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Warning: I chose the inflatable sleeping pad over foam and regretted it by mile 8
Last summer I had to pick between a $40 foam pad and a $90 inflatable one for a 3-day hike on the Appalachian Trail. I went inflatable because it packed smaller, but on night two I woke up on bare rocks after a slow leak from a tiny thorn. The foam pad would've been heavier but bulletproof, and I spent the last day hiking with a half-flat pad that felt like sleeping on a lawn chair. Has anyone else had a similar experience where going lighter cost you sleep?
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the_emma19d agoTop Commenter
Packing smaller is great until it leaves you sleeping on literal gravel, isn't it?
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reese_nelson19d ago
Doesn't it kind of depend on what you're bringing to sleep on though? I've had just as bad nights with a bulky, cheap foam pad as I've had with a well-chosen ultralight inflatable. A lot of it comes down to choosing the right gear for the specific terrain, not just packing small for the sake of it.
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