Sea To Summit - Comfort Plus SI Self-Inflating Foam Sleeping Pad

The Ether Light XT was very comfortable, would definitely recommend if you’re primarily a side sleeper. If not, and you will be primarily car camping, the Comfort Plus will do well. The Ether Light’s are not on sale anymore either which is a bit of a bummer.

I have the S2S and love it! Side/back sleeper.

I have personally tried both and find the Comfort Plus SI to be the most comfortable, but sleeping pad comfort is very personal. How far along will you be? If you’ll be side sleeping you may like the thicker pad. 

I second this. If you plan to backpack a lot or use it for regular camping trips, it might be better to spend the money on a good sleeping pad and be done with it. I bought a similar pad for my son (10 years old at the time), it looks identical, it’s probably made in the same factory but slapped on with a different name. It worked for him, but it was mid June in Southern California. He didn’t like the pillow. It’s only been 4 months and I’m looking for a different sleeping pad for him already. Not because it tore, but because he’s small and needs to go backpacking. I have a sea to summit but looking to snag a Nemo Tensor when it goes on sale.

Samw with my sea to summit absolutely unbelievable how comfy it is.

I just bought a used Sea to Summit of Poshmark for $25. Had a small leak that was easy to fix. Just set it up in the house and seems really comfortable. Packs up small

Exciting! I always imagined the SI would be easier to patch on the fly while camping. I also recommend one of the larger ones if you can, cuz It’s no fun having your arms fall to the ground if you’re a back sleeper. Happy camping!

sea to summit has hybrid inflatable/foam pads. I have a comfort si that is around 4 r value.

I have the Sea To Summit comfort plus. It’s nice and thick and not too heavy.

For me the S2S works where others don’t work. I find horizontal baffles extremely uncomfortable … it feels as if anything closer to the edge falls down and doesn’t give any support. So for me the S2S works for longer trips and for shorter I use a short version of the Nemo Tensor.

I’ve slept on the Comfort Plus for a couple dozen nights and just picked up the Ether Light XT Extreme after having a couple nights of bad hip pain using the comfort plus. I haven’t slept on the Ether Light yet, but it seems to be much more comfortable for side sleepers like myself. I got the regular sized Ether Light XT Extreme and have the rectangular Comfort Plus. The Ether Light is a lot smaller when packed and I’m sure the non-extreme would be even smaller yet when packed. I also think the 3” thickness of the Comfort Plus is slightly exaggerated, seems to be less than that, but that’s anecdotal. The Ether Light is markedly thicker and fellow side sleepers seem to really enjoy it. I think both are pretty nice, but based on the necessity to sleep on your side and reduce packed size/weight, would recommend the Ether Light.

I like the warmest versions but I live in the Rockies and spend my time around or above tree line, so even during the warm summer it gets down around freezing at night. Having a warm pad does allow me to carry a little less sleeping bag and still stay warm. I don’t have nearly as much experience with the Sea to Summit pads, but I do have a little and I find them to be comfortable. I have a lot more experience with Thermarest, Big Agnes, and Nemo, and of the three, I prefer Thermarest. They’ve just reliably kept me warm and I’ve had less failures with them. I’ve gone through many Nemo pads because of fabric tears or failures.

The most comfortable self inflating mattress I’ve used is the Sea to Summit Comfort plus SI. It’s bulky, but honestly not that heavy for what it is. The outer fabric feels really nice too. 

My wife has S2S mattress - the one you are looking at or slightly colder and she likes to sleep warm. We were doing Tour du Mt Blanc this year and you want all the comfort you can get for multiple days of 1000 m up and downs even if it is worth few grams more. Nemo seems to be thicker though? And you don't have to inflate it all the way, so it will make more room for your hips but watch out, too close to the ground and it'll get cold in the middle of the night. We both use Cumulus 250 quilts and I have Thermarest NeoAir Xlite (R 4.5) - I was sweating some nights so if anything, Nemo will be too warm for the proper Summer and maybe shoulder months.

Agree; I had an old Sea2Summit pad like that. By the end of its life it also had tons of little patches like that in the crevices...

Tra i menzionati possiedo il Sea to Summit e posso parlarne bene. A pari caratteristiche c'è il cinese Naturhike di cui ne parlano molto bene.

If you haven't tried self-inflating pads you should give them a shot. I hate sleeping on air mattresses or inflatable sleeping pads, and self-inflating feel much more like a real mattress. It's a combination of foam/air, also helps if you don't inflate it all the way. Sea to summit has a whole line including the comfort and comfort light which I've used and I think are great. I've also used a cheaper REI branded one and ALPS mountaineering version and found them just as good.(Only difference being the cut which shaves weight instead of just a rectangle.) They are heavier than what everyone seems to want to go for, but they have better insulation properties than inflatable and in case of a puncture will still have some comfort.

