Good to know: this sleeping pad is unisex
Pros / Reasons to Buy
- Light weight considering specification
- High R Value of 5.4
Cons / Reasons to Avoid
- Inflation and deflation can be time-consuming
- Very expensive
I’ve always been a fan of Nemo’s products: they are generally light, well made and perform excellently. I’m happy to report that the Tensor All Season is no disappointment here and is certainly one of, maybe even the most comfortable sleeping pads I’ve ever used. This is a pricey product – as you might expect from Nemo – but it exudes quality in its build (backed with a lifetime guarantee, so Nemo clearly have faith in the quality of what they are making) and performs excellently.
If you only camp in warmer conditions, a lighter pad with a lower R Value may serve you better, for those whose camping takes them into colder environments, alpine conditions and expeditions, this is hard to beat and could well be the only sleeping pad you need for year-round camping.
Compare to similar products:
Nemo Switchback | Nemo Tensor All-Season | Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite NXT | Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm NXT | Rab Stratosphere 4 | Sea to Summit Comfort Plus Insulated | Big Agnes Divide Insulated | Nemo Quasar 3D | Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Insulated | Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated | Exped Ultra 7R | Klymit Static V | Sleepingo Large | Tame Lands | Therm-A-Rest Z Lite Sol | |
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Buying Options | |||||||||||||||
Our Rating | Best Foam Sleeping Pad | Best Air Sleeping Pad | Best for Comfort and Ultralight | Best for Winter and Best Mummy Shaped Sleeping Pad | Best for Summer | Best for Side Sleepers | Best for Back Sleepers | Best Budget Air Pad | Best Rectangular Sleeping Pad | ||||||
Type and Shape | Folding, closed-cell foam | Rectangular or Mummy Inflatable | Mummy Inflatable | Mummy Inflatable | Rectangular Inflatable | Mummy Inflatable | Rectangular Inflatable | Rectangular Inflatable | Rectangular or Mummy Inflatable | Rectangular Inflatable | Rectangular or Mummy Inflatable | Rectangular Inflatable | Mummy Inflatable | Rectangular Inflatable | Folding, closed-cell foam |
Comfort | Low | Excellent | Excellent | Very Good | Excellent | Excellent | Very Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Average | Average | Low |
Warmth/R-Value | Average (R-Value = 2) | Excellent (R-Value = 5.4) | Very Good (R-Value = 4.5) | Excellent (R-Value = 7.3) | Very Good (R-Value = 3.8) | Very Good (R-Value = 4) | Very Good (R-Value = 4) | Low (R-Value = 1.8) | Very Good (R-Value = 3.2) | Very Good (R-Value = 4.8) | Excellent (R-Value = 7) | Low (R-Value = 1.3) | Low - Average (No ASTM FF3340 rated R-Value, but likely around 2) | Low - Average (No ASTM FF3340 rated R-Value, but likely around 2) | Average (R-Value = 2) |
Weight | Regular Version - 415g/14.5oz | Regular Version - 522g/1lb 2oz | Regular Version - 368g/13 oz | Regular Version - 453g/1lb | Regular Version - 695g/1lb 9oz | Regular Version - 845g/29.8oz | Regular Version - 652g/23oz | Non-Insulated Regular Version - 650g/1lb 7oz | Mummy Regular - 490g/17.3oz | Regular Version - 510g/18oz | Rectangular Medium Version - 650g/23oz | Regular Version - 530g/18.7oz | 408g/14oz | 600g/21oz | Regular Version - 410g/14oz |
Packed Size | Regular Version - 51x13x14cm/20x5x5.5in | Regular Version - 25.5x10cm/10x4in | Regular Version - 10.4x22.86cm/4.1x9in | Regular Version - 11.3x22.86cm/4.5x9in | Regular Version - 24cmx12cm/9.4inx4.7in | Regular Version - 12x23cm/5x9in | Regular Version - 20x13cm/8x5in | Non-Insulated Regular Version - 20x10cm/8x4in | Mummy Regular - 24x11cm/9.5x4.5in | Regular Version - 18x10cm/7x4in | Rectangular Medium Version - 23x14cm/9x5.5in | Regular Version - 20x8cm/8x3in | 27x8cm/10.5x3in | 23x10cm/9x4in | Regular Version - 51x13x14cm/20x5x5.5in |
