Tested a cheap foam pad against a proper inflatable for a cold night in the Adirondacks

I used to think any sleeping pad would work until a trip last October. I brought my old blue foam pad, the kind that rolls up, and my buddy had a new inflatable one. The temperature dropped to 35 degrees that night. The foam pad was thin and I could feel every little rock under me, plus the cold just came right up through it. The inflatable pad was only about 2.5 inches thick, but it kept me off the ground and warm all night. The big difference wasn't just comfort, it was insulation. That air space in the inflatable stopped the cold ground from sucking the heat right out of me. I was shivering by 2 AM on the foam pad. Has anyone else found a specific temperature where a foam pad just stops working for them?

2 comments

2 Comments

skylerbell10d ago

Check the R-value, not just the temperature.

uma_baker9910d ago

R-value is the real key. My old foam pad felt fine until a cold snap in the Catskills. Woke up freezing, switched to an insulated inflatable and slept like a rock.