Sea to Summit Comfort Deluxe Sleeping Pad Review
An in-depth review of this self-inflating camping mattress that will keep you comfortable and warm
September 12th, 2025
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Our verdict
The Sea to Summit Comfort Deluxe is the camping mat with everything we want in a camping pad—comfort, convenience, and flexibility—at a reasonable price. Even though it was bumped from its previous reigning title of Best Overall Camping Mattress, we still love the Sea to Summit Deluxe for its self-inflating abilities and options for customization of firmness on the double pad.
We tested the Sea to Summit Comfort Deluxe on the damp Wisconsin ground in spring and the coldest, hardest concrete we could find (including a walk-in fridge). We've spent the past year testing the Comfort Deluxe on weekend trips in national parks to months on end while at sleepaway camps in the Midwest and California.
This air mattress is comfortable at over 4 inches thick (our measurements out in the field proved slightly thicker than what’s listed online). You can easily make the pad harder or softer by blowing air in or letting air out of the one-way valve. This makes the Sea to Summit Comfort Deluxe ideal for both side sleepers and back sleepers who want a warm sleeping experience while camping.
Our biggest complaints with the Comfort Deluxe are the slow deflation time and its pack down size (it’s near impossible to get back into the original pack bag).
Nonetheless, it is a beloved mattress of our testers that gave us one of the most comfortable nights of sleep while camping. It is worthy of consideration for your campsite for its comfort, ease of use, and value.
Sea to Summit Comfort Deluxe
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Sea to Summit Comfort DeLuxe Specifications
| Size | Regular-Wide | Long Wide | Double |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $249 | $299 | $389 |
| R-Value | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Weight | 4 lbs 6 oz | 5 lbs 13 oz | 9 lbs 13 oz |
| Width | 25 in | 29 in | 51 in |
| Length | 72 in | 79 in | 79 in |
Comparison Table
| CAMPING MATTRESS | THICKNESS (IN) | R-VALUE | SELF-INFLATING? | WEIGHT (LBS) | PACKED SIZE (IN) | DIMENSIONS AVAILABLE (IN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea to Summit Comfort Deluxe SI Sleeping Pad | 4.00 | 6.5 | Yes | 3.5 | 7.5 x 25 | 72 x 25, 79 x 29, 79 x 51 |
| Therm-a-Rest MondoKing 3D | 4.25 | 7.0 | Yes | 4.4 | 7 x 26 | 25 x 77, 30 x 80 |
| Exped MegaMat Duo | 4.00 | 8.1 | Yes | 7.5 (medium) | 11x22 (medium) | Queen, Long-Wide Plus Duo, Medium Duo |
| Hest Dually | 4.00 | 8.8 | No | 20.0 | 7.6 x 25 | 7 options |
| Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft Sleeping Mattress | 4.60 | 4.7 | No - but there is a pump bag | 1.6 | 5.7 x 9.5 | 73 x 22, 73 x 26, 78 x 26 |
What we liked
Truly self-inflating
Soft, comfortable material
Ability to adjust firmness on the double mattress
What could be better
Deflation
Pack down size
Who is it for
People looking to upgrade their camping sleep system for a reasonable price
Cold sleepers, side sleepers, and stomach sleepers
Car campers and van-lifers who sleep outside year round
How we tested
We tested the Sea to Summit Comfort Deluxe over the past year, camping from the Midwest and California. We used the Comfort Deluxe during the cold Wisconsin spring, as well as tested it on concrete. We even used the Comfort Deluxe as a blanket on a chilly school bus while running outdoor wilderness programs.
Performance in the field
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With an R-value of 6.5 and 4 inches of thickness, the Comfort Deluxe is warm enough to accommodate most temperatures year round. Other reviews online report sleeping through nights with temperatures dropping into the 20s (F) and the Comfort Deluxe kept them toasty.
All of this makes the Comfort Deluxe a great option for the cold, suitable for situations where you may need a 4-season tent.
