UKC

REVIEW: Sea to Summit UltraLight Insulated Mat

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
 UKC/UKH Gear 09 Aug 2016
TobyA, 4 kbLooking for a comfy, light, warm and well made air mattress for all your UK backpacking, bikepacking, camping and bivvying needs? Toby Archer thinks he may just have found it.

Read more
1
 galpinos 09 Aug 2016
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

Cheers for the review Toby. I've seen these and thought they looked good. You might have convinced me to get one for my wife. She has an old Prolite 3 that she has never found that comfy and it's perpetually leaking.

I can then steal it when required.......
1
 simes303 09 Aug 2016
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

You bloody what?
A sleeping mat for over £100?
The people that make them must be pissing themselves laughing.
5
 PPP 09 Aug 2016
In reply to simes303:

Apart from a NeoAir mat, what can you offer to be as light, comfy and warm? Also, what's the volume of your overnight rucksack (without putting stuff outside the sack)?

Some people like lugging 70L sacks for a weekend trip, others like spending a bit more money so they can effectively cut that volume in half...
1
 eschaton 09 Aug 2016
In reply to simes303:
think about the design and testing process, materials, labour, shipping and then the need to make a small profit on each unit and it isnt ridiculous.
You are paying for a premium, or market leading/highly rated product, compared to some of the tat that is churned out I think it is reasonable and about average.

If you have a look at some of the garbage released then you can see where the extra money goes, something lightweight AND with a small pack size AND durable AND comfortable AND well thought out, AND rot proof, in a visually pleasing colour with a clever and reliable valve. They probably make a fiver at most on each unit.
Post edited at 19:16
2
 TobyA 09 Aug 2016
In reply to simes303:

Yes, it's a lot of money compared to a cheap roll mat, but it works better, which is why I wrote "Yes, you can get lighter, or cheaper, or tougher or warmer mats, but not all of these things in one model." Pick whichever is most important to you.

My Ridgerest is 20 years old, has done months of hard use, is OK comfort wise, they are pretty cheap if money puts you off something this one. But definitely not as comfy to sleep on.
 Onions 09 Aug 2016
In reply to eschaton:
Seriously a fiver on each one!!!??? How would that work as a business model? For all the development and research required for a mat like this a fiver per mat would take bloody years to turn a profit.
I'm have no doubt they make a tidy sum here, but I do agree that if you want the best you've got to pay for it. It's comes down to how extreme your requirements are and how much you can afford.
P.S. I sleep on an old £15 foam mat and my arse punishes me every morning I do. But I think £105 May hurt more ; )
1
 BnB 10 Aug 2016
In reply to Onions:

£100 is the price of a single night in a city centre Travelodge. I'd pay that for the possibility of multiple good nights' sleep in the hills.
 munro90 11 Aug 2016
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

They can be had for much less than the RRP, I bought one at the beginning of the summer for around £90 delivered. Cracking bit of kit, don't bottom out at all even though I'm a side sleeper and no problems with punctures as yet. Valve makes inflation and deflation a doddle and it is supplied in a bag which it easily fits in but keeps it compact. Really can't fault it and look forward to testing it out in more challenging conditions as the year progresses.
 TobyA 12 Aug 2016
In reply to munro90:

> Cracking bit of kit, don't bottom out at all

Even just sitting on it? That's what I meant by "literally bottoming out"! Anyway, agreed - great mats. Just saw one of the uninsulated ones in Chamonix today, tiny!
 galpinos 12 Aug 2016
In reply to TobyA:

Smaller than a Neoair?

 simes303 03 Sep 2016
In reply to BnB:

> £100 is the price of a single night in a city centre Travelodge. I'd pay that for the possibility of multiple good nights' sleep in the hills.

Well that's also ridiculous.
 FreshSlate 03 Sep 2016
In reply to BnB:

> £100 is the price of a single night in a city centre Travelodge. I'd pay that for the possibility of multiple good nights' sleep in the hills.

I'd always rather be in the hills if I could help it, although we have to compare apples with apples.

How good is it for sleeping rough in the local park after a night out?

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...