The $12 ground pad trick that fixed my back pain

I spent 3 years blaming my sleeping bag for wrecking my lower back on trips. Swapped out three different bags, still woke up sore every morning in the Smokies. Then a buddy let me try his cheap foam pad under my air mat, just a basic closed-cell one from the drugstore. The combo cut my morning stiffness by like 80%, all because the air mat was letting heat escape underneath. No one ever mentions layering pads, it's always about R-values or weight. Has anyone else found a cheap fix that beat the expensive upgrade path?

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the_rose16d agoTop Commenter

That's a solid find, glad it worked for you. Back pain on the trail is the worst, and cheap fixes that actually work are gold.