Finally ditched my heavy inflatable mattress for a foam pad

Last month on a trip up to Yosemite, my inflatable mattress sprung a leak at 2 AM. I spent the rest of the night shivering on the cold ground. That morning my buddy let me try his closed cell foam pad, and I slept way better on the second night. Now I'm never going back to inflatables for backpacking. Has anyone else made a similar switch after a bad night?

2 comments

2 Comments

sandragonzalez24d ago

That foam pad upgrade is a total game changer (and honestly I'm jealous your buddy had one to borrow). The worst part about inflatables for me wasn't even the leaks - it was the constant crinkling every time I rolled over in my sleep. My partner finally banned my old Therm-a-Rest from our tent because the noise was keeping her up. Plus with closed cell foam you never have to worry about a valve failing or a tiny puncture from a pine needle ruining your whole night. The R-value on mine is actually better than my inflatable was too (not by a huge margin, but enough to notice in cold weather).

holly_price24d ago

And that crinkling sound is no joke. My old inflatable sounded like I was wrestling a bag of chips every time I turned over. The foam pad is so quiet I can actually hear the wind outside now which is way more relaxing. I also love not having to do that weird sit-up breath thing to fold the foam pad back up in the morning. You just roll it and go.