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The fabric is knit polyester, which is soft, comfortable, and relatively quiet when rolling around at night. Additionally, Sea to Summit sells separately a silk-cotton hostel-approved liner that works with this pad or for warm nights where you don't want a sleeping bag. We found that the combination of thickness, comfortable and quiet material, plus the walls of the mattress that don’t compress even if you roll towards the edge, made for extremely comfy nights sleeping under the stars.
One tester slept on three different sleeping pads three nights in a row and proclaimed that the Sea to Summit Comfort Deluxe to be the most comfortable of all of them. He's since purchased his own Comfort Deluxe and has taken it on every camping trip since.
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It’s rare to find a 4-inch sleeping mat that truly self-inflates, but in our testing, the Comfort Deluxe inflated to a comfortable level within 10 minutes in cool weather. On a hot sunny day, it was ready for sleep in less than a minute. That’s a tremendous convenience when you need to set up quickly.
The catch is that this same system is relatively hard to deflate and pack up, as the foam doesn’t compress quickly (good at night, but bad in the morning if you’re trying to get moving!). While we could lie on the pad and mostly deflate with relative ease, we were never able to get it fully folded back into the original stuff sack. While this has also been a challenge for other mattresses we’ve tested, the Comfort Deluxe is the most difficult.
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The Comfort Deluxe is quite slim and easy to transport in its packed down size (the Regular Wide packing down to 7 inches x 26.5), but isn’t easy to transport when outside of the bag. This is a challenge because one of our biggest complaints about the Comfort Deluxe is how difficult it is to roll up and get it back in the bag.
This pad is quite large and may not be ideal for those without storage. We recommend purchasing a secondary, larger bag to hold it, rather than try to get it back to its original packed size. This is common with self-inflating pads, which are very difficult to get back to their original size due to the natural tendency to inflate.
The result is some lost time packing up—but you can easily make up for that with practice.
Features
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The interior of the Comfort Deluxe is made of Sea to Summit’s proprietary Delta Core technology foam. This looks like a pattern of triangles going horizontal across the mattress where there is negative space in the PU foam (where the air goes) while still keeping a layer of foam on the top and bottom of the mattress. Ultimately, this makes for maximum comfort while minimizing weight and bulk.
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The Comfort Deluxe uses 30D polyester knitted fabric on the top half of the mattress, and 75D polyester for the base, making it more resistant to rips and tears.
Sea to Summit also created their own Pillow Lock system at the head of the mattress, which allows for any camping pillow to hook onto the pad exterior, and ensures your pillow doesn’t slip. All Sea to Summit pillows are compatible with the Pillow Lock, but they also provide you with self-adhesive hook-and-loop patches to make any camping pillow compatible.
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The Comfort Deluxe uses Sea to Summit’s multi-function valve, which combines the inflation port, deflation port, and firmness tuning button all in one valve.
The Double Comfort Deluxe comes with a valve on each side of the pad, allowing for sleepers to inflate and adjust the fitness to their personal preference.
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Using the deflation port on the multi-function bag, the Comfort Deluxe should be able to roll up into its original size and fit back into the stuff sack (7x 26.5”, 7 x 31”, and 10 x 27” respectively). Rolled up, it should be similar to the size of a generic camping chair or camping table.
(Again, we struggled to get it back into the stuff sack, even with the handy dandy deflation port.)
Should I buy the Sea to Summit Comfort Deluxe?
Buy if you are a car camper, or someone living part-time in your van or vehicle, and want a comfortable and warm mattress that can perform in all-seasons.
Skip if you’re on a tight budget or don’t go car camping very often in the chillier months. Also, if you’re concerned about time when breaking down camp (hard to pack) and or concerned about storage space (it’s a bit bulky).
Where to buy
The Sea to Summit Comfort Deluxe SI Sleeping Pad is a popular gear item, so you have options when it comes to retailers. Here are some of the pros of the retailers.
REI
Pros: 100% satisfaction policy for 1 year; 10% dividend for members.
