Update: I finally figured out my sleeping pad trick after waking up cold at Lake Cascade

Iris Stone · 2026-09-25T18:15:04.965272+00:00

I used to just unroll my pad and blow it up right at bedtime, and I would wake up freezing every trip, including two nights at Lake Cascade in Idaho last month with temps down to 34 degrees. Then a guy at the next site told me a pad needs about 20 minutes to fully puff up after it comes out of the stuff sack, and he said the foam inside has to spring back or you are basically sleeping on a deflated balloon. So now the debate in my head is whether you should inflate then wait, or lay it out flat first before adding any air at all. Which order do the rest of you use, and did it actually fix your cold nights like it did mine?

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Update: I finally figured out my sleeping pad trick after waking up cold at Lake Cascade | Camping Gear Reviews - Librear