Nemo Gear’s Tensor sleeping pad was my introduction to ultralight sleeping pads. I am going to confess that once 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 wish to sleep on the bottom, simply not straight away.
How would this impossibly skinny, mild, seemingly fragile pad not go away me on the bottom after a number of nights on the path? Quick-forward 5 years and that very same sleeping pad has been underneath me for over 40 nights now, and it nonetheless hasn’t left me wherever however snug and well-rested. That is to not say it might probably’t fail—many a pad has left me on the bottom over the a long time, however the Nemo Tensor continues to be going sturdy.
Final fall, the corporate despatched me evaluate 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 offers, 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 available on the market.
All three are available in 4 sizes: common, common mummy, common broad, and lengthy broad. 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 very best 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 building 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 right down to what number of layers of insulating metallic 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 unique baffle sort (extra on that under). Additionally new this yr 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 to be at each environmental affect and employee security) and include the corporate’s Vortex pump sack, which works effectively to inflate your bag by way of the zero-profile valve. I want there have been a normal for these valves so I may use the Nemo pump sack with different pads, however there is not. There’s additionally a stuff sack to retailer your pad, with a helpful restore package within the closure flap. The Nemo lifetime guarantee covers any manufacturing defects, which is sweet, however for extra instant options to that much-feared puncture, simply bear in mind the restore package is within the stuff bag.
All-Season All of the Method
If you need an all-around sleeping pad that may hold you snug not solely in the summertime but in addition throughout these shoulder seasons, the All-Season is the best way 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 sort of the identical. At solely $30 extra for a barely heavier pad with nearly double the R-value, I believe that is the very best sleeping pad for most individuals out of Nemo’s present Tensor lineup.
{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson
