Choose the Right Sleep Pads for Your Camping Trip

"Hi! My name is Dan and I am here with Expert Village today to talk about sleeping pads. There are two varieties; foam pads and air mattresses. There are a few pros and cons to each. Foam pads are light weight and durable; however, they are not very packable. You can typically only roll or fold them. You end up with quite a large package. The nice thing about them is that you can’t pop them. You can also if you blow out a strap on your backpack, you can cut a little piece off without compromising the integrity of the pad and use it as an improvised splint for your backpack. The other alternative typically more expensive but a lot more comfortable are air mattresses. Air mattresses take a little bit more preparation that just throwing down your pad. You have to blow them up which is usually accomplished with a couple of deep breaths. Some models will self inflate but you can always help them along by breathing into them. A nice feature with an air mattress is that you can adjust how firm or soft it is. They also typically thicker and provide more warmth off the ground. However, you do have to be very careful with them as if you pop one they are virtually useless. They do sell patch kits for them but they are not a hundred percent affective. So unless you are a very careful camper, I often recommend bringing a foam pad."