Wrote off my buddy's $25 Amazon sleeping pad for 2 years, then I slept on it 4 nights straight at Dutchman Flat
My buddy kept telling me his cheapo pad was fine and I just nodded along because I figured anything under $30 had to be junk. Last weekend we camped at Dutchman Flat near Bend and my $140 pad got a slow leak, so he tossed me his spare. I slept on that thing 4 nights in a row and my back felt the same as it does at home, no sore spots, no sliding off in the middle of the night. The thing weighs 1.8 lbs and packs down smaller than my Nalgene, which bugs me more than it should. It has 50+ nights on it now and the valve still holds and there is not one bubble in the seams. I still think it sleeps a little cold under 35 degrees but for 3 season stuff I honestly can't make the case for mine anymore. Anyone here put real miles on a cheap pad, did yours hold up past a season or did the seams give out?