TIL low-budget sleeping pads can be just as good as the expensive ones

I spent $30 on a generic foam pad off Amazon after years of using a $150 inflatable, and it's held up through 12 nights in the Sierras without any leaks or issues. Has anyone else found a cheap gear swap that actually worked better than expected?

2 comments

2 Comments

henderson.kim1mo ago

Oh man, that's awesome to hear! I've been eyeing those cheap foam pads for a while but was scared they'd be crummy. I had a similar lucky find with a no-name brand camp stove that cost me like $20 and it boils water faster than my buddy's fancy MSR one. Seriously saved my butt on a rainy trip last spring when my expensive stove crapped out.

phoenixgonzalez1mo ago

Nah I gotta push back a little on that. Those cheap foam pads are fine for car camping or throwing in a guest room but they're not gonna save you on a cold night backpacking when the ground is frozen. I tried one last fall and woke up shivering with my hips sore because the R-value is basically zero. The camp stove thing is a different story though, you might have just gotten lucky with one that happened to work well. But pads are one of those things where the cheap stuff usually means you're buying twice.