Sea To Summit - Ether Light Series

The ether light XR is the first pad that’s given me just as good a night sleep as I do at home. It’s such a comfortable pad. I’m a side sleeper and nothing compares to it for comfort for me. It can be a bit noisy so when I’m tossing and turning before falling asleep it can be a bit of a nuisance but it’s never hindered my sleep

It’s not crinkly or rustly, can be a bit squeaky! But think it also depends on sleeping bag material. Like I said it’s never cause me an issue but my partner has commented on it before

I'm a side sleeper and I find the etherlight XT really comfortable. It creeks and croaks like crazy though so anyone you go with will hate you. And no, it doesn't go away. People say that but they are lying lol. I think they just got used to it.

Exped Dura. It has down. I have the 6R LW. You can get a slightly lighter version which is lighter due to thinner face fabrics. Avoid StS Etherlight XT at all costs, as I have had two getting pinctures where the dividers attach. Constant flats from just lying on them. And I am not the only one. This is why I bought the Exped Dura.

Im a side sleeper. I have the XLite. Often feels like the baffles lack structure at the sides so in the mornings I'm fidgeting around feeling like im rolling off the mat. Not used a Tensor although I have heard it offers much better support for side sleepers. Also, the Xlite suffers from mould spots on what seems the outside. For comfort though, from all the mats ive laid on, sea to summit are the most comfortable

I like my ether light xt by sea to summit. But it’s really the only decent one I’ve ever tried so. Or much to compare it to.

I tried both and went with the Ether Light XR. It came down to what felt good. I didn’t think the baffle design on the Tensor AS was comfortable or distributed weight well and much preferred the baffling on the Ether Lite as a side/stomach sleeper. I plan on upping the R value with a Z-lite pad if necessary.

The Ether Light is woven nylon just like the Nemo, but 30D vs 20D for the top. I compared them back in May, but I remember they felt fairly similar material-wise. I did think the Nemo was slightly more crinkly. The Ether Light is a little slippery, but I think it makes it easier to flip around. My last pad was a polyester Exped Dura which had a lot of friction going on with my clothes, which made it annoying to flip around at night because my clothes and quilt would get bunched up and twisted.

No problem! It was one of the reasons I switched pads. The other was that I didn’t find vertical baffles all that great for side sleeping. The arm I slept on frequently went numb, and I’m pretty sure it was from the baffles pressing against it.

I’ll second the XR. It’s pretty comfy for stomach/side sleeping. But also, I tried out the NeoLoft at REI this weekend and holy crap is it a comfy cradle of air.

I’m 100% co-signing this review. As a rotisserie chicken sleeper who likes to be tucked in, I effing love my Zenbivy and how snuggleable it is. It really does feel like a real bed. I also recently got the Ether Light XR to pair with it! I was also considering the Zenbivy Flex, but the S2S warranty won out. I was dead set on a rectangular pad but S2S’s pricing structure is kind of nonsensical, making the large tapered cheaper than the rectangular regular/wide. The taper didn’t bother me like I thought it would since it starts past my hips, and the longer length meant I could stretch out on my stomach without my feet hanging off. I also prefer the air sprung cell construction over the vertical baffles on my previous Exped pad. I think they distribute my weight better. I do agree that it’s a bit plasticky, but my Zenbivy sheet makes that a nonissue for me.

I have an Exped Dura 3R and it’s very warm and so far, has proven to be durable. I’ve taken it down to 30°f with no extra foam pad beneath and slept warm. Never had any air leak out. I’m not a huge fan of the vertical baffles, but I must say that the edge baffles being slightly thicker does help keep me centered. Exped uses a microfiber insulation on these pads instead of reflective film, and I’m sold on it. I intended to swap the Exped for the new Sea to Summit Etherlite XR that has reflective insulation, but I shivered my way through a 42°f night on it.

So I bought the ether light XR in the spring and was happy with it until October. My backside was constantly chilled on a 38°f night with a z lite sol under it and 10° down quilt. I was wearing wool socks, beanie, and baselayers. The second night was 45°f and I was more comfortable, but I was pretty disappointed given that it slept colder than the 3R Exped it was meant to replace. The old XT had reports of sleeping cold, but I was hoping that S2S had fixed that with the new iteration. If I were you, I’d get the Exped.

Yes, I could feel the cold coming through the XR with the ccf under it. I’d never had that issue with my 3R Exped, in fact, I have taken that down to 32°f with no ccf under it and never felt the cold. They have different insulation types, but I didn’t think that would matter based on the R ratings. The XR is more comfortable though, so I’ll probably keep it for warmer temps.

The sea to summit is 10cm thick, which is amazing for it's size and weight. But it's made of a noisy fabric

When I did Baker I brought a closed cell pad (Nemo switch back) and an inflatable (Sea to summit) for comfort and redundancy. You'll be hard pressed to find a new bag that's also lightweight for $200. You'll probably need to see if you can find something used or I would recommend you see if you can rent one.

If it’s rare, yes. However I feel like failing welds is becoming more common with new baffle designs, and I don’t want to through the hoops of buying and then returning gear all the time, and I especially don’t need it failing on me when I’m in the middle of the woods. I wouldn’t want a tent that might not be waterproof just because it has a warranty. It’s actually worse because you could test a tent right away whereas that poorly designed sleeping pad might need a good deal of use to expose its weakness. Maybe I’m off base here, just going based off posts I’ve read while trying to upgrade my sleeping pad (ended up returning the etherlight xt extreme)

Oh yeah it’s nonsense lol. I’m so confused honestly. I got it before the R value standardization made a scandal out of it. I knew it wouldn’t be as warm as its stated r value, but found it warm enough down to around 34F on its own. If I found a lighter pad with baffles like that I’d try it. Used to have a thermarest with horizontal baffles, got hip pain. Ccf pad, hip pain. Tried the new quilted air spring baffles that everyone is raving about in the form of the etherlight, still got hip pain. The etherlight I would have returned anyway though as I found it to be the equivalent warmth of the insulated static v plus my ccf, and even pairing the etherlight extreme with a ccf, and having it fully inflated wasn’t nearly enough for sleeping on frozen ground or snow. Having a hefty pad that’s neither warm nor comfortable was just unacceptable for a $180 (on sale) pad. So for now I’ll alternate between the klymit and my hammock lol

Picked up a S2S Etherlight XR and had my first 4 days on it recently. Super comfy, even as a side sleeper.

Sea to summit etherlight xr is very comfortable for a side sleeper as well, while not being too heavy or bulky.