The REI guy who said 'just sleep on it' changed my mind about air pads

Always thought air pads were the only way to go. Light and compact. But last week at the REI in Portland some employee told me a story. He said he spent 3 cold nights shivering because his pad leaked. Then he switched to a closed cell foam pad and never looked back. For car camping I think foam might be better. Anyone else ditch the air pad after a bad night?

2 comments

2 Comments

uma_patel192d ago

Gasped out loud when you said 3 nights shivering. Dude didn't just have one bad night, he toughed it out for a whole weekend like some kinda survival test. I would've driven home at 2am after the first hour of that nonsense. Foam pads are legit for car camping though, I just roll mine out flat in the back of my Subaru and it's honestly comfier than my mattress at home. Air pads give me anxiety every time I hear a weird crinkle noise.

blaker752d ago

Three nights on a leaky pad. That's wild but honestly kind of impressive. I gotta push back on @uma_patel19 though. Air pads aren't that fragile. I've had the same Therm-a-Rest for 5 years now. Hundreds of nights. Never leaked once. People treat them like they're made of tissue paper. The crinkle noise? That's just the pad settling. If you're scared of a little sound maybe camping isn't for you. Foam pads are bulky and give you zero insulation from cold ground. I'll take my lightweight air pad every time.