My buddy Chad swore by dollar store foam sleeping pads for 3 years

Back in April, my friend Chad kept telling me to just buy a $5 foam pad from the dollar store instead of a real sleeping pad. I finally caved and tried it on a trip to Shenandoah last month. Woke up with my hip digging into the ground by 3 AM and felt every rock through that thin foam. Next morning I drove 45 minutes to the nearest REI and grabbed a proper self inflating pad for $60. Has anyone else had a friend push a terrible gear hack that backfired? What was it?

2 comments

2 Comments

logan70524d ago

Keep the dollar store pad as a base layer under your new one, it actually adds insulation and keeps the expensive pad from sliding around. I learned that trick after my buddy swore by two yoga mats stacked together, woke up with my shoulder frozen to the tent floor. Sometimes the cheap hack works, but only when you pair it with something that actually has some thickness.

foster.charles24d ago

I read foam pads work better under a real pad, not alone. Chad owes you gas money lol.