Wish someone told me years ago: cheap sleeping pads lose their R-value fast

I bought a $30 foam pad from a big box store back in 2018 and used it for maybe 10 trips over two years around the Smokies. Last spring I borrowed a friend's Therm-a-Rest and slept warm on a 40 degree night, while my old pad left me shivering. The cheaper pads just compress down to nothing after a few uses, they don't bounce back like the good ones. Anybody else notice their budget gear failing way sooner than expected?

2 comments

2 Comments

brooke4752d ago

Got a Klymit off Amazon for $50 and after two seasons it's basically a pool float that leaks air all night. Had to wake up and reinflate it at 2am on a trip in the Pisgah National Forest, just gave up and slept on the ground. Meanwhile my buddy's Nemo pad from 2016 still holds air like new. Guess you really do pay for durability with sleeping pads.

victorbutler2d ago

@brooke475 sounds like you bought a bouncy castle, not a sleeping pad.