Open Size | Regular Version - 183x51x2.3cm/72x20x0.9in | Regular Version - 183x51x9cm/72x20x3.5in | Regular Version - 182x50.8x7.62cm/72x20x3in | Regular Version - 177.8x50.8x7.62cm/72x20x3in | Regular Version - 183x51x8cm/72x20x3in | Regular Version - 184x55cm/72x21.5in | Regular Version - 183x51x8.25cm/72x20x3.25in | Non-Insulated Regular Version - 183x51x9cm/72x20x3.5in | Mummy Regular - 183x55-42x10cm/72x21.5-16.5x4in | Regular Version - 51x183x11cm/20x72x4.25in | Rectangular Medium Version - 183x52x9cm/72x20.4x3.5in | Regular Version - 183x58x6cm/72x23x2.5in | 187x54.6x5cm/73.5x21x2in | 188x56x5cm/74x22x2in | Regular Version - 183x51x2cm/72x20x0.75in |
Materials | Polyethylene foam backed with metalized foil | 20D and 40D Nylon with two layers of metalized film | 30D Ripstop Nylon | 30D and 70D Ripstop Nylon with Thermacapture Reflective Film | 75D Polyester with 100% recycled polyester 'Stratus R' insulation | 30D/40D Nylon withThermolite insulation and Exkin Platinum film | Ripstop nylon with Thermalite insulaiton and heat-reflecting film layer | 100% Recycled Polyester | 30D/40D Nylon withThermolite insulation and Exkin Platinum film | Ripstop nylon with two layers of metalized film | 20D Ripstop polyester with down insulation | 75D Polyester | Ripstop Nylon | 40D Ripstop Nylon | Polyethylene foam backed with Thermacapture Reflective Film |
Durability | Excellent - will still work even if torn or damaged | Good - supplied with repair patches | Good - supplied with repair patches | Good - supplied with repair patches | Good - supplied with repair patches | Very Good - supplied with repair patches and spare valve parts | Good - supplied with repair patches | Good - Supplied with repair patches | Very Good - supplied with repair patches and spare valve parts | Good - Supplied with repair patches | Good - Supplied with repair patches | Good - Supplied with repair patches | Good - supplied with repair patches | Good - supplied with repair patches | Excellent - will still work even if torn or damaged |
This article is part of our series on the best sleeping pads for camping, view all articles below:
- Best Sleeping Pads for Camping
- How we Tested Sleeping Pads
- How to Choose the Right Sleeping Pad for Camping
- Compare Sleeping Pads
Related content:
Analysis and Test Results
I’ve generally been impressed by every Nemo product I’ve used. Their equipment isn’t cheap, but it generally performs very well and often comes in at a very attractive low weight. The Tensor All Season is no exception.
This pad is extremely comfortable and, whilst there are lighter options out there, the high R Value more than makes up for this in my opinion and is a very compelling feature. For those who camp in colder conditions, this could well be the only sleeping pad you need.
However, there’s no escaping the cost and the Tensor All Season does come with a premium price tag which will simply put it beyond many hiker’s budgets. For those who can justify the cost, the Nemo Tensor All Season is an excellent sleeping pad that will surely last for many years.
Performance Comparison
See our video 360 of the Nemo Tensor All Season sleeping pad which goes over this pad’s main features:
Type and Shape
The Nemo Tensor All-Season is an inflatable sleeping pad. It’s offered in a range of different shape options including Regular, Regular Wide, Long Wide and Regular Mummy. I’m focusing on the largest and most expensive variant here – Long Wide, which is the one I hands on tested for my review.
Comfort
The Tensor All-Season is an inflatable sleeping pad. I personally tend to prefer pads like this over folding closed-cell designs for a number of reasons, key amongst which is comfort. Simply put, inflatable pads are basically thin air mattresses and as such, and when appropriately inflated, can do a great job of absorbing bumps and nobbles in the ground beneath your tent that you might otherwise feel through a thinner pad or if you sleep without one.
The Tensor All-Season inflates to 9cm/3.5in thick and provides excellent comfort. This can be increased even more by pairing the Tensor with a closed cell folding pad such as Nemo’s Switchback.
The Tensor isn’t just a single inflatable chamber but features internal baffles that not only increase insulation but also provide better comfort. In my opinion this really is one of the Tensor’s strong points and the pad is exceptionally comfortable to sleep on.
