Just realized my sleeping pad R-value was the problem all along

I was packing for a 3 night trip near Big Sur last month and overheard a guy at the trailhead saying his insulated pad kept him warm down to 25 degrees, but mine is only rated for 40. I never really paid attention to R-values before, just grabbed whatever was on sale. Turns out my cheap pad was the reason I was shivering on a 45 degree night in June, I just blamed the tent. Now I'm looking at upgrading to something with an R-value of 5 or higher, but the price jump is steep, like $80 to $200. Has anyone else made the switch and actually noticed a big difference, or is it mostly marketing?

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kim.jake1mo ago

Learned that lesson on a freezing night myself, total game changer.