Old timer told me to ditch my foam sleeping pad for a closed cell one. I laughed at him and then froze my butt off for 3 nights in the Smokies.

Met this guy at a camp store near Gatlinburg last spring. He was probably 70, looked like he'd lived outside for decades. He saw me buying a new inflatable pad and said I'd regret it. Told me closed cell is the only thing that works when temps drop below 40. I figured he was just stuck in his ways. First night at 3800 feet it hit 34 degrees. Woke up shivering with my pad half deflated. Next night same thing. Third night I gave up and drove home early. Has anyone else had a similar experience where you ignored a simple piece of advice and paid for it? Or is closed cell foam really just for the old school crowd?

2 comments

2 Comments

susan_nguyen21d ago

That old timer at the camp store near Gatlinburg sounds a lot like a guy I met at a gear shop in Asheville. He told me the same thing about closed cell pads for cold weather. I'm curious though, did you ever find out if your inflatable pad actually had a slow leak, or was it just the cold making the foam inside go stiff and lose insulation? Because I've had both problems and they feel different. My experience was a leak from a tiny puncture I didn't see, but the first night I thought the cold was just doing something weird to the pad. It made me wonder how many people blame the pad when it's really a leak.

max80821d ago

Yeah i ended up finding a tiny puncture near the seam after the second night. I wet the pad down with soapy water and saw bubbles. It was so small i almost missed it. That cold stiff feeling is definitely real too though, i think a lot of folks just assume its one or the other.