Costco's Heated Mattress Pad Is An RV Essential Perfect For Cold Weather Camping

Camping in winter is a completely different experience from camping in the summer. Many of the rules for winter camping all center around staying dry and warm, which often requires careful preparation ahead of your trip. If you're camping in an RV, you can also follow the budget-friendly tips for keeping your RV warm to stay cozy without putting a dent in your wallet. But one item from Costco is a major game-changer for remaining comfortable while sleeping in your RV: the Brookstone Quilted-Comfort Cotton Heated Mattress Pad.

This heated mattress pad is a handy item to bring on your next RV winter camping trip. It's available in three different sizes (queen, king, and California king), and there are 10 different heat settings. It uses a standard U.S. wall outlet (120 volt) and is machine washable — so using and taking care of it is easy when you're on the road. Best of all, the heated mattress pad has two controls, one on each side. Content creators jaredandkayla highlight this as one of the best features — each person in the bed can control the heat at their preferred temperature. It's also relatively affordable, retailing at Costco for only $99.99. If you're hooked up to power, this item will help you stay toasty throughout the night — even if the temperatures drop outside.

The heated mattress pad is easy to position underneath your bedding. Multiple Costco reviews note that, thanks to the thick padding, you can't feel the cords and wires through the fabric. You should still be able to get a comfortable night's sleep using the pad, making it an essential to add to your RV winter packing list.

This heated mattress pad has a 4.6-star rating from reviewers on Costco, with a number of reviewers highlighting the fast heating time. One reviewer noted it "heats up quickly on any setting." Another reviewer echoes this, stating the pad "heats up very quickly and at a low setting." It doesn't necessarily heat evenly, though. Based on customer reviews, one of the downsides to the heated mattress pad is that it can be slow to heat up at the feet — if it heats up at all. One user said, "heat is good at the head, but barely warm at the feet ... even after warming up for [two hours]." This is reiterated by a second reviewer, who notes there is "no heat at the feet."

While this item may be a top buy for many RV campers, keep in mind that you obviously need power in your RV to operate it. If you regularly go boondocking without electricity hookups, this probably isn't the most practical item for you. Instead, you could try using bubble wrap to insulate RV windows to keep the heat in and help you stay toasty when winter camping.