Tried a cheap foam sleeping pad from a gas station on a quick overnight trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Woke up at 2 AM shivering on the cold ground because the R-value was basically zero, so I learned the hard way that a good sleeping pad is non-negotiable for insulation, not just comfort.

3 comments

3 Comments

tessa_hart183mo ago

Gas station foam pads are basically just a yoga mat. I can't believe you tried to sleep on that in the Blue Ridge. That's a brutal way to learn about R-value.

abby1892mo ago

Is a yoga mat really that much different than the foam pads they sell for camping? I've used a closed cell foam pad from a big box store for years in the Virginia mountains and it did fine down to about freezing. Not comfortable, sure, but it kept the cold from the ground out enough that I didn't freeze. The real trick is pairing it with a decent sleeping bag rated for the weather, not expecting the pad to do all the work. The gas station ones you mentioned are definitely too thin though, that's just a recipe for a miserable night.

karen_nelson403mo ago

Oh man, that's the worst. It's like people buying those cheap fleece blankets thinking they'll work in a real cold snap. You see it everywhere, folks just grabbing whatever's cheap and handy without knowing what it's actually for. Learned that lesson myself with a crappy sleeping bag that was basically a cloth tube.