Warmth
The Tensor All-Season has an impressive R Value of 5.4 and is amongst the highest ratings offered by any sleeping pads in Nemo’s range (notably, there is also a Tensor Extreme Conditions pad that offers and R Value of 8.5). The R Value describes how well a pad will insulate you from losing heat and whilst a high R Value alone won’t keep you warm, the value is key to your sleeping bag being able to maintain its rated temperature and becomes especially important if you plan to sleep outdoors in colder weather.
In very cold conditions, combining sleeping pads increases the R value, so, for example, combining the Tensor All-Season (R=5.4) with the Switchback (R=2) pad mentioned above in the comfort section would give a combined R Value of 7.4 – that would be a great option for very cold nights.
Ease of Use
The Nemo Tensor is an inflatable sleeping pad, however this doesn’t mean you have to inflate it with your breath alone. It comes with an inflation tool – Nemo call this the Vortex Pump Sack. This is similar in appearance to a roll-top dry bag and is open at one end and attaches to a valve on the sleeping pad at the other.
If you’ve ever used an inflatable mattress or paddle board, the valve will be immediately familiar. You attach the inflation tool, blow gently into the open end – or simply hold it open – to expand it and then start rolling it up. You’ll rapidly see that the bag is full of air which the rolling motions pumps into the sleeping pad.
The inflation tool sounds more involved and like more effort than it actually is, and whilst it can take a little while to get your head around the process at first, once you’re used to it, it’s a very quick and intuitive process. The only downside is that if you over-inflate the pad, the valve can pop open, necessitating starting over.
An inflatable pad like this will always be slower to setup than a folding closed-cell pad – typically these can be deployed and packed down in a couple of seconds – but it also isn’t a time-consuming process and with very little practice, it’s possible to have the pad unpacked and inflated in well under five minutes.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that inflatable pads sometimes need a little extra inflation as changes in temperature and leakage around the valve if it isn’t perfectly closed can cause them to lose pressure
Packing down the Tensor is also relatively straight-forward and I always think it follows a similar pattern to packing away a sleeping bag. However, if you value absolute simplicity in your camp, a folding pad will always be a better option. Aside from the inflation tool, the Tensor All-Season is supplied with a stuff bag and a compression strap for storage between uses. I found this very easy to use.
The video below shows me setting up the Nemo Tensor All Season sleeping pad in real time, taking 3 minutes 43 seconds to be fully camp ready and inflated using the included pump sack:
Weight
The Nemo Tensor All Season I’ve tested weighs in at 664g/1lb 7oz including stuff sack and inflation tool. Note that I’ve reviewed the Long Wide version. The Regular or Regular Mummy variants – which I think would be suitable for most hikers – are both lighter (the Regular Mummy version, for instance, has a packed weight of 480g/1lg 1oz.). You can obviously save some weight by omitting the stuff sack and inflation bag, but unless you are carrying another compatible inflation device, this makes little sense to me.
Whilst it’s not the absolute lightest sleeping pad we’ve assessed, when you consider its relatively high R Value, the weight is quite excellent. Nemo have achieved this low weight by using a mix of high-tech, light-weight materials.
The fact remains, though, that there are lighter options out there and if you generally don’t camp in colder conditions where the Tensor’s high R Value is really necessary, then you may well be able to get by with a lighter sleeping pad that offers a slightly lower R Value. The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT for example, is often considered a direct rival for this Nemo Tensor.
The Therm-a-Rest is notably lighter at 480g/1lb 1oz for the Large variant (which is closer to the Long Wide Tensor I’ve assessed). It also still offers a respectable R Value of 4.5 – which should be more than enough for three-season and even some milder winter camping.
Version | Weight |
Regular | 522g/1lb 2oz |
Regular Mummy | 480g/1lb 1oz |
Regular Wide | 620g/1lb 6oz |
Long Wide | 664g/1lb 7oz |
Packed Size
The Nemo Tensor All Season packs down into its supplied stuff sack to a size of roughly 27×11.5cm/10.5×4.5in – once again, that’s for the Long Wide variant we’ve assessed and some of the pads other variants do pack down smaller. Compared to folding foam pads, the Tensor is remarkably small when packed and really showcases the advantage that inflatable pads have in this respect.
