updated 2019 Nemo Tensor insulated pad, questions

[Paul S]

What do suppose the R-Value is for this pad? If Nemo is claiming a comfort range of 10-20 degF that sounds pretty good.

My wife and I would love to find a pad for 3-season snow camping here in the WA Cascades, but dislike the crinkly-ness of the Thermarest X-Therm pads.The X-therms, however, pack small, are warm, and light weight. But the crinkly sounds we cannot stand, and the edges collapse.

Currently we have Exped Synmat 7 UL (3.3 R-value) and Exped synmat 7-3D (4.7 R-value). Even with a 1/8″ closed-cell foam underneath the 3.3 R-value is not warm enough for camping on snow with temps as low as the high 20’s (F). The Synmat 7-3D is warm enough, but it weighs 2 Lbs and is bulky.

 

So, the Tensor Insulated (this years version) looks promising.

What do ya think?

 

[Paul S]

https://www.nemoequipment.com/product/tensor/

 

Warmer than X-lite?

Warmer than Exped Synmat 7 UL?

[Thomas Conly]

I haven’t tried the Nemo pads personally, but I have seen people on here say that they are not as warm as they are advertised to be. I am doubtful that it would be warm enough.

I agree with what you said about the XTherms. I recently replaced mine with a Sea-To-Summit Comfort Plus Insulated. However, weight wasn’t a huge consideration for me. I was also looking at the Klymit Insulated Static V-Lite (20 oz, 4.4 R-Value) and the REI All Season Insulated Air Pad ( 20 oz, 5.2 R-Value).

[Richie S]

I’ve gone through far more pads than I should have, and currently own too many. I found the NEMO was not too warm. The one pad that I’ve found really generates warmth is the Exped Downmat. It’s different level warmth to everything else I’ve ever used.

[Thomas Conly]

I second the Downmat statement. That’s the pad I was replacing and I loved it. However, mine had a critical failure. I thought that a baffle had delaminated, but when I opened it up to salvage the down, I realized that the internal baffles were plastic. The baffle was torn along the length. I know someone else who had a failure and decided that I didn’t want to spend that kind of money on something I wasn’t confident in. Especially with only a 5 year warranty.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Not that impressive. R values? Weight for each size?

I’ll stick with my REI FLASH Insulated mattress at 15 oz. (18 oz. for my All Season Insulated)

 

[Ian]

“What do ya think?”

I think I’m buying one.

I’m not too terribly concerned about the R value rating.  I’ve slept on the Prolite down to freezing without issue.  My guess is at least as warm so for me, nbd, I’m sure it’s fine.  YMMV.

The largest appeal for me is it’s a 76″x25″ rectangular pad.  My Exped Synmat is a little long in the tooth and have some concerns about its reliability.  I’ve tried a few other mummy shaped pads and I’m not a fan.

It might be ounces heavier than other options, but I’ve found that I value a good night’s sleep more than the weight penalty.

 

[Geoff Caplan]

Something else to consider is the new Sea to Summit Ether Light XT
https://seatosummitusa.com/collections/sleeping-mats/products/ether-light-xt-insulated-sleeping-mat

The basic pad is rated at 3.8R and is available in multiple mummy and rectangular sizes. There’s also a generously sized womens’ mummy rated at 4.2R that a lot of guys seem to be using as well. Reviews are still pretty sparse, but no-one is saying it’s sleeping cold.

I’ve had a couple of Expeds delaminate on me not long after the guarantee ran out, and I’ve also had a couple of issues with Exped valves. So it’s time to look elsewhere. Like you I just can’t live with the noise and collapsing edges of the ThermaRests, so my current shortlist is the Nemo and the StoS. The equivalent Big Agnes is well specced but is getting terrible reviews.

The Nemo looks comfy, but there sure are a lot of welds with that design. I’m beginning to wonder if 20D fabrics and conventional welding really cut it for a heavily used mat. I’m often in chilly and remote places, and failure in the field would be unpleasant.

For me, the selling point of the StoS is that they use a high-end liquid-extrusion lamination technology that’s new to sleeping pads. They claim that it virtually eliminates the risk of delamination. This requires a 30D / 40D face fabric that adds a bit of weight, but I’d happily trade off a few grams for significantly greater reliability. Of course there’s always the issue of the valve design, but that’s getting good reviews as well.

They are both big investments, so hopefully others will chip in with their experiences.

[Alex H]

On paper (the internet) I was all ready to buy a S2S Ultralite Insulated until I went to REI and tested the Thermarests, the REI pads, the S2S and the Nemo Insulated and it was hands down the most comfortable.  I am still worried about the 20d fabric but I will be using it with a GG Thinlite under it and we will see.  I have not yet taken it out so I have generally stayed out of these discussions until I have some for trail data.  The 48″ small is still the lightest option short of an uberlite and that is just too thick and uninsulated for what I need.

[Five Star]

I am taking the Nemo Tensor UNinsulated on my section hike this upcoming week.  It feels nice on the living room floor at least….we’ll see how it holds up.

I have an S2S UL Insulated that is currently my favorite pad.  VERY comfortable, durable, and quieter than a NeoAir.  I recently purchased an EtherLight that’s probably going to be a winner too, but it won’t see the trail until fall.

[Stumphges]

This pad is awesome. My wife got one for a week long trip last week. I was jealous. Very comfortable, quite warm down to 30F we encountered. Quiet. I have not used a NeoAir so can’t compare, but the Tensor is quiet. Our dog popped it, but then he popped by Klymit UL as well, which is my fault as I’d forgotten to trim the nails. (I had my Klymit UL inflated on the living room floor all winter and he slept and played on it almost daily with no damage; I think his nails had just gotten perfectly shaped for pad popping; both the Klymit UL and Tenosr are 20d fabric.) Even still, if they bring out a Field version as they did with the previous iteration I would be tempted to get one of those for myself despite the small weight penalty.

BTW, after rolling and stuffing my Klymit UL several dozen times I’m not convinced that the synthetic insulation is doing very much anymore. And how could it? We take great care not to compress our synthetic puffy jackets because we know the synthetic fills pack out horribly quickly. But we compress the insulation in our pads to the max when we roll and stuff them. This is what had me looking at the Tensor, which uses reflective film only (like the Neoairs, but not fixed to the top and bottom fabric and so it doesn’t get stretched and torqued by body movement and so doesn’t make noise in the night) for insulation.

Anyway, apart from the 20d fabric’s limitations, I can’t think of another pad on the market in the R = ~4 category that I would rather carry.

[Nathan L]

I just finished a 2-week backpacking trip on The Long Trail and used the Nemo Tensor (insulated) MW.  This was last year’s model, I loved it.  While it was heavier than I wanted to carry, it was so much more comfortable than any of my Xped’s.  I slept really well.  One night it was down right around/below freezing I did feel cold air seeping up from the sleeping pad.  I was still warm enough, just felt it enough to notice.

[Rex Sanders]

Just tried a Tensor insulated, first impressions:

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/exped-schnozzel-works-with-new-nemo-tensor/#post-3598802

— Rex

 

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