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Used to think a cheap sleeping pad was fine until my back gave out at Yosemite
I camped for years with a $15 foam pad, figured it was good enough since I was young. But after three nights on rocky ground at Yosemite last fall, I woke up with my hips aching so bad I couldn't hike half a mile. Switched to a Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite for $190 and now I actually sleep through the night, which makes a huge difference when you're carrying a pack all day. Has anyone else dealt with that mid-30s back pain switch where you suddenly need real support?
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hugoj123d ago
Heard someone on a backpacking podcast say that our spines lose about 1% of their cushioning every year after 30, so you basically wake up one day and the ground feels like concrete. That really stuck with me because it explains why that same rocky site I loved at 25 now feels like I slept on a pile of stones. You're not alone in that Yosemite wakeup call, that place especially has some of the hardest packed dirt I've ever tried to set up on. The NeoAir is a game changer, but I also started using a foam pad underneath just for a little extra layer and it cut down on that cold ground seeping through too.
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It's the same universal truth as upgrading from IKEA to real furniture in your 30s.
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paul_taylor214d ago
Noticed the same thing happening with my music taste. Used to listen to anything, now I know what I actually like.
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