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Why does nobody tell you a cheap blue foam pad beats an inflatable for cold ground?
Honestly I always figured closed cell foam was what you bring when you have no money and want to hate your back. Then last October I did two nights near Buena Vista, CO with lows around 28 degrees, and my $30 inflatable from a big box store went flat by morning twice in a row. My buddy handed me his old 3/4 inch blue foam pad and I slept warmer on bare ground than I had on the air pad, no lie. Part of it is there is nothing to puncture, so at 2am you are not kneeling in the dark hunting for a hole with your phone light. It is also dead simple to fold up and strap to the outside of my pack, which keeps the inside dry when it rains. The only real catch is it takes up space and it is not soft at all, so now I stack it under my air pad and call the whole thing done. Has anyone else gone back to foam after years of inflatables, or am I just getting old and lazy?
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charlie_stone721d ago
Foam is great for cold ground, no arguing there, but for me it's a pad on top of the air pad, not a replacement. At my age the blue pad alone turns a night into a wrestling match with my hips, and I end up waking every hour. Plus the thing soaks up water like a sponge if it gets wet, so it sucks in a wet tent.
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