The Sea to Summit Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Mat is a 2.5 season, inflatable sleeping pad designed with lightweight backpacking in mind. It offers comfort and support with its Air Sprung Cell technology and is moderately priced compared to other ultralight options. It inflates with just 4 pumps and has a pump sack included in the stuff sack. This pad comes with a multi-function valve that includes the inflation port, deflation port, repair/patch kit, and even the accessories to lock your pillow in place (although we never needed to).
Product Overview
Sea to Summit Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Mat
✅ Price
✅ Lightweight
✅ Compact
✅ Customer service
❌ Less cushioned than competitors
❌ Lower R value
KEY SPECS
- Material: Durable nylon with TPU lamination
- Weight: 15.1 oz (Sm)/16.9 oz (Rg)
- R-Value: 3.1
- Packed size: 5 x 9.5 in for both the small and the regular
To see reviews on other ultralight tents, check out our Best Ultralight Sleeping Pad post.
Similar Products: Nemo Tensor Sleeping Pad, Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated Ultralight Sleeping Pad, Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite
Performance Test Results
What I Tested:
How I Tested:
We’ve put over 2,500 miles (~4,000 km) on our Sea to Summit Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Mats from below-freezing nights in the Sierras on the JMT to our 144-day thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail and we’ve used it in every season. Here’s what you need to know.
For reference, I am a 5’3” woman, ~130 pounds and my husband is 5’11”, 185-155 pounds depending on how far into our thru-hike we are. I used the Gossamer Gear Kumo (36L) pack and my husband used the Gossamer Gear G4-20 (42L) pack on the AT.
Packability
Since I am on the smaller side, it was very important to me not to feel overwhelmed by a large pack on the trail. This sleeping pad is lightweight and packs down small enough to fit comfortably in my 36L pack. It blows up quickly, which is a blessing at the end of a long day on the trail. Even packing the pad up in the morning was a pain-free process.
Warmth
Starting our thru-hike in early Feb in GA, we saw snow on our first day. Using the Sea to Summit Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Mat together with our NEMO switchbacks and 20 deg-rated quilts kept us (mostly) warm but definitely alive on nights when temperatures dipped to the low teens.
If you plan on spending a lot of time in sub-freezing temperatures, I would advise buying a sleeping pad with an R-value closer to 4. However, we were very happy with our sleeping pads in more temperate weather. The pads might be a bit sticky during warmer weather but we’ve never had that be an issue during our hikes.
Comfort & Performance
I did notice my lower back would hurt at the beginning of our hike if I tried to sleep on my back. Stuffing my puffy into that area helped to add support until I grew more accustomed to it. I tried to sleep on my back since it’s the best for your posture but off-trail I am more inclined to side sleeping. I was able to get away with side-sleeping on this pad for the most part but would occasionally wake up in the middle of the night with a sore hip and have to roll over. I could also feel the occasional root or rock through both my switchback and the sleeping pad.
My sleeping pad also developed a slow leak about 4 months into the AT. I replaced the seal with the included kit which was straightforward and easy to use but continued experiencing issues. I briefly considered buying a different brand but realized the ratio of Sea to Summit's R-value and weight to price was the best for my budget. Instead, I contacted Sea to Summit and they offered to replace the pad for free and had it shipped to an upcoming hostel. This level of customer service was a game-changer, allowing me to continue my trek with minimal disruption.
My husband’s only complaint was that the regular size was not quite wide enough to support his arms resting by his side on the mat while he was on his back. Aside from that, he was a happy camper. He was also able to sleep on his side without issue.
We saw more than one of our fellow thru-hikers struggle with quality issues in their lighter, pricier sleeping mats where the baffles would give out one by one with a loud pop and cause unfortunate tumor-like growths to appear on their mats.
For great support, easy fixes, and unbeatable customer service: Sea to Summit Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Mat.
Final Thoughts
We’ve used the Sea to Summit Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Pad extensively hiking both the east and west coasts. From frigid winter nights to muggy summer evenings, we were able to get a good night’s sleep using this sleeping pad in conjunction with the rest of our sleep kit. This sleeping pad inflates quickly and packs down easily to a size that is compatible with smaller backpacks.
Although the comfort at times left something to be desired, it never kept us up at night. The stellar customer service for this brand made dealing with a leak on the trail easy and hassle-free. The wear and tear of thru-hiking is understandably a lot for any product so it’s very impressive to me that my husband’s pad didn’t have a single issue since we purchased it.
Gear choices are inherently personal but you can do yourself no better favor than investing in a quality sleep kit to give your body adequate rest after beating it up day after day. Overall, we had the best sleep of our lives on the trail and have no plans to replace our tried-and-true Sea to Summit Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Mats for future hikes.
650-Calorie Fuel
