Spent $80 on a budget sleeping pad and it kept me warm through that cold snap in the Ozarks last month

I figured the cheap foam pad would just do for a weekend trip but I woke up actually comfortable at 28 degrees and now I'm wondering if I just got lucky or if budget gear has gotten way better, has anyone else had good luck with the lower price options?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_joseph2d ago

Wait, $45? That's insane. I paid double and mine barely worked.

brooke_walker2d ago

Funny you mention that because I snagged a similar cheap pad off Amazon for like 45 bucks and it held up surprisingly well during a wet, windy night in the Smokies last fall... woke up dry and not frozen to the ground at all. I think the budget brands have really stepped up their insulation game lately, probably because the tech trickles down from the higher end stuff after a couple years. My old beat up Therm-a-Rest from 2016 never kept me that warm, honestly. So maybe we just caught the right wave where the cheap stuff finally works without costing a fortune.