Sea To Summit Sleep System

The Sea To Summit Aeros Down Pillow is made with ultralight materials and is the lightest, fully-featured down pillow. A down cushion-top is made with the same 10D materials used in the Spark™ line of ultra-light sleeping bags, and horizontal baffling prevents both down migration and compression.

The air bladder is made from a lightweight 20D fabric which features a TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) film. The film offers anti-hydrolysis properties that prevent moisture damage and the eventual breakdown of the fabric.

A small multi-function valve facilitates inflation, deflation, and offers a slow release nib so you can fine-tune your pillow and mat.

The Ether Light XT insulated mat features the same multi-function valve, though just a slightly bigger version. 

The mat stuff sack is the Airstream Pump™/stuff sack. This multi-purpose sack not only stores the air mattress in a compact package, but doubles as a “pump” that works to inflate both the Ether Light XT and the Aeros™ down pillow. While the valves on each are different sizes, turning the Airstream Pump™ inside out will reveal the small fixture for the pillow valve.

There are a couple of advantages to the integrated pump; first and foremost, it takes less time and effort to inflate your mattress or pillow, secondly, less moisture from your breath enters the mattress/pillow, further extending the life of the gear. If the pumpsack is inflated properly, it only takes about 3 cycles to fill the mat.

The Ether Light XT utilizes Sea to Summits proprietary Air Sprung Cell technology to increase comfort and conform to your body.  The “XT” refers to the eXtra Thick nature of the mat. The Ether Light series uses loops of TPU to connect the top and bottom welds resulting in a thicker cell. This extra thickness may be especially appreciated by those who sleep on their side. 

30D to 40D fabrics are used to ensure a durable product that remains light and quiet, and the lamination techniques used boast “class-leading reliability”. The inner TPU also features an antimicrobial treatment. 

The mat is 4 inches thick and has an R-Value of 3.8 meaning it’s perfect for 3 season use. Exkin Platinum insulation reflects your bodies radiant heat back toward you, while Thermolite HL-1 insulation prevents convective heat loss. 

Thermolite HL-1 is a high loft, fiberfill insulation with unique 3D crimped hollow core and solid fibres. This lightweight and durable insulation is placed inside the Air Sprung Cells where it can expand and prevent convective heat loss between your body and the ground.

Exkin Platinum insulation is a non-woven fabric featuring a metalized layer on the surface. Despite it being a metallic liner,  Exkin Platinum® is quiet and doesn’t create noise when you roll around on it. This layer reflects radiant heat back to you so less heat is lost to the ground. 

Finally, the mat comes with Sea to Summits own PillowLock system. This is basically self-adhesive hook-and-loop (think Velcro®) patches designed to keep your pillow where you want it, but designed not to snag on clothing or other fabrics.

The Spark SP IV is the warmest in the Ultra-light and technical Spark Series. This expedition weight mid-winter bag is designed to be comfortable in -8°C (18°F) while minimizing weight and size. Using 7D and 10D fabrics helps to reduce weight and bulk, and the use of premium goose down means no expense is spared to create the best warmth to weight ratio.

The down used is RDS (responsible down standard) certified and the bag comes with its own down batch test report from the International Down Feather Laboratory to certify the superior loft of the down used. The down is ULTRA-DRY Down and features a water-repelling treatment so that the clusters avoid becoming saturated and maintain their loft when they become saturated. 

The contoured mummy shape uses a combination of vertical and horizontal baffling in order to provide optimal comfort, efficient insulation, and prevent down migration. The expedition sizing allows a little extra room in the bag for layered clothing and comfortable movement. 

A full-length side zipper features two sliders so you can adjust the ventilation and is lined with a draft tube. The draft tube has a zipper guard so that the nylon liner doesn’t get caught up in the zipper.

The bag also includes a draft collar to help retain warmth on colder nights.

 The mummy hood is cinched with a single draw cord

A lightweight Ultra-Sil™ Nano compression bag is included and keeps the bag super compact when travelling. The SP IV also comes with a ‘storage cell’ for storage when not in use.

Sea To Summit SpIV Sleeping Bag
Face: 7D and 10D Nylon
Insulation: RDS Premium Goose ULTRA-DRY Down
Stuff Sack: 100% Nylon Ultra-Sil (excluding trimmings) 

Sea To Summit Ether Light XT Insulated Mat
Face: 30D/40D liquid-extruded laminate
Insulation: Thermolite HL-1, Exkin Platinum

Sea To Summit Aeros Down Pillow
Fabric: 100% nylon
Bladder: TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane)
Insulation: Duck Down (Min. 85% down)

Sea To Summit SpIV Sleeping Bag

• RDS 850+ Loft Premium Goose ULTRA-DRY Down
• Contoured mummy shape
• Vertical chest baffles and full box baffle construction
• Full-length zipper with top and bottom sliders
• Draft tubing along zipper and draft collar 
• Ultra-Sil Nano compression bag

Sea To Summit Ether Light XT Insulated Mat 

• XT Air Sprung Cells
• Exkin Platinum insulation
• Thermolite insulation
• Liquid-extruded lamination
• Multi-function valve
• Stuff sack with integrated Airstream Pump 
• PillowLock system

Sea To Summit  Aeros Down Pillow

• Premium down cushion-top 
• TPU bladder
• Multi-function mini-valve
• Stuff sack

Sea To Summit never seems to let us down. Their products are always made with high-quality materials and are well suited to their designed purposes. Each item in this sleep system is very compact, lightweight for its class, and designed for comfort and warmth. 

The use of 7D and 10D fabrics used in the Spark SP IV sleeping bag are finer than most seen in outdoor gear. This fabric is not only soft on the skin but really sheds weight and bulk. The SP IV packs down nearly as small as the Sea To Summit Ember EB III (4.2L compressed compared to 6.6L compressed) and is only 133g heavier. Comparing it to another winter bag of a similar comfort rating, the SP IV is a full 260g lighter than the Sierra Designs Nitro 800.

The Ether Light XT Insulated Mat seems to take the cake for insulated mats as well. When packed, it is barely bigger than the Exped Synmat Hyperlite and significantly smaller than the Exped DownMat Lite 5 whose R values are 3.3 and 4.1 respectively (the XT sits in the middle at 3.8). The XT mat includes the integrated Pumpsack and is much thicker than either mat mentioned above, so it’s impressive that it fits in such a small package. If that wasn’t enough, it’s one of the lightest mats we have listed in the sleeping pad reviews. The inflation/deflation valves that Sea To Summit use on the Ether Light XT Insulated Mat are the same as on the Aeros Down Pillow and all of their sleeping bags and pillows for that matter, and are the best in the industry. The inflation adjustment is easy and deflation is instantaneous.

In my opinion, the pillow is a mega luxury item when camping. Even when I car camp, I often just fill my sleeping bags stuff sack with spare clothing which seems to do the trick just fine. That said, the  Aeros Down Pillow is pretty dreamy… it packs up super small, offers extra insulation, and the valves fine-tuning adjustment nib facilitates optimal pillow softness. If you don't mind the extra 70g, it sure beats a lumpy stuff sack.