Most don't last very long if you're using them more than 30 nights a year in my experience. These manufacturers are banking on most buyers using them less than that. For super avid backpackers and thru-hikers, obviously we use them way more and therefore need to replace them more frequently. I've always bought them from REI and get them replaced under their policy within the year. Or if it's little seam weld pinholes, take advantage of the warranty (I use Sea 2 Summit pads mostly). But yeah I think the companies just absorb the loss from heavy users, who are a minority of total sales they make globally. Most people just buy a pad to go camping once or twice a year and it just sits in their closet for years before it gets the same amount of camp time as we'd put it through halfway into a thru-hike. Not sure if that made sense - still pre-caffeine today edit: getting holes from pokey things is a given despite the best careful babying if you're out enough, especially in the desert. but i'm not really talking about those kind of holes (that can be patched) - i mean the phantom leaks that can't be identified or fixed easily, like seam welds, valve stuff, etc. (especially on quilted/dimpled baffles) whenever i've returned a pad it's got several patches on it - i keep the solider well bandaged until he can't fight any more

Don’t go self inflating if you want that much height. Car camping, yes, any of the massive, tough, heavy self inflating mats will be fine.   Go to a camping/bushwalking shop and try a Nemo tensor insulated (wide). Fill it up then let out juuuust a bit of air. You can put a closed cell foam mat underneath if you can’t get a balance between a comfortable shape and your hips touching the ground.  Sea to summit are also comfortable but don’t insulate as well.   Also - I know you know this - it’s easier if you can lose a bit of weight. I find it much less comfortable sleeping on the ground after gaining weight. 

Good for you for taking care of all your gear. I also take good care of my gear and get many miles out of it. Your response sounds quite lecture-y and finger waggy tbh, making the assumption that others don't take good care of their gear. All my sea to summit pads have developed stress pinholes in the dimple welds, nothing to do with anything I could have done or prevented as a user, it's a common defect with that style of baffle. Manufacture defects on pads are quite common and have nothing to do with user care. No matter how much you baby your sleeping pad, if it has a weak valve attachment, it's gonna develop a leak.

I have both of these coincidentally. The plan was to take my Insulated on trips I’m packing light, and my Large S.I on trips where weight/size isn’t a factor. Both comfortable, but I personally enjoy the SI’s flat surface over the Insulated with their Air spring design. The SI has a R value of 4.1, and the insulated 4.0 so they’re basically the same for warmth. If size wasn’t a factor I’d go S.I if I had to choose one. Can’t go wrong with either one of these IMO

I had the Sea to Summit Comfort Plus SI Insulated for a while, though unfortunately, it did get punctured on my last trip. I am currently researching what to replace it with. My one qualm with the Sea to Summit was that it was relatively heavy, so I might switch it up, but I don't know if it's worth sacrificing the comfort for the weight. If I don't get the Comfort Plus again, I'll probably go with the Nemo Tensor All-Season Ultralight, which is supposed to be quite comfortable, but almost half the weight. My primary source for researching all of my backpacking gear is Outdoor Gear Lab. Their reviews and comparisons are very well done.

I just picked up a Sea to Summit sleeping pad earlier this summer after years of making do with the cheap Walmart foam pad. I've slept so much better with my new setup, especially because I also bought their inflatable pillow that attaches to the sleeping pad. Wasn't the cheapest setup but very well worth it.

I have sea to summits, big agnes, and nemos for the fam. It all depends on the person.

We use fold up carton type mats as our base. Then in our tent we have Sea to Summit self-inflating bed rolls. Our kids have the same base and use Therm-o-rest self-inflating ground mats. We find as long as we stay on the self-inflating mats, we’re pretty comfortable. The ther-o-rests are almost 20 years old and still in great shape. We upgraded to Sea to Summit because they fold up so small for backpacking

The Thermarest pads are warmer (when comparing similar r-values) and more reliable, but most people think the Nemo is more comfortable (assuming it’s warm enough). The Tensor all-season is definitely not warm enough for winter/snow use by itself, but neither is the X-lite, though in my experience it does better. I’ve had (and seen from customers) many more failures with Nemo pads than Thermarest, but Thermarest pads fail occasionally too. If you’re using it in temps above freezing, either option is probably warm enough. R-Value is not reliable from brand to brand. Thermarest always runs warmer than the other brands. Nemo pads are prone to cold spots, even their warmest pads. I’ve used most of the main pad brands (Thermarest, BA, Exped, Nemo, Sea to Summit) and find myself reaching for the Thermarest (usually use the X-therm though) because of the warmth and reliability. Though I will say the Sea to Summit pads feel more comfortable for me. I remember sleeping on a Neoair for the first time in my late teens after using a closed cell foam pad for years and thought it was sooo much more comfortable. I’ve heard from others more recently that a foam pad is just as comfortable. It’s hard for me to believe but maybe on a long thru-hike you get used to it. Most of my trips are 5-7 days.

Sea to Summit and is a great pad. Light and insulating and a bit tougher than the Klymit pads that I have.