NEMO Tensor All-Season Sleeping Pad Review

Bottom Line

The NEMO Tensor All-Season is considered one of our favourite backpacking sleeping pads available on the market. It’s among the many lightest, most comfy, warmest, and most handy sleeping pads we’ve ever examined.

CleverHiker gear analyst Casey Handley used the mother model of the Tensor All-Season for over 400 miles and 20 nights on the Arizona Trail, and founder Dave Collins lately used it for five nights and 80 miles in Wyoming’s Wind River Range. The Tensor All-Season’s 3.5-inch thickness and comfortable nylon are comfortable and comfortable on the pores and skin, however this cloth additionally gives above-average sturdiness. The Tensor is straightforward to inflate because it comes with the most effective pump sacks available on the market, and its dual-use nozzle converts to a dump valve for fast packing within the morning.

However, this pad does have some downsides. The Tensor is a high-quality piece of substances, so its price ticket is fairly excessive. This means it won’t be your best option for newbie backpackers or hikers who solely camp a number of nights per yr. Additionally, although the Tensor may be very aggressive within the weight class – particularly the mother model – there are a number of lighter pads available on the market. So, ultralight backpackers could choose a barely lighter alternative.

All issues thought of, we’ve been very impressed by the efficiency of the NEMO Tensor All-Season in our testing. Its heat, consolation, weight, sturdiness, and ease of use mix to make it a superb alternative for backpackers of all ranges, from long-distance thru-hikers to weekend warriors.

Comfort

When it involves staying comfy, the NEMO Tensor All-Season is a superb alternative. It’s nice for the everyday summer season backpacking journey, nevertheless it’s additionally a comfy decide for low temperatures and chilly sleepers. Whether it’s 60°F and clear or 20°F and snowing, this pad’s 3.5-inch thickness means you’ll keep cushioned and heat with minimal danger of bottoming out. It’s comfy for sleeping in any place, however facet sleepers will particularly respect the assist for his or her hips and shoulders, decreasing strain factors for a extra restful evening. 

The Tensor’s 30D ripstop nylon prime has a easy really feel that’s comfortable in opposition to the pores and skin and gained’t catch in your base layers. The insulation and easy horizontal baffles really feel sturdy and durable evening after evening, offering glorious assist on tough terrain with out shedding its comfortable really feel. Therm-a-Rest gives this mannequin in a number of sizes and shapes, together with large, lengthy, and mummy, to suit completely different physique sorts and sleep kinds. 

Our solely minor grievance with regards to consolation is the pad’s valve location. We like that the valve sits flush with the pad on the highest nook and closes securely, hardly protruding in any respect. However, not all our testers love the valve’s placement, as you may sometimes really feel it when shifting positions at evening. This is a small gripe, and plenty of of our testers had no points with this. But should you suppose this may hassle you, you might need to think about a pad with a nozzle situated on the facet seam.

Overall, the Tensor is, fingers down, among the many most comfy backpacking sleeping pads available on the market.

Weight & Packability

The Tensor All-Season is a robust performer with regards to weight and packability. The common mummy model of this pad is 14.1 ounces, placing it among the many lighter fashions we examined, nevertheless it additionally boasts a really excessive R-value. With these specs, the Tensor All-Season is light-weight and gives the most effective weight-to-warm ratios available on the market. In reality, in comparison with the opposite backpacking pads on this weight vary, no different mannequin comes near the Tensor in insulation capabilities. 

One factor we love concerning the Tensor’s packability is its valve. The single-valve design lets you dump air throughout deflation, leading to very quick packing instances the place you don’t need to work to squeeze air out of the pad. The Tensor additionally comes with a easy velcro strap, which helps you to simply pack the pad and stuff it away in seconds. 

Although the Tensor inflates to three.5 inches thick, options robust 40D nylon cloth on the underside, and has substantial insulation, it nonetheless packs down small. When compressed, it’s lower than the dimensions of a 32-ounce Nalgene bottle, making its packed measurement aggressive with thinner and far colder pads. This is among the most handy pads to pack up that we’ve examined, and while you’re dwelling out of a pack, this actually makes a distinction.

