Sea to Summit All-Rounder Sleep System: Tested
When it comes to outdoor sleep systems, Sea to Summit has been at the forefront of continued product development, fine-tuning its sleeping bags, sleeping mats and even its pillow range to improve the quality of your sleep when out in the wild. The new All-Rounder Sleep System is a prime example of this ‘always improving and innovating’ ethos and is comprised of three products: the Hamelin Synthetic Sleeping Bag, Pursuit Self Inflating (SI) Mat, and the Aeros Down Pillow. In combo, these three products are designed to optimise your night-time comfort.
Design
The Hamelin Synthetic Sleeping Bag, as its moniker suggests, uses synthetic Revive Loft insulation, and is what Sea to Summit dubs a ‘Contour’ design – that translates to a relaxed mummy shape. The outer shell is 20-denier (D) fabric, with a non-PFAS water-repellent finish. Both this and the Revive Loft insulation are aimed at ensuring that, even if the bag gets wet, it will still offer a modicum of warmth. The ubiquitous YKK zips feature throughout, and work with the ‘Free-Flow zip system’ (a longer zip through the footbox, combined with a half-length zip down the side) to provide plenty of ventilation adjustment. The technical hood is also large enough to – you guessed it – fit an Aeros Pillow inside, too, while there are the usual draft collar and draft tubes. The Hamelin is available in two temperature ratings (-1 and -9 degrees Celsius). There are two sizes available – Regular (for users up to 185cm) and Long (for users up to 198cm). We went with the Long version for our test, although testers varied in height over the time period. Weights start at 1220g (Regular -1C model) and top out at 1941g for the -9C Long.
That Contour shape also carries over to the Pursuit SI Sleeping Mat. The Pursuit SI is made of 20D polyester, is 5cm thick, and is available in four sizes: Regular, Large, Regular Rectangular and Large Rectangular Wide. Our test unit is the Large (760g) and able to fit tall timbers of up to 198cm in height. Unique features of the Pursuit SI include the Horizontal Delta Coring (the internal horizontal cores are delta-shaped), which removes a claimed 40 per cent of the mat’s foam, thus keeping weight (and packed size) down. Finally, there’s the excellent Sea to Summit XPEL valve, a single unit that is a triple combo of a deflation port, one-way inflation port and a button you can use to fine-tune the mat’s air volume. Oh, and finally, there’s a side-loading stuff sack.
Finishing off the All-Rounder Sleep System is the Aeros Down Pillow (in Deluxe Grey for our test). It’s very light in weight (190g) and uses a TPU internal air bladder and top layer down cushion to provide comfort. A neat inclusion is the Pillow Lock, which attaches to the Pillow Lock tabs on all of Sea to Summit’s sleeping mats.
Yep, the three components of the All-Rounder Sleep System all sound impressive individually, but how do they perform in combination? Well…
In the field
Over a month of testing, the All-Rounder Sleep System has been used for hike- and paddle-based overnight/multi-day adventures. For the hiking trips, the compact size of the Pursuit SI, when packed, has been a boon. The Hamelin packs down to a reasonable size too, although as with any hiker/paddler/bike tourer, we always wish our sleeping bags were smaller (and lighter) when packed, with the Hamelin one more example of that.
Having said that, the Hamelin rewards the effort of being carried with plenty of warmth and comfort. In fact, out of the three components of this system, testers have found the Hamelin the most impressive; the relatively roomy Contour shape and warm fill, combined with the ability to utilise the Free-Flow zip system to fine-tune ventilation if/when it gets too toasty (even to the point of opening the bag up totally to serve as a doona), are all excellent. That ‘oversized’ hood works brilliantly with the Aeros Down Pillow when it came to putting our collective heads down for the nights, too. And speaking of the pillow, a few testers own or have used other Sea to Summit pillows, such as the Aeros Premium Deluxe and the Ultralight, and remarked positively on the comparable comfort levels of the Aeros Down variant. Some side-sleeping testers thought it was a bit ‘low’, but adding a layer of apparel under it soon sorted that.
No outdoor adventure is ever overly rushed, but even with time not being a factor, the ability of the Pursuit SI to be both inflated and deflated very quickly, thanks to that excellent XPEL valve, has been much appreciated. It’s worth pointing out that as much as everyone loves a fast-deflating mat when packing up camp in the mornings (and it is notably quick to deflate), it was that nifty fine-tune button to adjust comfort levels that was most appreciated. Yeah, it sounds a bit over the top when thinking of all that perceived ‘fussing about’ but being able to quickly tweak the firmness levels of the mat was very welcome. Oh, and the ease of use of the side-loading stuff sack cannot be understated, either!
Overall, the All-Rounder Sleep System has done exactly what Sea to Summit aimed for it to do when it was designed: provide a comfortable night’s sleep in a range of conditions and when used for a variety of outdoor activities. Yes, it’s pricey, and most testers wished the Hamelin packed down a little smaller, but every outdoor enthusiast wishes the same thing, regardless of whether it’s this bag or even an ultralight bag. This was never considered a deal-breaker, especially when offset by what the Hamelin offers in payback for that in terms of comfort, warmth and overall versatility, plus its robust construction. The Pursuit SI and the Aeros Down Pillow proved the perfect complements to the Hamelin in how they operated within the complete sleep system, too.
The not-so-final word on the Sea to Summit All-Rounder Sleep System
The All-Rounder Sleep System will be staying with Aus Geo ADVENTURE for a few months yet. With the Hamelin’s -9-degree Celsius rating, we are very keen to see how it performs in colder conditions over autumn and winter.
For now, all testers agree that this complete sleep system from Sea to Summit has performed very well throughout and is worth the considerable investment; having used Sea to Summit sleep gear for decades we reckon over the longer term of use, that investment will be paid back with reliable performance. Each individual product’s design features work well separately, while performing to the wider design brief when used with the other products in this system.
Combining a sleeping bag, self-inflating mat and pillow to create a ‘sleep system’ sounds simple in theory, but there are several specific factors that can upset how a combo such as this will work. Sea to Summit’s All-Rounder Sleep System shows how it can work – and work very well – when extensive experience is applied to the design of such a set-up.
Look for our long-term review of the All-Rounder later this year.
What it costs
Hamelin Synthetic Sleeping Bag -9 (Regular) $329.99
Pursuit Self-Inflating Sleeping Mat (Regular) $229.99
Aeros Down Pillow (Regular) $99.99
Customise your sleep system to suit your adventure—and save 20% at Sea to Summit.
