Nemo Gear’s Tensor sleeping pad was my introduction to ultralight sleeping pads. I will confess that after I unwrapped the Tensor (I went for the insulated model) and inflated it for the primary time 5 years in the past, I instantly considered a hiker joke I’d seen on Reddit: Inflatable sleeping pads are for individuals who need to sleep on the bottom, simply not immediately.
How would this impossibly skinny, mild, seemingly fragile pad not go away me on the bottom after just a few nights on the path? Quick-forward 5 years and that very same sleeping pad has been beneath me for over 40 nights now, and it nonetheless hasn’t left me anyplace however snug and well-rested. That is to not say it will probably’t fail—many a pad has left me on the bottom over the many years, however the Nemo Tensor continues to be going sturdy.
Final fall, the corporate despatched me assessment samples of its new Tensor line, which has been revamped for 2024 and consists of three pads, every with various levels of thickness and R-values (how a lot insulation the pad gives, which I clarify in my Best Sleeping Pads guide), tailor-made to particular backcountry wants.
Three Little Pads
The three pads embody the Tensor Trail, which is the lightest however has the bottom 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 best warmth-to-weight ratio in the marketplace.
All three are available in 4 sizes: common, common mummy, common vast, and lengthy vast. Put all of it collectively and that is 12 pads to select from—from a single lineup from one producer. That is why we’ve a complete guide devoted to sleeping pads that can assist you choose the perfect one to your wants.
{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson
Two of those pads, the Tensor Path and Tensor All-Season, are updates. They see marginal temperature boosts, however the development stays like earlier iterations. Nemo nonetheless makes use of a quilt-like design that helps baffles keep inflated and eliminates that springy sensation you get with vertical baffles. The insulation consists of a number of layers of bonded mylar.
The distinction in R-value between the Path and All-Season comes all the way down to what number of layers of insulating steel movie every pad has. The Path makes use of one layer, the All-Season will get two layers, and the Excessive makes use of 4 layers of what Nemo calls Thermal Mirror insulation (a metalized movie). It additionally makes use of a distinct baffle sort (extra on that beneath). Additionally new this 12 months is the beefier material on the underside of those pads. Nemo now makes use of 40-denier nylon on the underside, up from 30D nylon, which makes it extra sturdy. Take that, Reddit humorous man.
Nemo’s new pads are fabricated from Bluesign-approved nylon (Bluesign certification seems at each environmental affect and employee security) and include the corporate’s Vortex pump sack, which works effectively to inflate your bag through the zero-profile valve. I want there have been an ordinary for these valves so I might use the Nemo pump sack with different pads, however there is not. There’s additionally a stuff sack to retailer your pad, with a useful restore package within the closure flap. The Nemo lifetime guarantee covers any manufacturing defects, which is sweet, however for extra fast options to that much-feared puncture, simply bear in mind the restore package is within the stuff bag.
All-Season All of the Means
In order for you an all-around sleeping pad that may maintain you snug not solely in the summertime but in addition throughout these shoulder seasons, the All-Season is the way in which to go. The All-Season’s second layer of mylar movie will increase the R-value to five.4 and provides solely 2 ounces of weight. The packed measurement is almost the identical. At solely $30 extra for a barely heavier pad with virtually double the R-value, I feel that is the perfect sleeping pad for most individuals out of Nemo’s present Tensor lineup.
{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson
