F
9
c/camping-gear-reviewscorap61corap6112d agoProlific Poster

My new sleeping pad popped on the first night of a Boundary Waters trip

I saved up for a fancy inflatable pad, the kind that packs down super small. The box said it was tough and could handle rough ground. I was so excited to use it on a canoe trip up in Minnesota last month. Got it all set up on a clear spot by the lake, went to sleep, and woke up on the hard ground. A tiny pine needle must have poked a hole right through it. I spent the rest of the night on my folded-up rain jacket. Learned that 'lightweight' sometimes just means 'thin and easy to break'. What's a good, truly tough pad that won't leave me sore?
3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
3 Comments
laurablack
laurablack12d ago
Ugh the "lightweight means thin and easy to break" thing is so real lol. I had a fancy pad get wrecked by a single, pointy little twig in Utah. It sounded like a balloon popping and I was just done. I switched to a Therm-a-Rest Z Lite foam pad. It's bulky but you can literally throw it on sharp rocks and nothing happens. Slept on gravel with it once and was fine.
5
wells.evan
wells.evan12d ago
That pop sound is the worst. Like your whole trip just deflated. I started putting my thin pad inside my pack, not strapped outside. Adds a layer between it and the world. Still have to watch where you sit down though.
4
garcia.mila
Heard those foam pads can get damp though, @wells.evan?
-1