Should You Put A Sleeping Pad In Your Sleeping Bag? What To Know About The Trick For Staying Warm

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A sleeping pad is one of those camping-gear must-haves for a good night's sleep, but things might not always turn out the way you expect when you actually use one under your sleeping bag. If you're a bit of a restless sleeper, you might roll right off of it, even while you're in your sleeping bag, which could make you feel colder if part of your sleeping bag rests on the ground or the floor of your tent. Putting the sleeping pad inside your sleeping bag might sound like the ultimate trick to help you stay warm overnight on your cold-weather camping trip, but does it actually work well? In some ways it might, but ultimately it's not always a great idea. In fact, it might make the situation worse.

The size of both the sleeping pad and your sleeping bag have to be compatible for the pad to fit well inside the bag, for starters. There are also potential issues about condensation, and even whether the pad on the inside actually makes you feel warmer or colder. Of course, you may want to try things out both ways as an experiment to really sense the difference. Instead, you may want to opt for a larger pad or a flatter one that's harder to roll off of, like the Therm-a-Rest Ridgerest classic foam sleeping pad. 

In theory, putting the pad inside your sleeping bag means it'll stay with you all night long: There's no way for you to slide off of it if it's in the bag, beneath you. You may even enjoy the comfort of the pad against your body. On a cold night, it may seem like having the pad on the inside makes things warmer since the pad fills up some of the interior space. But in reality, you're losing part of the protective layer it places between you and the ground.

If you have a boxy sleeping bag that's wider than the pad, slipping the pad into the bag could feel more comfortable, but since pads are designed to go beneath a sleeping bag, the pad tends to be wider. Even if you manage to stuff a sleeping pad into your sleeping bag, you might find it hard to move around once you zip things up for the night. For those who flip about during the night this can be a major frustration.

The sleeping pad is also designed as a spacer between you and the cold ground or tent floor. If the sleeping bag is the thing closest to the ground, it'll compress and won't insulate you from the cold as well as putting the pad down first. You're essentially removing one of the layers involved in keeping you warm (and potentially damaging your bag long-term as well). Putting the pad on the inside could also increase condensation buildup in your sleeping bag, too, which may make things feel a little damp (and getting stuck against foam or plastic is no fun). If you're really having trouble staying warm, even with a sleeping pad, add some hot rocks to the bottom of your sleeping bag for warmth.