Is Rhino Pad Liner Cost Worth It for Above Ground Pools?

Here's the bit the listing buries: this pad isn't cushioning, it's a barrier, and that distinction matters. Ground pressure doesn't disappear once you smooth the dirt, it just waits under the liner, and a stray root or pebble becomes a slow puncture once thousands of gallons push down on it. The pad spreads that point pressure across a full sheet of dense material instead of letting one rock concentrate it in one spot. The second job is quieter but just as important: it acts as a vapor barrier, keeping ground moisture from wicking up into your pool frame's metal parts, which is often what actually rusts a frame out before the liner even fails. Because it's precut to match your pool's round footprint, you're not piecing together tarps or trimming blind, you roll it out once and it's already the right size. That's the whole trick, it protects two different things (liner and frame) with one flat layer.