The Tensor isn’t the lightest pad available on the market, although. A few insulated pads beat the mother model of the Tensor on weight by an oz or so. If you’re in search of absolutely the lightest insulated sleeping pad on the market, the Tensor isn’t fairly it. That stated, the Tensor was the extra user-friendly pad in our side-by-side testing, with a greater pump sack and far quicker deflation instances. Every ounce issues for backpackers, together with us, so this might be a dealbreaker for some ultralight backpackers. But contemplating the Tensor total, we predict its upsides outweigh this minor weight penalty.

Warmth

When paired with a high quality sleeping bag, the NEMO Tensor All-Season is acceptable for cold-weather tenting all the way down to round 15°F. Also, this pad is nice for chilly sleepers, even should you’re not planning on tenting in sub-freezing temps. Offering a really excessive R-value of 5.4, this pad options metalized movie insulation that gives excellent heat to maintain you comfy in chilly temperatures. Its sq. baffles supply an impressive stability between assist and a little bit of give, and the quilted design traps heat air successfully. 

NEMO makes use of a traditional 20D nylon on prime of the Tensor that’s comfortable to the contact and non-slippery, however on the underside, it employs a burlier 40D ripstop that provides sturdiness and helps block out the chilly. At 3.5 inches thick, this pad will hold you removed from the chilly floor beneath, so that you’ll keep insulated in harsh situations the place nightly restoration is important. Losing physique warmth could be uncomfortable and harmful, and this pad retains you properly away from these points.

Despite being impressively heat (it’s technically a 4-season pad), the Tensor All-Season gained’t be one of the best match for everybody. If you propose on utilizing your pad straight on the snow (with out paring it with a foam pad) otherwise you prefer to camp in extraordinarily chilly winter climate, the R-value of the Tensor Extreme Conditions could be a greater match. NEMO additionally makes the Tensor Trail for backpackers extra involved with decreasing their pack weight than chilly climate insulation. 

Overall, we predict the Tensor All-Season hits a candy spot for the kind of protection most backpackers will need on the commonest backcountry expeditions. And it’s price remembering that this pad has the most effective warmth-to-weight ratios available on the market for conserving pack weight down.

Ease of Setup

This is among the Tensor’s key strengths. The All-Season comes with the most effective pump sacks available on the market, the Vortex. It snaps onto the inflation valve securely and is straightforward to fill, roll, and repeat. It solely takes 4-5 sacks to inflate the All-Season absolutely, drastically decreasing effort and time. The complete inflation time is lower than two minutes, which is a superb benefit after an extended day on the path.

The different spotlight is a single flat, low-profile, two-in-one valve that makes changes and deflation simple. This valve has two flaps – open the primary one, and also you’ll discover the one-way valve. It has a small button inside for micro-adjustments, permitting you to let loose small quantities of air and dial in your excellent degree of firmness. Pulling the second flap opens the dump valve, permitting the air to hurry out quickly. The dump valve is nice for packing the pad up since you gained’t need to roll and squeeze extra air out whereas packing. Plus, the storage sack is roomy, so that you gained’t need to wrestle to get the pad again inside.

The pump sack is environment friendly, however a tad cumbersome, so ultralight backpackers could choose to go away it at house. It additionally lacks the multifunctionality that some rivals supply, like doubling as a water-resistant stuff sack. That means it’ll add a few ounces of weight to your package however will solely serve one function. In the previous, we’ve usually left pump sacks at house, however this one is so handy we’ve discovered ourselves bringing it alongside on most journeys. Overall, we’re enormous followers of the benefit of use of the Tensor All-Season, and we predict this class is considered one of its important strengths.

Durability

This pad is a dependable alternative for long-term use. We’ve examined the Tensor All-Season from cacti-filled deserts to snow-filled camps at 13,000 ft to beds of lava rock, and it has held up impressively properly over a number of seasons of use. Its 40-denier nylon backside protects in opposition to punctures and abrasion, which is essential for tenting in rugged environments. The single, 2-lid valve has only a few components to cut back the prospect of failure, and NEMO features a restore package in case of failure within the discipline. The mixture of considerate design and rugged supplies means you may belief the All-Season to carry out in difficult situations.

