for your buck.
