Inflatable pad exploded at 2am near Big Sur, woke up on gravel

I was camped off the coast highway last summer and my cheap inflatable pad blew a seam right under my hips. The hiss sounded like a snake and I hit the tent floor so fast I thought a bear was in the vestibule. I spent the rest of the night on my jacket pile with my pack as a pillow, back screaming by dawn. Grabbed a self-inflating foam pad from a general store in Carmel the next morning for like $40 and it's still going strong. Anyone else trust those air-only pads for rocky ground or am I just paranoid now?

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perez.thea24d ago

Woke up feeling like a human pancake after that one. Forgot my pad at home near Yosemite, tried to tough it out on a foam mat, spent the whole night counting rocks through the fabric. Now I bring a spare pad everywhere, even on day hikes, because my spine still holds a grudge against me.