Bought a budget sleeping pad for $25 and it ruined my whole weekend trip

3 comments

3 Comments

The $25 pad mistake is a rite of passage, honestly (we've all been there). What finally worked for me was getting a cheap foam pad from the camping section at Walmart - it was like $12 and weighs nothing. Layering that under my budget inflatable pad stopped the cold ground from coming through and added a little cushion (plus it protects the inflatable from punctures). Another thing that helped was actually practicing inflating the pad before the trip, since I learned the hard way that those tiny hand pumps are useless and you gotta learn the right technique to get a good seal. The foam pad doubles as a sit pad during the day too, which is a bonus for lunch breaks on rocks or damp ground.

king.andrew28d ago

Man that's a good way of putting it. It's like people think spending less means you're being smart. But you end up paying in other ways. With gear it's cold nights and bad sleep. With tools it's cheap metal bending or breaking. With furniture it's stuff falling apart in six months. The real trick is knowing where to save and where to spend.

sullivan.finley9d ago

Man that sucks so bad... cold ground just keeps you up all night tossing and turning. I remember one trip I had a cheap pad that lost like half its air by 3am and I ended up sleeping on a pile of pine needles under my tent. You really feel every little rock and root through those thin pads. Hope your next trip goes better, nothing worse than being exhausted and sore the whole time.