PSA: That cheap foam sleeping pad won't cut it below freezing

I took my $20 foam pad up to Lake Alpine last November thinking it would be fine. Woke up shivering at 3 AM because the ground was sucking all my heat through the thin foam. My buddy had a insulated air pad and slept like a baby. I ended up stuffing pine needles under my tent floor just to get through the night. Anyone else found a budget pad that actually keeps you warm in cold weather?

2 comments

2 Comments

michael8804d agoMost Upvoted

Pine needles under the tent floor? That's some serious MacGyver stuff! I can't believe you were out there stuffing foliage under yourself in the middle of the night.

emeryn835d ago

Pine needles under my tent floor" is honestly kind of brilliant in a desperate way, I've got to hand it to you. But man, I can't believe you actually tried to sleep on a $20 foam pad in November. That's some next level optimism right there. I learned a similar lesson with a cheap Therm-a-Rest knockoff that had basically zero insulation value once the ground got cold. The only budget pad I'd trust below freezing is the Klymit Insulated Static V when it goes on sale for like $50, and even then I'd throw a Reflectix pad under it for extra insurance.