A buddy called my sleeping pad a 'pool float' and he wasn't wrong

I used a cheap foam pad for years until a friend pointed out it was thinner than a yoga mat. I switched to a 3-inch insulated pad and slept through a 40-degree night in the Smokies without a shiver. What's the one piece of gear you were using wrong for way too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

michaeljones1mo ago

Honestly, my old backpack was a total brick for years. It was this giant external frame monster that weighed a ton empty. Finally tried a modern pack and felt like I could actually hike more than two miles.

michaeljones1mo ago

My first pack was a hand me down from my dad, a massive green canvas thing with leather straps. I swear it weighed fifteen pounds before I even put a water bottle in it. I used it for three whole seasons because I was too stubborn to admit it was killing my back. Switched to a basic internal frame model last year and suddenly I wasn't the guy stopping every twenty minutes to readjust everything. Felt pretty dumb for all the needless suffering, honestly. The old one's in my garage now, mostly as a reminder of my own bad choices.

dianagreen1mo ago

Oh man @michaeljones, why do we do that to ourselves? I had the same heavy leather pack from a garage sale, felt like carrying a sack of rocks. Finally getting a light pack was a total game changer.