Gear Junkie: Sweet dreams with the LaidBack camping pad

Car campers take note: You can get great sleep on the LaidBack Pad. It’s big, bulky, and expensive. But this ultra-plush foam pad can make your night a dream.

The pad is built on a thick ply of foam and fitted with a soft fleece top. The foam is 2 3/8 inches thick and feels almost like a bed.

I grew up camping with a set of raw foam pads my parents bought in the 1970s. The LaidBack Pad is a new iteration of that old “memory foam” design, including a sleek look and straps to roll it tight.

A polyester exterior gives durability. Unfurled it measures 72 inches long and 24 inches wide.

Like my parents’ old pads, the memory foam on this new model is not waterproof. The company warns to use the pad “at your own discretion in damp or wet conditions.”

Additional caveats? There are a few: This pad costs $209, and rolled up it is the size of a common tent.

It weighs 8.5 lbs. Don’t plan to take this on a backpacking trip.

But for anyone who hates sleeping on the hard ground, the LaidBack Pad is a quick solution. The only downside is guaranteed envy from your fellow campers trying to sleep on a traditional thin foam ply.

On the net: gearjunkie.com.