What are the differences between high-end sleeping pads and cut to fit foam mats?
I'm pretty tall and I find that to purchase a brand-name sleeping pad means shelling out serious $$$. To solve this I have always just purchased a roll of foam padding that I could cut to make sure it would a couple of inches longer than me. The thing is, I rarely backpack in harsh conditions.
So for someone considering moving into harsher conditions, but needing to balance performance for $, what are the definable differences between expensive sleeping pads and foam pads?
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From personal experience, these are the relative advantages / disadvantages I have discovered personally or witnessed first hand:
Ole' Blue: - The lovable, closed-cell foam pad.
- Virtually indestructible (works even with a 6 inch gaping gash through it)
- Can be cut to fit (some people go for the shoulders-only approach)
- Light
- Bulky (full length does not roll up very small)
'Spensive Air Mattress - Such as Thermarest et. al.
- Soft (some people find them more comfortable)
- Thick distance between you and the ground (1/2 inch or more of insulating "dead air" depending on the model)
- Easy to puncture (requires care when packing / carrying a repair kit)
- Relatively useless when deflated (less-than advertised insulating power, though some models do have a thin layer of close-cell foam inside)
- Higher end ultra-light pads pack down pretty dang small
As for insulating power, since dead air is what provides that insulation. Even the highest rated (base on R value) high-end inflatable is going to be useless if it deflates. Closed-cell foam (such as ole' blue) are full of little isolated air pockets that trap air permanently and never deflate (though they can compress over time).
FWIW - I use a more expensive inflatable 90% of the time, largely for its small pack size, and better comfort (when it holds air through the night, which is about 75% of the time.) However, when I'm heading out on a snow-camping trip, I always bring the dependable insulating power of 'ole blue as well and double-pad it.
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The only meaningful thing I can think of is that the R-value of a pad is crucial to being warm in colder conditions. If the manufacturer of the foam padding you are buying provides the R-value (or the material used, and you can find the R-value independently) then you have a good way to compare to "brand name" mattresses, which should all provide their R-value in the specs.
So, assuming your cut-to fit measures up when it comes to R-value, I would absolutely encourage you to keep using it.
Some people (myself included) prefer the comfort of an inflatable pad, but ultimately that's a personal choice. When money is an issue, going back to the good ol "blue foam pad" seems pretty reasonable to me.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/955. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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