The NEMO Tensor All-Season Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Pad is an inflatable air mattress with an R-value of 5.4 that is suitable for year-round backpacking and camping. It rolls up very small and thin making it very easy to pack in a backpack, but still provides plenty of insulation to keep you warm year-round. It’s available in rectangular, mummy, long, and wide sizes so you can find the perfect fit for your needs.
Specs at a glance
- Trail weight: 14.1 oz / 400g (actual on our early access sample is 14.9 oz)
- Packed Weight w/Stuff sack and Vortex Pump: 17 oz / 498g
- Packed Size: 10.0 x 4.0 in dia / 25.5 x 10 cm dia
- Dimensions: (Mummy): 72″ (183 cm) / 20″ (51 cm)
- Thickness: 3.5 in / 9 cm
- Insulation: Aluminized Film
- Materials: 20D top and 40D bottom
The NEMO Tensor All-Season Ultralight Sleeping Pad is an insulated air mattress with an R-value of 5.4. That R-value is no accident because sleeping bag temperature ratings (independently tested using the ISO 23537 standard) assume that you’re using a sleeping pad with an R-value of 5.38 or more. If your pad’s R-value is lower, you’ll sleep colder than the bag’s temperature rating (assuming you’re wearing long underwear and a hat) and your sleeping bag won’t feel as warm when temperatures drop. There aren’t any other lightweight sleeping pads that we’re currently aware of that have an equivalent R-value (see our pad and R-value listing in Sleeping Pad R-Values).
Ratings aside, the Tensor All-Season is a very dialed-in insulated pad with the features that backpackers and campers want. While it uses reflective aluminum film chambers for insulation, like the Therm-a-Rest XLite NXT, it’s much quieter to sleep on and essentially silent, something your tentmate will appreciate, even if you sleep like a log. The Tensor All-Season is also 3.5 inches thick, making it one of the thickest and therefore comfiest inflatable insulated sleeping pads around. Sleeping pad thickness makes a huge difference in sleeping comfort in my experience.
The Tensor All-Season is made with a 20D top fabric (silver) and 40D bottom fabric (red) for increased durability. It also has a flat valve, which has proven to be much more durable than the stick valves used by other manufacturers. A single valve is used for inflation and deflation and provides the ability to let some air out if you like a softer feel – which I do. NEMO includes a stuff sack and their Vortex pump bag with the Tensor All-Season so you can inflate the pad without having to blow it up. This requires less effort and also introduces less moisture and bacteria into the pad’s interior.
Recommendation
The NEMO Tensor All-Season is an excellent value if you want one insulated backpacking and camping air mattress that can be used year-round, even for winter camping. It’s quiet to sleep on, durably made, and 3.5″ thick, providing enhanced comfort. Weighing 14.1 oz in the mummy size, the Tensor All-Season insulated pad is even lighter weight than NEMO’s Switchback foam sleeping pad (14.5 oz) which has an R-value=2, which is saying something considering that the Tensor All-Season is warmer, packs up smaller, and is a heck of a lot more comfortable to sleep on. I think the Tensor All-Season is going to quickly become a best-seller and for good reason.
Disclosure: NEMO donated a pad for review.
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