14
Why does nobody talk about how sleeping pads lose insulation in cold weather
I took my usual pad out to the Smokies last weekend when it hit 28 degrees and woke up frozen to the ground, turns out the R-value drops way more than I expected once temps go below freezing and I wish I'd known that before I spent the whole night shivering.
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
sean_walker4527d ago
Wait is it really that big of a deal though? I've slept on my old Therm-a-Rest in the teens plenty of times and yeah it was colder than normal but I didn't feel like I was on the ground. @harper_wright nailed it with the moisture thing - I think most people just get a cheap pad with no reflective layer and then blame the air for losing insulation. Honestly the real issue is people not checking their pad for leaks or using a foam pad underneath when it gets real bad. I just toss a closed cell foam pad under my inflatable when it drops below freezing and it works fine for me. Ngl I think some folks just overthink this stuff and don't layer properly.
7
jones.brooke2mo ago
So you know how sleeping pads work by trapping dead air in the foam or baffles, well once that air gets cold enough the actual gas inside starts to condense and that completely changes how well it insulates because now you just got a bunch of liquid sitting in there instead of air pockets.
4
harper_wright2mo ago
Actually you're close but not exactly right there. The thing is, air doesn't really condense into liquid at normal camping temperatures. You'd need it to get down to like -300 degrees Fahrenheit for that to happen, which isn't happening in your tent. What does happen though is moisture from your breath and body can get inside the pad over time, and that water vapor can definitely condense out and mess with insulation. So the problem is real but it's water from the outside getting in, not the air itself turning into liquid. That's more of a long term issue with inflatable pads that don't have good internal coatings.
2