Question about sleeping pad R-values I keep seeing people mess up

I was at REI last weekend helping a friend pick out gear for a trip to the Adirondacks in October. Every single person I saw looking at sleeping pads was grabbing the cheap foam ones with an R-value of 2. That's fine for summer but not when temps drop below 40 at night. I learned this the hard way on a trip near Lake Placid two years ago when I woke up shivering at 3AM because my pad let all the cold from the ground right through. The guy working there told me the R-value needs to be at least 4.5 for fall camping, and I checked it out later on a few forums. Now I always look for that number on the tag before buying anything. Has anyone else dealt with a cold night because their pad wasn't warm enough?

2 comments

2 Comments

matthewg639d ago

oh nah, you're close but r value actually stacks if you layer pads so a 2.0 foam pad plus a 2.5 inflatable gives you 4.5 total insulation. but yeah totally feel you on that cold ground wakeup call, learned that lesson myself.

evan_morgan8110d ago

That 2.0 R-value pad you mentioned is basically just a ground sheet with extra steps. I made the same mistake up near Tupper Lake a few years back in late September, had a foam pad rated at 2.5 and woke up feeling like I was sleeping directly on a block of ice. What temperature rating did your friend end up going with for their sleeping bag to match that 4.5 pad? I always wonder if people pair a warm enough bag with the right pad or just buy one without thinking about the other half of the equation.