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Shoutout to the guy at the trailhead who called out my sleeping pad setup
I was packing up at the Mount Hood trailhead last weekend and a guy saw me just shove my inflatable pad into my pack. He said, 'You're gonna kill the loft doing that.' I've been doing it for years, rolling it tight but not caring about the folds. He explained that sharp, tight creases can actually create weak spots in the internal baffles over time, leading to slow leaks. I got home and really looked at my old pad, a Therm-a-Rest NeoAir, and sure enough, the two coldest spots line up exactly with where I always fold it. I've been blaming the pad when it was my own fault. Now I loosely roll it or use the stuff sack. Has anyone else had a pad fail from bad packing habits, or is this just a thing with certain models?
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elizabeths511mo ago
You know, I always thought that stuff about careful packing was just gear snobbery. I'd cram my pad in too, and then get mad when it seemed less warm. But seeing those cold spots line up with the folds? That's proof you can't argue with. It's not the pad giving out, it's us being rough with it. I guess a little extra time rolling it loose is cheaper than buying a new one every few years.
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