Best Sea To Summit Sleeping Bags and Mats
Light and priced, but middling comfort and so noisy! – Note: this review is the for the Insulated version circa 2018/2019. The Good: * It's quite affordable - half the cost of a typical Thermarest, and… Read more
cheaper than equivalent Expeds. * Warm enough for three-season use in most areas, without being too warm. * Inflates fast, good valve setup. * Reasonably light and rolls up to a compact bundle.
The Bad: * Pad thickness is noticeably less than the typical ~70mm of other inflatable pads, and the waffle air cells just aren't as comfortable as linear baffles. Especially if you're a side sleeper. * The squeaking and noise of moving about/rolling on the mat will likely drive you insane. It'll definitely drive your tent or hut companions or anyone else within earshot insane. Original versions of the Thermarest NeoAir Xlite were heavily criticised for the "crinkling" noise they made. Having owned/used both, the Sea To Summit UL mats are far worse.
Bottom Line: It's a decent enough mat but the noise pretty much ruined any chance of decent sleep on a six-day trip. It was promptly returned and exchanged for the equivalent spec Exped which still serves me well to this day. I'm told Sea To Summit have since improved the design and made both the sleeping surface and interior insulation system quieter, but can't vouch for this.
A wonderfully warm, compact and light winter sleeping bag – The Good: * High quality 850 fill power goose down for great warmth (-8 degree C at "Comfort") at light weight (880gm for regular size) * Lofts up… Read more
quickly. * Packs down wonderfully small - though you'll need to buy a separate compression sack to achieve this. * Silnylon shell fabrics feel lovely to the touch and have proved surprisingly durable, given how thin they are. * Comes with separate storage bag to protect down when not in use. * Though it's hardly "cheap", it is quite reasonably priced given the specs and performance.
The Bad: * Sea to Summit use a locking zip on all their bags (that I've owned anyway) - they all seem to work in the most unintuitive manner and refuse to unlock when you're in a hurry to get out of the bag! Please, just use a regular zip! The zip also tends to catch on the ultra thin shell material though to be fair, all bags of a similar design do the same, you just need to be careful when using the zip. * Part of being a warm yet light/compact sleeping bag is a snug fit that minimises dead space/material and air gaps. The bag can definitely feel a bit constrictive if you're broad shouldered or just used to rectangular bags. * Does seem to have a tendency to form condensation on the top of the bag's shell fabric when it's cold. * This isn't the fault of a -8 degree C bag, of course, but unless you're a particularly cold sleeper or only camp at altitude, a seriously warm sleeping bag like this isn't going to be comfortable over the warmer months. Definitely a cold weather/snow camping bag only. (The less-lofted Spark II and III versions are better general purpose sleeping bags for most people.)
Bottom Line: For the money, the Spark IV (and its female equivalent, the Flame IV) is a high performing sleeping bag, with great warmth and low weight. Combined with an appropriate high R-value mat, it's a solid sleep system for winter trips in the snow and above the treeline.