My trusty old sleeping pad started leaking air after 5 nights in the Smokies

I’ve been using this Therm-a-Rest pad for like 8 years and figured it was tough enough for anything. Last month I did a week-long trip near Gatlinburg and by night 3 I was waking up on the ground every few hours. I patched it with some gear tape but the leak kept coming back in a different spot by night 5. Turns out the foam inside just wore down from all that use and no patch was gonna fix it. Anybody run into old pad foam crumbling or did I just get a dud?

2 comments

2 Comments

flores.emma13d ago

Eight years is a solid run for any pad honestly. The foam inside those older Therm-a-Rests just gets brittle over time no matter how careful you are. Sounds like yours was due for retirement. Time to shop for a replacement with a better warranty.

leo_johnson13d ago

Honestly, eight years is like a century in sleeping pad years. That foam probably started out all fluffy and supportive and ended up feeling like a slab of cardboard. Ngl, I'm half expecting to find a fossilized granola bar inside that thing. Unless your plan was to create the world's most uncomfortable yoga mat, I'd say it's time to let the old girl go. Time to start testing out some of those new pads in store, the ones that look like they could double as a raft in a pinch.