Though the Tensor All-Season is hard, like several air pad, it’s not impenetrable. The prime of the pad is 20D nylon, which can work properly for normal use however is extra inclined to put on and tear in comparison with some burlier pad choices. The 40D cloth on the underside is great for sturdiness, nevertheless it additionally provides a little bit of weight in comparison with lighter pads, which can be a downside for ultralight backpackers.

These cloth selections imply that the All-Season holds up very properly, and we predict it gives a superb stability between weight and sturdiness. But like several air pad, punctures can occur. That’s why we at all times carry a patch package within the backcountry and clear our tent websites freed from sharp rocks and pokey sticks.

Should You Buy the NEMO Tensor All-Season Sleeping Pad?

The NEMO Tensor All-Season is on the prime of the listing for heat, consolation, and packability, particularly in chilly situations. If you’re in search of one backpacking pad to cowl a variety of situations – from heat summer season adventures to chilly shoulder season excursions – this is among the finest sleeping pad choices available on the market.

Thanks to its spectacular R-value and revolutionary, light-weight design, this pad is a superb alternative for heat at evening that gained’t weigh you down on the path. The Tensor All-Seaon isn’t the lightest insulated sleeping pad available on the market, nevertheless it’s not too far off. And its warmth-to-weight ratio may be very spectacular.

The factor that finally gained us over with this pad is its ease of use. It has a superb pump sack that makes inflation very quick and straightforward. And deflation is fast, too. Its dump valve permits all of the air to hurry out of the pad, making it very quick to roll up and stow away. This is an space the place the Tensor shines in comparison with among the main competitors within the sleeping pad market.

At 3.5 inches thick, the All-Season will comfortably complement any sleeping place. The 20D nylon prime is comfortable and quiet, whereas the 40D backside is rugged and sturdy. With a little bit of care, this pad will final for years of use and a whole bunch of nights within the backcountry.

However, there’s no method round it: the Tensor All-Season is an costly funding. Due to its excessive price ticket, this pad won’t be a great match for funds customers, informal backpackers, or summer season hikers who will choose a much less specialised pad. Also, should you solely are inclined to camp in scorching summer season temperatures, the All-Season’s insulation could be greater than you want.

All in all, all through our testing we hold returning to the NEMO Tensor All-Season as considered one of our favourite all-around backpacking sleeping pads. We actually respect its consolation, comfort, and warmth-to-weight ratio.

What Other Backpacking Pads Should You Consider?

Check out our full listing of the Best Backpacking Sleeping Pads for all our prime suggestions. 

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT Review: The XLite NXT is the closest competitors to the Tensor All-Season, and each are really glorious merchandise. The Tensor narrowly beat the XLite out for Best Overall Backpacking Sleeping Pad this yr, nevertheless it was shut. The XLite can also be heat, sturdy, and cozy, nevertheless it weighs a bit lower than the Tensor, which could be a deciding issue for ultralight backpackers. That stated, we a lot choose the Tensor’s pump sack and dump valve for fast inflation, deflation, and straightforward packing up. 

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm NXT Review: The XTherm NXT is our different best choice for chilly climate consolation as a result of it’s even hotter than the Tensor All-Season – its 7.3 R-value is heat all the way down to round 0°F. The XTherm just isn’t fairly as thick, weighs extra, and prices extra. What you get is a pad for hardcore winter situations like overnighting in icy mid-winter temps.

Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated: The Rapide SL just isn’t fairly as comfortable because the Tensor All-Season, nevertheless it’s simply as thick, packs smaller, and comes at a a lot cheaper price. It additionally gives a powerful R-value – solely a bit decrease than the All-Season – so it’s a improbable different for cold-weather tenting. The largest draw back with the Rapide is that it’s significantly heavier.

REI Helix Insulated Air: The REI Helix is far more reasonably priced than the Tensor All-Season however nonetheless gives a comfortable three-inch thickness and a excessive R-value for insulation. On the flip facet, the Helix is a bit clunkier to arrange, weighs extra, and isn’t as sturdy, so it’s higher as an entry-level pad for shorter journeys from early spring to late fall.