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.
Three Little Pads
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.