Ether Light XT Extreme Insulated Air Sleeping Mat

Hi! Are you planning to use it on Kilimanjaro? Many tour operators already include sleeping mats in their packages, and they’re usually about 2–3 inches thick, which is comfortable enough for most hikers. An R-value of 3.6 is basically the minimum for Kilimanjaro - it can work, but you’re definitely taking a risk, especially if you get cold easily. If you haven’t tested it in similar conditions with your sleeping bag setup and still prefer to bring your own, it might be safer to go with the Ether Light XR or even the XR Pro if you tend to get cold easily.

Lucky you! I tried so many different mats and being side sleeper I will be very uncomfortable. Cheaper mats will be fine as long as you sleep on your back and never move haha Life sustaining kit? Potentially if your main mat is not warm enough. For winter I use Sea to Summit Either Light XR Pro with some ridiculous R rating of 7+. Is it that warm? Well slept in Cairngorms with -15c and I was more than warm(obviously paired with good sleeping bag). Do I need foam mat underneath? Definitely not, but I would have it anyway just to protect mat from icing(does not affect performance of mat itself). Now why I said it is waste of space/weight? As a mountaineer I do carry more stuff besides camping equipment, I need that extra room + I want weigh to be as low as possible during expedition of 3-7 days. Also I don’t need anything tangling of my backpack while I climb. Im certain that this foam mat system works for many people, but unfortunately not always, sometimes it is better to invest into 1 good product than to have 2 average.

Nah house insurance is not even comparable. If your mat deflates(first of all, you need to buy good one, cheap ones will eventually deflate) you can simply dress up and go home, UK is not that remote that would have to stress for it. And once again - get a groundsheet and repair kit for redundancy. Also 3 season mat paired with CCF will not create 4 season mat. I can guarantee that and there is literally a post about this on this very subreddit. If your mat is ok for +5c just because you put CCF underneath it will not make it -10c compatible. Yes it will add couple degrees but not 15c. Now also you say groundsheet will not provide insulation, which I agree, but on your previous comment you said CCF is not about insulation, but to protect your mat in case it deflates? Well groundsheet will prevent it from happening? Also yes mountaineers used to carry CCF because we have not had anything better. Now we have really good compact and lightweight mats that do not require CCF. At worst we will take foil mat. And I do not downplay anything at all, what Im saying get a decent mat and good equipment made for a task. CCF will not save you from hypothermia if you have shit clothes, equipment and are not prepared. If you put your life on risk just to save couple quid, mate Im sorry nothing I can help you with here

Side sleeper here. I use a Hammock Gear 0 degree quilt with a zippered foot box on top of a 25x78 Sea to Summit Etherlight XT Extreme sleeping pad that's 4 inches thick and has a 6.2 R value. I'm over 50 and sleep cold and I get a great sleep every night. The pad is admittedly bulky and heavy, but I can put the quilt in a small Sea to Summit eVent dry sack and compress it down to the size of two Nalgene bottles, so it works out.

I've used an older XT extreme down to single digits fahrenheit and didn't feel like there was cold seeping through the pad. That was with a bag though and not a quilt, camping on snow, no foam pad. I don't think the XT/XR is a bad product per se, but I do think I'd steer in the direction of other brands just based on what's on the market right now. Exped's not what I'd choose though. Nemo and Thermarest have the best pads right now, imo. 

Wow that's insane! I paid over £200 for a Sea the Summit Ether extreme XT and it's colder and heavier than that bestway pad. What a bargain