Bought a $45 sleeping pad on Amazon and woke up flat on the ground at 3 AM near Yosemite

Last summer I was out near Yosemite and figured I'd save some cash on a sleeping pad. Got this cheap inflatable one with good reviews but man it deflated halfway through the night. Woke up on cold dirt with my hip killing me. Spent the next day hiking on 2 hours of sleep. Anyone else had a cheap sleeping pad fail on them mid trip?

3 comments

3 Comments

reese_lee91mo ago

Oh man, that sucks so bad. My buddy had almost the exact same thing happen to him up in the Sierras last fall. He bought this super cheap pad from some random brand on Amazon, figured it'd be fine for a weekend. First night it started losing air around 2 AM and by morning he was basically sleeping on rocks. He said his back was so sore he could barely hike out the next day. It's like, you save $30 upfront but then you pay for it with your whole trip being miserable. I always tell people now to just spend the extra money on something half decent, or at least bring a patch kit even if it says "self inflating" or whatever. Hope your hike was still good despite the terrible sleep!

the_wendy1mo ago

Did you end up buying a better pad after that, or are you still scarred from the experience? @reese_lee9 I learned the hard way too, except my dumb ass forgot to bring the pump for my inflatable pad once. Ended up using a plastic shopping bag to blow it up, which took like 45 minutes and made me feel like a total idiot. My buddy still brings that up every time we plan a trip. At least you got some good hiking in even with a sore back, that's more than I can say for my nights on the ground.

keith_bennett1mo ago

actually I gotta disagree a bit @the_wendy. yeah it sucks forgetting gear or getting a bad pad, but you don't have to spend a fortune to sleep okay. I've been using a $30 foam pad from walmart for years and it's fine. sure it's not plush but it gets the job done and I never worry about leaks or pumps. plus you can strap it outside your pack so it's one less thing to forget. sometimes people overthink this stuff when a simple solution works just as well for most trips.