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My cheap sleeping pad failed at 2am in Yosemite last summer
Everyone raves about those budget foam pads under $30, but mine deflated completely by 2am at Upper Pines campground. I ended up using my backpack as a pad and got maybe 3 hours of sleep before sunrise. Anyone else had a budget pad let them down on a cold night?
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danielwhite1mo agoMost Upvoted
Man, that's rough. I bet the real issue wasn't the pad itself but the cold ground sucking all the warmth right out of it. Ever tried putting a space blanket underneath a cheap pad to reflect heat back?
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perez.barbara1mo ago
That space blanket trick is solid. I remember Dan saying "cold ground sucking all the warmth right out of it" and that's exactly what happened to me on a late season trip last year. I tried the blanket under my pad and it made a noticeable difference, but I also learned you gotta make sure the blanket doesn't crinkle too much or it can tear. For me, the bigger fix was doubling up on pads. I brought a closed cell foam one and put it under my inflatable. It was a little more weight but I actually slept through the night without waking up frozen. Simple and dumb but it worked.
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kevin_hernandez831mo ago
Yeah @perez.barbara, with the closed cell foam under the inflatable, did you notice any weird sliding issues? I tried that combo once and my top pad kept slipping off the foam when I shifted around at night. Woke up with my hip directly on the ground more than once. Maybe I just needed a grippier foam pad, or some kind of non-slip layer between them.
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