Heard a ranger in Yosemite say something that made me rethink my whole sleep setup

I was waiting for a shuttle near the visitors center last weekend and overheard this ranger telling someone that most of the calls they get for hypothermia are from people using cheap foam pads under their bags. He said a guy was shivering all night with a 0 degree bag on just a half inch pad in 45 degree weather. It made me realize I've been skimping on ground insulation for years. Anyone else ever wake up cold and blamed the bag when it was really your pad the whole time?

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nora_park7215d ago

Respectfully, I gotta push back on this a little. A half inch foam pad on cold ground is NOT enough, sure, but I think folks get too hung up on pad thickness and forget about the bag itself. Ive used a basic closed cell foam pad for years in temps down to freezing and been warm enough because my sleeping bag is just plain better at trapping heat. If your bag is cheap or not rated properly, even a fancy inflatable pad wont save you. The ranger might be right about those specific calls, but ground insulation is only HALF the equation.