Tried a cheap inflatable sleeping pad from Amazon and woke up flat on the ground at 3am

So I picked up one of those no-name inflatable pads for like $25, figured it'd be fine for a weekend trip up to Lake Tahoe. First night was okay, but the second night I woke up at 3am with my hip bone digging into the dirt. The thing had a slow leak somewhere. I patched it with tape but it didn't hold. Lesson learned - don't trust a $25 pad for real camping. Anybody got a recommendation for a mid-range one that wont break the bank but also won't leave me sleeping on the ground?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_piper5d ago

Skip the mid-range pads and grab a used Therm-a-Rest off REI’s resupply site.

dylanwilliams5d ago

I mean yeah that's a solid move but the real hack is checking the REI garage sale dates at your local store. People return pads with micro leaks from pin pricks that just need a dab of seam grip to fix. I've picked up an Xtherm for like forty bucks that way. The resupply site marks stuff up way more than the garage sales do.