Rant: I thought inflatable sleeping pads were junk until I borrowed one in the Sierra Nevada last fall

After three nights on a cheap foam pad in Yosemite I finally caved and tried my buddy's NeoAir and woke up feeling human for the first time in years, has anyone else made the switch from foam to inflatable and not looked back?

3 comments

3 Comments

andrew_rodriguez20d ago

Your buddy did you a solid letting you try that pad. Foam pads are fine for car camping but once you get a few nights of side sleeping on them, your hips just give up on life. I switched to an inflatable about five years ago after a miserable trip in the Grand Canyon and honestly, I will never go back to foam. The difference in sleep quality is huge, especially when you're hiking all day and your body needs actual rest to recover. It feels like cheating, but in a good way. Glad you found out the truth before you wasted any more mornings sore and cranky.

lane.cameron19d ago

I read somewhere that even the military is moving away from foam pads for their guys in the field, switching over to inflatables for better sleep recovery. Makes sense if you think about it, especially when every ounce of rest counts.

jamie_white1d ago

Grand Canyon trip did the same thing to me.