R-value carries the warmth; thickness decides whether your hip lands · review
The thickest mat in this group to publish a 4.3 R-value, with a reversible valve, a body-mapped core, a field repair kit and patches to lock a pillow to it.
A Camp Plus SI sleeping mat, rectangular, regular.
Sea to Summit states a four-season, 2.6-inch thick foam pad with a 4.3 R-value stated to insulate all but the coldest ground; a multi-function reversible valve for fast inflation, one-way deflation and fine-tuning of air pressure, updated with an xpel valve for tighter rolls; an innovative coring technique keeping body contact areas warm and supported while minimizing bulk, with body-mapped air zone construction; a durable 75D polyester face fabric and a rectangular shape; and a regular measuring 72 by 25.2 inches, packing to 13 by 7.5 inches at 3.2 pounds, including a stuff sack, a field repair kit and PillowLock patches.
No standard named.
The same figure as a mat an inch thinner.
Both mats in this group publish 4.3. This one is 2.6 inches; the other is 1.5.
This shelf’s introduction explains why both can hold and why it matters: R-value carries the warmth, thickness decides whether your hip lands.
So the two are equally warm on paper and not equally comfortable for the same sleeper. The inch costs a pound of weight and a bigger pack.
Why a self-inflating mat packs small or does not.
One way, air in fast while the foam expands. The other way, one-way out, so the mat does not suck air back as it is rolled. In between, a bleed to set the firmness.
Trapped air in the foam is what stops a tight roll, which is why the valve is a feature here rather than a fitting — and why the listing names an xpel version of it.
Foam taken out where it does least.
Body contact areas kept warm and supported; bulk minimized elsewhere; air zones mapped to the body. In practice, holes through the core in the low-load regions.
It is the only construction explanation on this shelf besides a two-density foam mat — and at 3.2 pounds this is still the heaviest mat here.
Not an accessory.
A self-inflating mat fails at a puncture or a seam, and a mat that cannot be patched in the field is a night on the ground.
Two mats in this group supply a repair kit. The four foam mats cannot puncture at all, and one air mat supplies a kit as well.
PillowLock patches are the other small thing: a pillow that stays where it is put is worth more at three in the morning than most figures on this page.
Sea to Summit’s instructions carry the valve and the repair. Nothing here replaces them, and nothing on this page describes any product as safe.
The American Amazon store was listing it at about $99 at the time of writing.
Every figure here is what Keepa held on the day this page was last revised. Offers and prices shift without warning.
Prices quoted in this text were read on October 8, 2026. The live price is at the top of the page.
| R-value | 4.3 R-value, published, stated to insulate all but the coldest ground — the joint-highest in this group |
|---|---|
| Standard quoted | None |
| Thickness | 2.6 inches of foam — the thickest self-inflating mat in this group |
| Packed size | Packs to 13 × 7.5 in |
| Weight | 3.2 pounds — about 1.45 kg (3.2 lb), the heaviest mat in this group |
| Width | 25.2 inches — about 64 cm (25.2 in) |
| Length | 72 inches — about 183 cm (72 in) |
| Fabric denier | 75D polyester face fabric — the joint-thickest in this group |
| Inflation method | Self-inflating, through a multi-function reversible valve for fast inflation, one-way deflation and fine pressure adjustment, updated with an xpel valve for tighter rolls |
| Amazon reference | B0GFY2WTVL |
| EAN | 9327868168286 |
An inch of thickness. Both mats in this group publish 4.3; this one is 2.6 inches thick and the other is 1.5. This shelf's introduction says why both can be true and why it matters: R-value carries the warmth, and thickness decides whether a side sleeper’s hip reaches the ground through a compressed mat. So the two mats are equally warm on the published figure and not equally comfortable for the same sleeper. The cost of the inch is weight — 3.2 pounds against 2.2 — and pack size.
Three things in one fitting. Set one way it lets air in fast while the foam expands; set the other it is one-way, so the mat deflates without sucking air back as it is rolled; and in between it bleeds pressure to fine-tune firmness. The listing adds an xpel valve for tighter rolls. On a self-inflating mat the valve is the part that decides how small it packs, because trapped air in the foam is what stops a tight roll — which is why this is a feature rather than a fitting.
Taking foam out where it does least. The listing describes a coring technique that keeps body contact areas warm and supported while minimizing bulk, with body-mapped air zones that insulate where needed and reduce weight where it is not. In practice that means holes punched through the foam core in the low-load regions, so the mat keeps its thickness and loses mass. It is the only construction explanation on this shelf besides a two-density foam mat — and at 3.2 pounds it is the heaviest mat here even after the coring.
Close prices, same category: comparable camping gear. We keep only the specifications all of them publish, because a column with gaps compares nothing.
| Model | Price | R-value | Thickness | Packed size | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea to Summit Camp Plus SI, regular | $99 | 4.3 R-value, published, stated to insulate all but the coldest ground — the joint-highest in this group | 2.6 inches of foam — the thickest self-inflating mat in this group | Packs to 13 × 7.5 in | 3.2 pounds — about 1.45 kg (3.2 lb), the heaviest mat in this group |
| Gear Doctors Oxylus self-inflating mat | $51 | 4.3 R-value, published, from a hybrid air-foam core — the joint-highest in this group | 1.5 in — 3.8 cm. The thinnest mat in this group to publish a 4.3 R-value | 8 in (20 cm) × 12 in (30 cm) | 35.2 oz — 997 g |
| Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Original | $50 | R-value 1.7, published — the lowest figure in this group | Not published as a figure. The folded height of 5.5 inches over four folds implies a thin pad; the construction is dimpled molded foam | 20 × 5 × 5.5 in folded, accordion-style | 14 ounces — about 397 g (14 oz) |
| Gear Doctors Ether air mat, 17.5 oz | $32 | 2 R-value, published, stated for spring and summer camping | Variable and published both ways: 3.35 in at the edges tapering to 2.36 in at the center — the only variable thickness in this group | 8.6 in high by 3.1 in diameter — the smallest pack in this group | 17.5 oz — about 496 g (17.5 oz) |
Cold ground and a wide rectangular bed, carried by car rather than on a back
Amazon reports what buyers took in the month before this page was last checked: at least 200.
The figure is a floor, rounded by Amazon, and read through Keepa — it says what buyers picked, not what a maker claims.
Specifications: the manufacturer sheet for camping and hiking gear and the matching Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure on this page names its source.
R 2.1, standard unnamed · XPE foam with aluminum film · 70.8 × 23.6 × 0.36 in · 0.7 lb
A folding XPE foam mat with a heat-reflective aluminum film and a published insulation rating of 2.1 — "tested to standard", with the standard never named.
Best for: A foam layer that packs flat rather than rolled, with a figure behind its warmth
≈ $25
531 g (18.7 oz) · 190 × 60 cm (74.8 × 23.6 in) inflated and 225 × 70 cm (88.6 × 27.6 in) flat · 40D material · inflated by breath · repair kit included · no R-value
A 531 g (18.7 oz) mat that publishes both its flat and its inflated dimensions — an honest distinction most listings skip — and no thickness and no R-value.
Best for: Lightweight trips where 531 g (18.7 oz) and a 190 cm (74.8 in) sleeping length are the specification, and warmth comes from the bag.
Built-in foot pump · 40D nylon/TPU · 78 × 27 in · 3 in in one line, 8 in in the next
The widest mat in this group at twenty-seven inches, with a built-in foot pump, a built-in pillow and side buttons to join two together — and a thickness published as three inches and as eight.
Best for: Two mats buttoned into a double bed, with no separate pump or pillow to pack
≈ $30
