Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Pro Insulated Review

We took this sleeping pad on a camping trip in Alaska and were thrilled with how warm it kept us. It isn't the lightest, but we gladly swapped the weight for warmth on our chilliest adventures.

Comfort

To say that the Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Pro Insulated is merely comfortable is an understatement. After eight long, chilly, rainy days of tough off-trail trekking in Alaska's Gates of the Arctic National Park, our lead tester found the Ether Light XR Pro to be essential to staying warm and getting a good night's sleep so that her body could recover after long days with a heavy pack.

The pad itself is 3.9 inches thick, and, unlike some inflatable sleeping pads that feel like a slippery pool floatie (due to their vertical air baffle shape), it's designed with more perforated baffles. This evenly distributes the air in such a way that there aren't uncomfortable ridges that make it easy to slide off the mat in the night. The brand calls this its Air Sprung Cell construction, and it's designed to cradle your body in the center of the pad so that you don't feel like you're sleeping on a balloon. As such, this sleeping pad is an excellent fit for both side and stomach sleepers, particularly because of its baffle shape and its nearly-rectangular body shape, which allows more room for your arms to move around and adjust, instead of flopping around on the cold ground.

Because of its excellent thickness, our top tester wasn't able to feel any rocks or lumpy tundra as she set up camp and crashed every night on her Gates of the Arctic expedition. She's a self-described side and stomach sleeper and noted that her hip didn't sink uncomfortably low or ache when sleeping on this pad. The face material for the Ether Light XR Pro Insulated is also less slippery than many models we tested, meaning that it's comfortable to sleep directly on the pad with an ultralight backpacking quilt, if that's your style.

Weight

The Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Pro Insulated weighed in at 22 ounces on our at home kitchen scale test, including its stuff sack and repair kit, placing it solidly in the middle of the pack, in terms of overall weight. However, with its superior R-value of 7.4, this sleeping pad's weight-to-warmth ratio is pretty incredible.

Shorties, rejoice! Though we tested the “Regular” size of this inflatable pad, you can cut down even more on weight if you purchase a size small, which the manufacturer claims weighs a scant 18.5 ounces (without its stuff sack) and is 66 inches long. For those who like to sprawl out in the wilderness, Sea to Summit has something up their sleeves, too. The Ether Light also comes in a fully rectangular shape in both its regular and long sizes.

The stuff sack definitely adds a couple of ounces to this bomber, ultra-warm pad, but it boasts a unique design that no other pad we tested had—it sports one section for the pad itself and another, smaller area for the stuff sack and repair kit. As such, we found it easier than most to roll up and put away when breaking down camp, but you could ditch the sack to save weight.

Warmth

The Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Pro Insulated boasts an R-value of 7.4, the highest of any other pad we tested. We found it incredibly warm and comfortable in temperatures down to the low 30s, even as snow dusted remote peaks in the Brooks Range. Though it's marketed as a hardcore winter pad for extreme wilderness adventures, we feel it's important to note that the extra warmth cushion can be nice to have on summer backpacking trips at altitude, too, as the warm pad means you might not have to carry as heavy (or expensive) a sleeping bag to stay reasonably cozy.

Due to the high R-value of this pad, it's suitable (while still being lightweight enough) to use with a backpacking quilt. It also holds its insulation well when it springs a small leak, as our top tester noticed on a 41-degree evening when she accidentally popped the pad on an errant cactus spike. Funnily enough, the insulation in this pad helped her sleep decently through the night, even with a small, slow leak.

Packed Size

Our testers loved that, in spite of its extra insulation, the Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Pro Insulated packs down to an incredibly reasonable 8.3 x 4.7 x 4.7 in, which is smaller than many chillier three-season pads we tested.

Due to its aforementioned dual-sided stuff sack, which sports a handy pump sack and repair kit on one side, the Ether Light XR Pro is quite easy to roll up and put away when breaking down camp. Like nearly every pad on this list, it's mildly annoying to squish all the air out and roll it up properly, but our testers found this pad easier than most to put away in the wilderness. Our Alaska tester was even able to comfortably roll it up while escaping morning mosquitoes and staying in her tent.

Construction Quality

The Ether Light XR Pro Insulated feels sturdy to the touch and offers a better-than-most 30-denier nylon face fabric and a more durable 40-denier nylon bottom fabric. This puts it in the middle of the testing pool, in terms of fabric durability. However, this pad truly shines because of its TPU lamination, which helps to seal together the nylon so that it's more durable. Our testers also noted that the face fabric of this sleeping pad is amazingly quiet.

The lay-flat insulation valve of this Sea to Summit sleeping pad was easy enough for our testers to use, with one plug designated for deflation and another protected plug that sits on top of it for inflation. Together with the included pump sack, they make it easy to blow up and pack down the Ether Light. We should also note that the brand has doubled the weld strength of its seams on this model of the XR Pro, meaning that you can toss and turn all night, and you'll likely never see an issue.

Should You Buy the Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Pro Insulated?

If you're looking for “one pad to rule them all,” and want a single, decently lightweight inflatable mat that's suitable for shoulder season and winter camping alike, the Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Pro Insulated is a fantastic pick. Not only was it the warmest women's sleeping pad that we tested, it also boasted solid construction and excellent all-night comfort, even for side and stomach sleepers who tend to toss and turn.

What Other Women's Sleeping Pads Should You Consider?

If you're not planning on winter camping any time soon and you'd like something a smidge lighter, check out the Nemo Tensor All-Season, which sports a 5.4 R-value but will shave a few ounces off your overall pack weight. If you're a stomach or side sleeper who wants the ultimate in comfort, take a look at the Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft Pad, which, though heavier, is like snoozing on a cloud.