Backcountry
Pros: Frequent sales for Expedition Perks members (free to join), fast shipping, Gearhead chat customer service is excellent
Similar products
Therm-a-Rest MondoKing 3D
Thickness: 4.25 inches
R-value: 7
Self-inflating: Yes
Weight (lbs): 4.4 lbs (regular)
Packed Size: Long Wide: 7.5 x 31 inches (regular)
Dimensions Available: L: 25"W x 77"L | XXL: 30"W x 80"L
Surface Material: 50D top and bottom
Why we like it: Durability, insulation, comfort, generous length and wider dimensions than other mats, ease of warranty and repair program
What we don't like: Surface fabric isn't quite as soft as others
The Therm-a-Rest MondoKing won our Best Overall Camping Mattress for its comfort and warmth. With a generous thickness of 4.25 inches and an R-value of 7, the MondoKing feels warm on cold nights and comfortable on uneven ground. We found its inflate/deflate valves to make it one of the fastest pack-down times in the morning, making it a good alternative to the Comfort Deluxe for folks who don’t want to worry about slow deflation.
Therm-a-Rest MondoKing 3D
Thickness: 2.5"
R-value: 7.6
Self-inflating: Yes
Weight (lbs): 3 lbs. 10 oz. (Reg) / 5 lbs. 4 oz. (XL)
Packed Size: 5.5" x 26" | 8.5" x 30"
Dimensions available: Regular: 72" x 25" | XL: 78" x 30"
Surface Material: 150D
Why we like it: Value for the price, quick self-inflation, quiet when rolling around, stays cool and dry in humidity, durable enough for teenagers, lots of insulation
What we didn't like: Not as thick or comfortable as other pads, the surface material is not as soft as other pads
At a reasonably priced $119, the REI Campwell is more expensive than a foam folding mattress, but it is much more comfortable and is still affordable for an inflatable sleeping pad. It's thinner than other sleeping pads we considered and could also double as a backpacking sleeping pad. The Campwell might be a better choice than the Comfort Deluxe for folks who are on a budget or want a pad that is light and packs down small.
REI Co-Op Campwell Sleeping Pad
Thickness: 4in
R-value: 8.8
Self-inflating: No
Weight (lbs): 20.0
Packed Size: 64 x 25 x 7.8
Dimensions available: 7 options
Surface Material: Bottom - 75D Polyester, Top - 50D Polyester / TPU Polyether Film Laminate
Why we like it: As comfortable as our home mattress, removable cover for cleaning, folds in half to transport, doubles as a couch, dirt and water-resistant bottom, lots of sizes with some made to fit in a van
What we don't like: expensive
The HEST Dually won our Most Comfortable Camping Mattress, and for good reason. Treeline Review writer Sam Schild writes, “As a full-time van dweller, I sleep on a HEST Dually mattress whenever I’m not in the backcountry. I’ve slept in many places, but I never dreamed that a camping mattress would be the most comfortable mattress I’ve ever slept on.” If you are going to be spending a lot of nights outside (or outside in your car), and have it in your budget, the HEST Dually might be for you.
Read Sam Schild’s in-depth, long-term review of the Hest Dually for all the details.
Hest Dually
Why you should trust us / About the author
Micah Leinbach runs BOAT (the Bus for Outdoor Access & Teaching), a non-profit focused on helping make it easier for people to get out on camping trips. As a guide and program administrator for the last decade, he and his teams have rolled out, rolled up, rolled around on, blown up, patched, and (of course) slept on hundreds of camp pads.
Sleeping pads have kept Micah warm and separated from ice shelves he’s carved into beds in quinzhees, stopped him from slipping onto cactus-infested desert rock faces, and in one case, kept him just a few critical inches above a flash flood.
He’s used a camping mattress to get comfortable nights of sleep in cars, tents, hammocks, and right out on the ground, and brings that experience to his review here.
You can find all reviews by Micah on his author page.
