How to Make Your Own Grounding Sleeping Pad

Making a grounding sleeping pad for a camping trip is essential to keep you insulated from the ground. The ground tends to convect heat, so a sleeping pad can help shield against this loss of body warmth. The lightest and least expensive option for protecting against convection heat loss is using a polyethylene closed-cell foam. Sleeping pads come in many styles and shapes, so it is best to try several options to find a manageable arrangement for the specific outing purpose.

Things You'll Need

  • Polyethylene foam
  • Box cutter or industrial scissors
  • Marker
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Instructions

    • 1

      Purchase a roll of closed-cell foam from a reputable vendor online, including these two sites: thefoamfactory.com/ and earthenexposure.com/kayaking/sleepingpads.htm. Make sure the roll purchased is at least one foot longer than the length of your body and at least shoulder-width wide.

    • 2

      Lay out the roll of foam on the ground, and lie on it to test where your body impacts the foam. Pack the roll with the intended camping equipment to test weight and size requirements of the pack. Mark the excess foam for trimming using a marker.

    • 3

      Lay out the foam on a hard surface. Trim the foam where marked, removing any excess length and width where necessary. Lay the foam back out and lie down on the sleeping pad to test the new dimensions.

    • 4

      Re-pack the sleeping pad with your camping gear to test pack weight and dimension requirements. Make any additional trims to the foam and store away for the next camping trip.