Sea to Summit  Ether Light XT Insulated Air Rectangular Sleeping Pad

I'm 6'1", 220 Lbs, side sleeper - Size L info

Fair warning: I have not taken this out backpacking. I've slept on the floor in my house and in a tent in our lawn. I wear a size 42 suit jacket and my biggest issue with sleeping outside is that my pillow slides all over the place & gets lost during the night. The Pillow-lock system worked as advertised - I paired this with the Aeros Deluxe. Pics are attached. I only have a luggage scale and the 24 oz includes the stuff sack & the repair kit. Length & width are shown also. If you pump it all the way to a full 4" thickness, you'll need to use a breath or two - I couldn't do it with just the pump. And of course, if it's all the way at 4", it's very firm & bouncy. I got it up to 4", lay on the pad, and then lowered the pressure with the valve until it was comfortable. I was able to keep my shoulders & hips off the ground. I found the pad to be much quieter than the BA pad I previously tried. But I do wrap it in a sleeping bag liner / sheet for comfort against my skin as well. It certainly wasn't crinkly and didn't wake me during the night. My only wish is that it has a softer layer on the top to help alleviate skin-to-pad sweat. But I don't know any pad that has this - it's a wish for all pads. Until then I'll use a liner / sheet.

Sleep like your at 4 star Hotel

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This is my 2nd Sea to Summit sleeping pad. A slight upgrade for myself. I found the Etherlight to be quieter, a plus for my girl who thought the other pad initially sounded like a chip bag on every movement. So great job on making a thicker, quieter, more comfortable pad. I gave up a few ounces to get the extra inch of "loft" but occasionally I turn on my side and this pad is awesome. I no longer worry about my hip or pelvis laying on hard ground. The adjustable air valve let's me fine tune for any terrain. Super easy to inflate in just a couple minutes with the stuff sack attached air below. The wide air release valve assures we get out of camp and back on the trail quick. There are similar options available, but Sea to Summit does an amazing job and I have always had a good sleep with no worries about performance or durability even on multi week backpacking trips.

Originally posted on Sea to Summit

I didn’t care for it, personally.

For someone closer to 200lbs, it’s probably fine however, at my weight, 250 lbs, I found that my hips would hit the ground as soon as I took out the slightest amount of air from a fully inflated pad which was necessary to make it comfortable. I also noticed that the pad felt like a balloon. If I pushed don’t on the head end of the pad, I could feel air shift the foot end which was odd. I had previously tried the much hyped Nemo Tensor and had a similar issue with my hips bottoming out. I was able to take a little more air out of that pad before it got uncomfortable. I ended up settling on the Big Agnes Rapid SL and found it to be the most comfortable pad I’ve ever used.

I don’t care how heavy it is, it’s worth it

This is shockingly comfortable. Not quite at home mattress comfortable but amazingly comfortable for a hiking sleeping pad. It sets up with only four fills of the inflation pouch. It’s thick and warm and wide and comfortable. All the other pads I tried were too narrow and I'm not exactly big. I guess most people never lay on their backs or don’t mind when their arms are laying on the ground on their side of the pad? This is wide enough so I can sleep how I normally do and stay warm and comfortable the entire night. I feel like I’m laying on a bed rather than perched on a narrow bit of something trying not to slip or roll off.

Leaked shortly after first use. Used all the patches. Put on a new one, next day another hole appeared. Backpacking almost 50 years. Worst pad ever.

Better than most

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Very comfortable. Are there other pads that do other things? Yes. Is a sleep pad perfect for one person, and less perfect for another? Also yes. My wife uses a rapide, and I use the etherlight. Both are extremely comfortable, and both are surprisingly very different via their sound, feel, and overall warmth delivery. I'm not saying this one is for you, but it is better than a bunch of them. It's been a durable companion that delivers the ZZZ. Worth checking out. Oh! And I love the inflation/stuff sack. That is actually a step above the competition. Not the best thing for the UL community, but you guys will just use your breath anyway. 😅

Originally posted on Sea to Summit

great pad, great inflation system, horrible stuff sack.

I've really enjoyed this pad - thick, warm, and quiet. The inflation system of using the stuff sack is great and easy to use. Awesome for side sleeper and light too However the stuff sack is really too small for the size and its my biggest gripe. Granted I have the largest size version, but I'm not sure if the sack is the same size for all, so who knows if the issue is same for smaller sizes. facts is you need to roll your pad just the right tightness and pray their inst a spare air molecule between it and the sack. Otherwise you're gonna be rerolling and hope the packing gods smile upon you. great product, love it, stuff sack is awful.

Originally posted on Sea to Summit

Quiet & Cushy

The limited use I have had so far with the ELight XT has been very positive. Looks to be very durable and love the weight to R value ratio. I think even coupled with a rigid foam pad it could be very useful deep into the shoulder seasons if not some winter use with the right sleeping bag and liner system. I love the Reg Length/Wide size availability as I tend to be a toss & turner (roll off a narrow mummy shaped pad easily) and use wide sleeping bags to help with side sleeping. Very impressed with the inflation bag system. Much better than another (Swiss made) bag inflate system i have with a double width pad i use when backpacking with my wife.

Originally posted on Sea to Summit

Side Sleeper Game Changer

I'm an avid bicycle tourist and bikepacker, and a side-sleeper. I haven't had a good night's sleep in my tent in more than a decade. During my last overnight, I started to think that my camping nights were coming to an end. It's just too hard to ride all day on so little sleep. I'm extremely relieved to report that this sleeping pad has given me hope. I had the best sleep since I can remember with this thing. No issues with noise or it being too slippery. It's a bit bulkier and heavier than I'd like to carry, but the sacrifice is well worth it to get some quality sleep.

Great Mat for Cooler nights

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I've only recently purchased this pad to primarily us during September and October with temperatures are expected to be between 50 and 25 degrees at night. I'm using it in conjunction with a 20 degree quilt. The pad is more than warm enough for these conditions, comfortable and quiet. I recently switches from a pad that had a R value of 1, only 2" thick, 20" wide, 72" long and 16 oz. I am 6'06" and was finally tired of my feet hanging off the end and arms falling off the side. For the added weight, this pad is absolutely worth it to sleep comfortably at night. I don't have very many nights on this pad yet, but so far I am loving it.

Originally posted on Sea to Summit