Two sleeping pads worth lining up side by side. They score within a hair of each other, so it comes down to the details below.
| Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Insulated | Sea to Summit Ether Light XT | |
|---|---|---|
| GearScore | 84✓ | 84 |
| Warmth (R-value) | 4.1 R | 4.1 R |
| Weight | 16.6 oz | 16.6 oz✓ |
| Warmth-to-weight | 0.87 R/100g | 0.87 R/100g✓ |
| Packed size | 1.66 L✓ | 1.95 L |
| Thickness | 3.9 in | 3.9 in✓ |
| Durability | 39 /100 | 39 /100 |
| Price | $189 | $189 |
| Features | 3Pump sack included, Two-way valve, Repair kit included✓ | 1Pump sack included |
| Type | Inflatable | Inflatable |
| Shape | Tapered | n/s |
Highlighted cells mark the better spec: Ether Light XR Insulated in blue, Ether Light XT in amber. A blank spec is never counted as a win. GearScore is the rating for the Overall use-case (0 to 100). Pick another above to re-score. Prices are current MSRP.
The Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Insulated and Sea to Summit Ether Light XT take different routes to the same job. They are close enough that this really is about which handful of specs you weight most.
The Ether Light XR Insulated is a touch more packable. The Ether Light XT is 1 oz lighter, stronger on warmth-to-weight, and thicker for more cushion. Their GearScores land within a couple of points (84 vs 84), so neither runs away with it.
Pick the Ether Light XR Insulated if you care most about packability, which makes it the better call for saving space in your pack. Pick the Ether Light XT if low weight and warmth-to-weight matter more to you, or you are focused on counting grams on long miles.
The Sea to Summit Ether Light XT. It is 1 oz lighter than the Ether Light XR Insulated.
The Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Insulated. It is a touch more packable than the Ether Light XT.
They are nearly tied at 84 and 84 on the default algorithm, so re-weight the score to your own priorities to break the tie.
It depends on your priorities. Go with the Ether Light XR Insulated for packability, or the Ether Light XT for low weight. The spec table above shows exactly where each wins.