The $80 sleeping pad that turned into a raft

Bought this fancy inflatable pad from REI in Denver last spring. First night out at Rocky Mountain National Park it sprung a slow leak around 2 AM. Woke up on the cold ground shivering, had to cut the trip short and drive home at 5 AM. Anyone else had bad luck with those ultra light pads?

3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

3 Comments

casey_barnes3mo ago

Brought my fancy ultralight pad to a local lake last summer and ended up using it as a pool float after it got a slow leak and I've got zero shame about it. Honestly, I've had better luck with my dog's old camp bed from Target than some of these pricier pads. Tried patching mine with a bike tire repair kit once, lasted about as long as my promise to go to the gym every day.

10

jake_martin163mo ago

Duct tape on the valve stem overnight usually buys you till morning.

1

paulb983mo ago

Oh yeah, because nothing says "reliable tire repair" like a roll of duct tape from your junk drawer, right? How long does that even hold, like just long enough to get to a gas station a block away before it starts flapping? I bet the guy who invented that trick also uses bubble gum to patch radiator hoses and paperclips for fuses. Seriously, at that point, wouldn't you just call a tow truck instead of playing MacGyver with your valve stem at 2 AM?

3