Using a warm sleeping pad is essential when adventuring in cold-weather climates or the middle-of-nowhere desert regions where it’s hot during the day and cold at night.
They can help keep you warmer no matter if you’re sleeping on the ground, on a cot, or in the back of your pickup truck. We just tested the new Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Pro Insulated Air Sleeping Pad Regular Rectangular Wide and Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Pro Insulated Air Sleeping Pad Large.
My husband, Andy Lilienthal, and I wanted to know how they stacked up against our age-old Thermarest Trail Pro sleeping pads. Would they make cooler nights more comfortable? Let’s take a look.
Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Pro Features
Both Sea to Summit (S2S) Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Pro Insulated Air Sleeping Pad Regular Rectangular Wide and Large models weigh a scant 27.5 total ounces but have different shapes and lengths. These new sleeping pads come in five different sizes and are the warmest pads Sea to Summit makes. They all have common key features.
- Best used for cold-weather and desert camping, or mountaineering.
- Thermal Core that features multi-layer TRM reflective insulation with 30/40-denier nylon and TPU lamination.
- 7.4 R-value (R-value stands for thermal resistance and measures the level of resistance to heat flow a given material. The R-value will indicate how well your sleeping mat resists heat loss into the ground. The higher the number, the greater the insulation will be. Note: S2S uses the industry standard ASTM F3340 test to determine R-values of its products. For comparison, our older model Thermarest Trail Pro pads have a 4.4 R-value.)
- 3.9 inches thick when inflated.
- Air Sprung Cell construction and double the weld strength compared to previous models for increased durability.
- Compact stuff sack including an integrated Airstream sleeping pad pump, repair kit, and Pillow Lock self-adhesive hook-and-loop patches to secure a Sea to Summit Aeros pillow to it.
- Insulative properties while showcasing reduced weight and packed volume when compared to the company’s previous models.
- 33% lighter than the Ether Light XT Extreme model.
- Sea to Summit’s XPRESS valve system that can quickly inflate, adjust, or deflate its sleeping pads, but also can pump up S2S’s Aeros Pillow line-up like our compact Aeros Premium Pillow or cold-weather Aeros Down Pillow.
Ether Light XR Pro Rectangular Wide and Large Differences
While both S2S sleeping pads have many of the same features, there are differences. The Ether Light XR Pro Rectangular Wide is 72” long by 25.2” wide. It’s the same width across the entire pad whereas the Ether Light XR Pro Large sleeping pad is tapered and shaped like a mummy-style sleeping bag. It is also six inches longer. Its overall dimensions are 78” long by 25.2” across the chest. Its foot area is a few inches narrower.
The Ether Light XR Pro Rectangular Wide boasts a compact packed size of 9.4 x 5.3 x 5.3 inches. The Ether Light XR Pro Large is just as long but narrow when stowed. Its size is 9.4 x 4.9 x 4.9 inches. The Rectangular Wide sleeping pad can accommodate a person up to 6’-0” tall and the Large model can go up to 6’-6”.
What is ThermalCore Insulation?
ThermalCore insulation is made of multiple thermal efficient TRM layers. TRM layers reduce air movement inside Ether Light XR Pro sleeping pads. Additionally, smaller die cuts, when compared to prior models, reduce this more.
What you get when combining the two is a noteworthy increase in R-Value and in real-world insulation performance, while keeping its weight and packed volume minimized.
Inflation and Deflation/Stowage
When compared to our old Thermarest Trail Pro sleeping pads that have a single inlet to inflate them with your mouth, the new Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Pro Insulated Air Sleeping Pad Rectangular Rectangle Wide and Ether Light XR Pro Insulated Air Sleeping Pad Large feature their XPRESS valve system.
Initially we thought both S2S would take a lot more effort to set up. However, once you got them out of the stuff sack and used the integrated Airstream sleeping pad pump to fill them with air, it wasn’t too laborious. After we pulled it out of its stuff sack, it took us seven pump fills of air and one minute and 52 seconds to set it up.
We timed the second pad with the entire process: taking it out of the sack, laying it out, and filling it. It took us two minutes and 47 seconds with seven air pumps. Not bad at all.
Deflation is easy but stowing and Ether Light XR Pro Insulated Air Sleeping Pad is a different story. To deflate, you simply open up the yellow XPRESS valve system’s bottom valve cover (the top cover allows you to fine-tune air pressure). This quickly lets air out for you to start folding. Insider tip: Fold either sleeping pad widthwise in half, and then in half again.
This creates a quarter-width fold by its entire length. Tightly roll it up, ensuring you keep the material neatly stacked or it’ll be more difficult to stow in its sack. It took us just over three minutes to deflate one of the S2S pads, roll it up, and slide it into the supplied stuff sack.
Tip: The sleeping pad will only stow properly when stuffing it into the stuff sack’s light gray opening.
We tried to stow it the other way and it wouldn’t fit. Also, we wished the sack’s diameter would be ½” wider to allow easier stowage. It’s a pretty tight fit otherwise.
Note: Keep careful watch on the repair kit and Pillow Lock patches as they can fall out of either side of the stuff sack’s opening. These need to be set aside with inflating or they may be misplaced. Incorporating a small pocket for these items with a Velcro lid inside the stuff sack would solve this issue.
Impressions
The Thermarest Trail Pro sleeping pads we’ve had forever and a day. They are thinner and tapered similarly to the Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Pro Insulated Air Sleeping Pad Large model. However, they’re nearly half the R-rating of these new S2S and pack down to about four times the size of S2S’s new pads.
Sleeping on the new Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Pro Insulated Air Sleeping Pad Rectangular Rectangle Wide and Large was comfortable, large enough size-wise, and durable.
We tested them on the ground and on our Helinox Cot Lites with no issue other than the noise they make when moving about on them. It’s akin to rubbing your hand over a balloon or pressing on a bag of potato chips.
Not a deal breaker but if you’re a light sleeper, do take note of this. They’re not the quietest pads we’ve used, but S2S claims they’re quieter than previous iterations.
The Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Pro Insulated Air Sleeping Pad Rectangular Rectangle Wide and Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Pro Insulated Air Sleeping Pad Rectangular Large are compact, cold-weather-ready pads. They easily stash into any backpack or gear storage system.
Once you learn how to stow and use them properly, they’re slick and durable and will help give you comfortable overnight sleeps.
Add to this an option to inflate an Aeros pillow with the same stuff sack and securing them atop of either model and you have one trick sleeping setup for overland excursions, backpacking, and more. Ether Light XR PRO pricing: $219 - $289.
Access More Great Stories!
For more informative articles like this, consider subscribing to OVR Magazine in print or digital versions here. You can also find the print edition of OVR at your local newsstand by using our Magazine Finder.
No comments yet