An Insolent Southern Man

Whether you're on a wooden deck, in a tent, or on the open ground, one of the most important things between you and the earth is your sleeping pad. Without one, you'll be either cold, uncomfortable, or more likely - both at the same time.

I started out using a closed cell foam pad that I bought for about $8.00 at Wal-Mart. I did that because that was all I could afford for a long time. They were big and bulky, but not all that heavy. They were reasonably comfortable and damn near indestructible. In fact, I bought my first one in 1993 and still own part of it as a sitting pad/game table.

Inflatable mattresses were (and still are) expensive when compared to a foam pad. However, no foam pad can compare to the comfort or pack size of an air mattress.  Cascade Designs makes an "egg crate" style pad that folds up like an accordion that's not too bad. It's light weight and isn't too terribly bulky, but you sacrifice pad width and length for it.