That $60 inflatable sleeping pad deflated on my face at 2am in Yosemite

I bought this highly rated air pad off Amazon last spring, used it maybe 5 times, and it seemed fine. Then during a trip to Yosemite last month, I woke up flat on the ground with my cheek against the cold tent floor. It wasn't a puncture either, the baffle seams just gave out in the middle. Anyone else have luck with foam pads over inflatables for car camping?

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1 Comment

lindamartin21h ago

I get why you'd swear off inflatables after that... but I actually had the opposite experience. I switched from foam to a cheap inflatable years ago for car camping and never looked back, mostly because foam pads just don't give me enough cushion for my hips and back. The key for me is treating the inflatable like a disposable item, I buy the $30 ones and expect to replace them every couple seasons, and that's been way cheaper than a nice foam pad that still hurts my bones. Plus the packed size difference is huge, I can throw the inflatable in the trunk with all my other gear without losing half the back seat. But yeah, that seam failure at 2am is brutal, I've had a slow leak wake me up before and it's the worst feeling.