My $45 sleeping pad failed on the first night in Big Bend

I set up camp near the Chisos Basin last March, temps dropped to 38. By 2am I was on the hard ground, the pad had a slow leak right along the seam. Turns out the valve was fine, the weld just gave up. I've switched to a closed cell foam pad since, no way I'm trusting an inflatable again below 40 degrees. Has anyone else had a cheap pad bust on the first outing or did I just get unlucky?

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2 Comments

masonfisher1mo ago

Foam under inflatable saved my back too. Never going back.

6

abby_king221mo ago

Been there with a cheap pad that popped a seam on night two. Now I just double up, a thin foam pad under whatever inflatable I bring, and it saves my back every time. That foam layer also keeps you warmer since it blocks the cold from creeping up.

1