Sea to Summit Ether Light XR review

Any wild camper will know, a good night's sleep is worth its weight in gold, and it’s certainly not an area you want to cut costs on as that’s where quality, and more importantly weight, takes a hit, too. With the Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Thermal Core, it’s hard to initially believe that you’ll be at all comfy after an initial glance of the bag, which is just 20.5cm in height and 470g in weight. Don't judge an airbed by its cover, though...

First of all, this isn’t a classic thin fabric with nothing but hand-pumped air within, which you probably broke a sweat to get there. Instead, along with air inside, you’ll find Air Sprung Cells and TPU loops under a film designed to reflect heat.

On the outside, which is a light grey colour, the Air Sprung Cell construction creates a geometric pattern which is the only aesthetic quality of the whole product, not that it needs one. At the head you’ll find Pillow Lock Patches designed to give you a slip-free sleep by locking your pillow, sold separately, in place – something that is more than appreciated after a long day.

While you can’t pick the colour, you can pick the size. The Ether Light XR Thermal Core comes in five sizes: small, regular, rectangle regular wide, large, and rectangular large. The regular (pictured) has dimensions of 183cm by 55cm, which (despite being 6ft 3in) is adequate for a wild camping set-up. Having used the regular size in a two-man wild camping tent, I personally struggle to see how the larger sizes would fit in tents designed for the same purpose.

While the inflation method isn’t exactly new, it is certainly the easiest of all options in the market that are not self-inflating. In the bag you’ll find an additional bag with an attached drawcord. Its plug then simply attaches to the air valve you’ll find at the head of the roll mat. From there, it’s a simple process of blowing air into the sack and rolling it up. That will in turn push the air into the roll mat itself. This is an easy process taking just minutes to complete and even less time to pack away.

The air is kept in using an XPRESS Valve, a valve with two layers, and therefore must be clipped in twice. Here it hasn't reinvented the wheel, opting for a method that is commonly seen on the market's higher-quality sleeping mats.

From personal, and extensive, experience you’ll be delighted with your investment to have this mat after a long day on the trails. That 10cm of inflation is more than adequate for a pleasant evening’s slumber. While you’ll likely be blissfully unaware of it, elements such as the ThermalCore Insulation, there to reflect infrared energy to the sleeper, really set this particular mat apart from its competition. This is something that you’ll notice more, should you resort back to an alternative without it.

Granted, for £159 (at the time of writing), this is an expensive option with a price point that likely only appeals to the most avid wild campers. However, you certainly get a lot of bang for your buck! 

The Ether Light XR sleeping mat by Sea to Summit really might be as good as it gets in the wild camping market. With its packaging being so small, you’ll find yourself borderline amazed by what is inside, once it’s blown up. It’s durable, lightweight and incredibly comfy with a number of features you’ll have never heard of, but won’t want to camp without again. This is a roll mat that ticks all the boxes and then some in an effective way, meaning it should be the go-to for all avid wild campers.