Version | Packed Size |
Regular | 25.5x10cm/10x4in |
Regular Mummy | 25.5x10cm/10x4in |
Regular Wide | 27x10.5cm/10.5x4in |
Long Wide | 27x11.5cm/10.5x4.5in |
The video below shows me packing down the Nemo Tensor All Season sleeping pad in real time. Which takes roughly 3 minutes 26 seconds:
Open Size
The Tensor All Season is available in a number of different sizes. I assessed the Long Wide version which is 193x64x9cm/76x25x3.5in when inflated. I’m around 180cm tall and the Long wide Tensor was therefore quite oversized for me and really allowed me to stretch out.
I could certainly get by with the smaller Regular length or tapered Regular Mummy version of the Tensor All Season (both of which are cheaper, lighter and pack down smaller), but I’ve got to say that the extra large pad felt like a real luxury and, if I was on a hike where I didn’t need to be so concerned about the weight I was carrying, the large pad would be a tempting option.
Whilst it wasn’t an issue for me, if you have a smaller, single person tent and are interested in the long version of the Tensor, it would be worth checking to see that the pad will actually fit without having to fold up at the end.
Version | Open Size |
Regular | 183x51x9cm/72x20x3.5in |
Regular Mummy | 183x51x9cm/72x20x3.5in |
Regular Wide | 183x64x9cm/72x25x3.5in |
Long Wide | 193x64x9cm/76x25x3.5in |
Features
Nemo are well-known for their lightweight products that pack a lot of tech and the Tensor All Season is no exception here. The key feature in the Tensor is its baffled internal design. Cheaper or more basic inflatable sleeping pads generally have a single big internal air chamber.
By contrast, the Tensor’s interior is divided up into multiple connected chambers with layers of insulating metalized film ‘floating’ in air pockets. This baffled design not only helps the Tensor achieve its relatively high R Value – making it suitable for all season camping – but also act a bit like the pocket springs you’d find in high-end mattresses, contributing to the comfort of the pad.
Materials
Nemo are well-known for their lightweight, high-tech products, so it’s no surprise to see that the Tensor All Season makes use of cutting edge materials. The top surface of the pad is made from 20D nylon, which feels incredibly thin, whilst the bottom is made from thicker, but still very light, 40D nylon for extra durability. The pad is a different color on each side so you can easily tell which side is the bottom. Internally, the pad features two layers of metalized film to help with insulation.
Durability
Inflatable sleeping pads are not as durable as folding foam pads. The thin, lightweight material of the Tensor can make it seem like a fragile product, but the fact is that thin Nylon – the material the Tensor is made from – has been used in outdoors equipment for some time in products including tents and waterproof coats – and has proved durability.
Nemo provides a puncture repair kit – basically some self-adhesive patches – with the Tensor All Season and they also provide a lifetime warranty with the product, though it’s worth noting that as the warranty technically only covers defects in materials and manufacturing, it may not cover punctures resulting from using the pad on rough surfaces.
Sustainability
Nemo don’t publish any sustainability info on the Tensor All Season as a product, so I can’t tell if it incorporates recycled material in its construction. Nylon – that’s what the Tensor is mostly made from – can be recycled, and that’s good to know for when the product reaches the end of its life.
In a wider context, Nemo as a brand is working to reduce their carbon footprint and to make their product range more sustainable. Their products are also designed to be repairable, which I think does go a long way towards improving their general sustainability.
Price
The Nemo Tensor All Season in Long Wide lists for $229.95 and at the time of writing can sometimes be purchased for below $200. In the UK, the same pad costs £231.95 – so there’s definitely a price premium in Europe. Whichever way you look at it, this is an expensive sleeping pad, but the cost doesn’t come as a surprise as Nemo are known for making premium level equipment.
Whilst there are certainly cheaper options out there, the Tensor’s cost is on par with higher-end competitors such as Therm-a-Rest. The Tensor is also an excellent product: I’ve slept on bargain basement generic inflatable sleeping pads in the past, and, in my opinion, the Tensor is in another league entirely. Personally, I feel like the cost is justifiable, though, of course, you may feel differently.
Conclusion
The Nemo Tensor is an exceptionally good sleeping pad. It packs down small, is very comfortable and offers a low weight for a very high R Value. Speaking of the R value, this pad’s rating means it can truly be considered an all-season solution if paired with an appropriate sleeping bag, and, if combined with a folding pad, the Tensor All Season offers a great solution of extremely cold weather camping.
Nemo are a premium brand, and the Tensor All Season certainly isn’t a bargain option. However, I think that many hikers will see it as a good value proposition given its attractive set of features.
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