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Nemo Equipment’s Tensor sleeping pad was my introduction to ultralight sleeping pads. I'll confess that when I unwrapped the Tensor (I went for the insulated version) and inflated it for the first time five years ago, I immediately thought of a hiker joke I’d seen on Reddit: Inflatable sleeping pads are for people who want to sleep on the ground, just not right away.
How would this impossibly thin, light, seemingly fragile pad not leave me on the ground after a few nights on the trail? Fast-forward five years and that same sleeping pad has been under me for over 40 nights now, and it still hasn't left me anywhere but comfortable and well-rested. That's not to say it can't fail—many a pad has left me on the ground over the decades, but the Nemo Tensor is still going strong.
Last fall, the company sent me review samples of its new Tensor line, which has been revamped for 2024 and consists of three pads, each with varying degrees of thickness and R-values (how much insulation the pad provides, which I explain in my Best Sleeping Pads guide), tailored to specific backcountry needs.
The three pads include the Tensor Trail, which is the lightest but has the lowest R-value; the Tensor All-Season, which has an R-value of 5.4; and the Tensor Extreme Conditions, which boasts a whopping 8.5 R-value and has the highest warmth-to-weight ratio on the market.
All three come in four sizes: regular, regular mummy, regular wide, and long wide. Put it all together and that's 12 pads to choose from—from a single lineup from one manufacturer. This is why we have an entire guide devoted to sleeping pads to help you pick the best one for your needs.
Two of these pads, the Tensor Trail and Tensor All-Season, are updates. They see marginal temperature boosts, but the construction remains like previous iterations. Nemo still uses a quilt-like design that helps baffles stay inflated and eliminates that springy sensation you get with vertical baffles. The insulation consists of multiple layers of bonded mylar.
The difference in R-value between the Trail and All-Season comes down to how many layers of insulating metal film each pad has. The Trail uses one layer, the All-Season gets two layers, and the Extreme uses four layers of what Nemo calls Thermal Mirror insulation (a metalized film). It also uses a different baffle type (more on that below). Also new this year is the beefier fabric on the bottom of these pads. Nemo now uses 40-denier nylon on the bottom, up from 30D nylon, which makes it more durable. Take that, Reddit funny guy.
Nemo's new pads are made of Bluesign-approved nylon (Bluesign certification looks at both environmental impact and worker safety) and come with the company's Vortex pump sack, which works well to inflate your bag via the zero-profile valve. I wish there were a standard for these valves so I could use the Nemo pump sack with other pads, but there isn't. There's also a stuff sack to store your pad, with a handy repair kit in the closure flap. The Nemo lifetime warranty covers any manufacturing defects, which is nice, but for more immediate solutions to that much-feared puncture, just remember the repair kit is in the stuff bag.
If you want an all-around sleeping pad that will keep you comfortable not only in the summer but also during those shoulder seasons, the All-Season is the way to go. The All-Season's second layer of mylar film increases the R-value to 5.4 and adds only 2 ounces of weight. The packed size is nearly the same. At only $30 more for a barely heavier pad with almost double the R-value, I think this is the best sleeping pad for most people out of Nemo's current Tensor lineup.
Nemo Equipment Tensor Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Pad
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If you don't need the R-value of the All-Season, and you want to save 2 ounces, the 2024 Tensor Trail remains the lightest Nemo sleeping pad. For 2024, the R-value gets a marginal increase from 2.5 to 2.8, which makes it a summer-only pad. The thickness has increased from 3 to 3.5 inches to match the All-Season. The most amazing thing about the changes here is that it got warmer, thicker, more durable, and … lighter. The weight of the regular size has decreased by 0.4 ounces to a mere 13.5 ounces—a small but welcome decrease. Even the regular wide, which I recommend for most people, is down to 20 ounces.
The new Tensor Trail remains a good pad for ultralight summer backpacking trips. I don't think the differences between this and the previous model are enough to warrant an upgrade if you have the older version, but if you've been hunting for an ultralight pad that's super comfortable and light and packs down small, this is the way to go. I know I said the All-Season is better for three-season use, but I should note that I spent three nights on this pad last fall, and I was plenty warm. The caveat is that I sleep hot.
The final Nemo pad in the 2024 lineup is a brand-new cold-weather sleeping pad, the Tensor Extreme Conditions, designed for cold-weather camping, particularly sleeping on the snow. The Extreme Conditions uses what Nemo calls an Apex baffle design along with four layers of proprietary Thermal Mirror film. It all sounds impressive, and when it was announced, the whole internet seemed enthralled.
After spending a week sleeping on this pad, I can say for sure that it is the lightest and warmest sleeping pad I've ever slept on. That said, I have not had the opportunity to test it down to the lower end of its temperature rating, nor have I slept on snow with it. I can say that the difference in warmth between the Extreme Conditions and the Tensor Trail was, well, extreme. That is to say that I almost immediately noticed the difference when moving from one to the other.
Given the tiny pack size and weight-to-R-value ratio, this also seems like a no-brainer. If I were heading out on a cold-weather trip, this is the pad I would bring. Given the conditions this pad is designed for, I would also bring a closed-cell foam pad like the Therm-a-Rest Z-Lite. The more distance between your sleeping bag and the snow, the better off you will be. While I have no doubt the Extreme does well on snow, having two pads with a combined weight of only 36 ounces and an R-value of 10 is the best of both worlds.
Nemo Equipment Tensor Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Pad
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