Sea to Summit Comfort Deluxe SI Review

The feel of this mat is very similar to others we reviewed due to its 30D knit polyester fabric. Four inches of foam core thickness keep you warm and well off the ground and allow plenty of leeway to half inflate that pad if you prefer a softer, squishier sleeping experience. The catch to this king of comfort? Packing it away is a wrestling match.

Performance Comparison

It's easy to get up with the sun after a good night's sleep, which is what our testers got from this comfortable camping mat.

Photo: Matt Bento

Comfort

Comfort is the most important consideration in camping mat, and you'll hear no complaints from us in terms of feeling good and falling asleep on the Comfort Deluxe.

We tested the large-wide size, which measures 6'7" long and 29" wide, and we had plenty of room to toss and turn without fear of rolling off the pad. The top material is soft, and we never experienced the dreaded sweaty mattress stickiness. When it comes to firmness, the one-way valve will let you inflate this pad as firmly as your lungs allow, or feather the valve by pressing it down until your desired level of softness is achieved. The Comfort Deluxe has high vertical sidewalls that don't collapse when your nighttime migrations bring you to the edge of the pad.

A breeze to inflate and super warm, even on a cold truck bed.

Photo: Laurel Hunter

Ease of Use

Self-inflation is what sets the Comfort Deluxe apart from the rest of the camping mattress pack. While some models took up to ten minutes or longer to self-inflate, we could watch as the Comfort Deluxe inflated before our eyes. This thing sucks in air like a surfacing whale, taking one long audible breath. We attribute this quick inflation to Sea-to-Summit's Delta-Core Technology.

Instead of a solid slab of foam, the foam inside of the Comfort Deluxe has triangle-shaped chambers to help cut weight and bulk, but we also feel this design helps the pad spring back into shape quickly while creating a vacuum inside the pad. This mattress does not come with a pump device to add air, so you have to add additional air by mouth. Luckily, five to six full breaths will top off this pad to maximum firmness.

There is a two way valve for inflation and deflation. You can twist it around during deflation, but our testers prefer a dedicated deflation valve.

Photo: Laurel Hunter

This mattress does not roll up and pack away so easily, however. The two-way valve can be flipped around so you can squeeze the air out of the pad without it re-inflating, but this still doesn't work as well as a one-way valve dedicated to deflation. One tester had to re-roll it three times to get it small enough to slide into the storage sack. This is not a huge deal if you're only packing it away a few times a year, but if you camp often, this could quickly become an annoyance.

It takes full body weight to get this rolled up small enough to fit in the storage sack.

Photo: Laurel Hunter

Warmth

With an R-Value of 6.5, the Comfort Deluxe is plenty warm for most camping trips, most of the year. We slept on this pad when the temperature dropped into the upper 20s without ever feeling the cold ground.

One thing we did notice on a cold night after a warm day was that the pad lost some of its firmness overnight. Not by air loss, but because of pressure loss due to slow cooling of the air inside the pad. Because of the thickness and the shape of the air chambers, there is a lot of air in this pad, and it's more sensitive to pressure changes than other foam pads. Take this as a useful observation for the discerning sleeper since it didn't detract from the slumber time of any of our testers.

Versatility

This pad is available in three sizes: regular wide, large wide, and double. We tested the large wide version. When purchasing any of these plush mats, keep the size of your tent in mind. Any tent that can hold two of these will need to be at least 58 inches wide and 51 inches for the double. If you're mainly in the market for a super comfy guest bed, this pad is an excellent choice, and your visitors will thank you.

Packed Size

This pad is similar in size to other self-inflating mattresses of this type, both stored and ready for use. That means it takes up a significant amount of space even when rolled up and crammed into its storage sleeve when it takes up 7.5 by 25 inches of premium space in your trunk or closet.

If space is not a big concern, the Comfort Deluxe is an excellent option without sacrificing comfort; just remember that you'll have to work a bit to get it back inside the storage sleeve.

The Comfort Deluxe (far right) packs down to about the same size as other mattresses in the same style, but with a smaller storage sack.

Photo: Laurel Hunter

Value

This mattress is comfortable, warm, and excels at self-inflation. It is a bit more expensive than other models in the test, but not outrageously so, especially considering how well you will sleep on it. We find it to be a good value.

Warm, comfortable, and set up is a piece of cake.

Photo: Laurel Hunter

Conclusion