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Nemo Tools's Tensor Sleeping Pads That was my introduction to ultralight sleeping pads. I'll confess that after I opened up the Tensor (I went for the insulated model) and inflated it for the primary time 5 years in the past, I instantly considered a hiker joke I noticed on Reddit: Inflatable sleeping pads are for individuals who Need to sleep on the bottom, not immediately.
How would this impossibly skinny, mild, seemingly delicate pad not go away me on the bottom after spending a number of nights on the highway? Quick ahead 5 years and that very same sleeping pad has now been underneath me for over 40 nights, and it nonetheless has left me nowhere however comfy and well-rested. That doesn't imply it might't fail – many a pad has left me grounded over the a long time, however the Nemo Tensor continues to be going sturdy.
Final fall, the corporate despatched me assessment samples of its new Tensor line, which has been redesigned for 2024 and contains three pads, every with various levels of thickness and R-value (how a lot a pad Gives insulation, which I clarify in my finest sleeping pad information), tailor-made to particular backcountry wants.
three small pads
The three pads embody Tensor Path, which is the lightest however has the bottom R-value; Tensor All-Season, which has an R-value of 5.4; and Tensor Excessive Situations, which boasts an 8.5 R-value and has the very best heat-to-weight ratio in the marketplace.
All three are available in 4 sizes: common, common mummy, common broad, and lengthy broad. Put all of it collectively and there are 12 pads to select from – all from a single producer's lineup. That's why we have now a whole information devoted to sleeping pads that may show you how to select the very best one in your wants.
{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson
Two of those pads, the Tensor Path and Tensor All-Season, are up to date. They see a slight improve in temperature, however the development stays the identical as earlier iterations. The Nemo nonetheless makes use of a quilt-like design that helps preserve the baffle inflated and eliminates the springy feeling you get with vertical baffles. The insulation consists of a number of layers of bonded mylar.
The distinction in R-value between Path and All-Season relies on what number of layers of insulating steel movie every pad has. The Path makes use of one layer, the All-Season will get two layers, and the Excessive makes use of 4 layers of what Nemo calls Thermal Mirror insulation (a metallized movie). It additionally makes use of a unique baffle sort (extra on that beneath). Additionally new this yr is the sturdier cloth on the underside of those pads. Nemo now makes use of 40-denier nylon, up from 30D nylon, making it extra sturdy. There you go, Reddit humorous man.
Nemo's new pads are comprised of BlueSign-approved nylon (BlueSign certification appears at each environmental affect and employee security) and include the corporate's Vortex Pump Sack, which is nice for inflating your bag by way of a zero-profile valve. Works. I want there was a regular for these valves so I might use the Nemo pump sack with different pads, however there isn't. There's additionally a stuff sack to retailer your pads, together with a useful restore package within the closure flap. The Nemo lifetime guarantee covers any manufacturing defects, which is good, however for a direct answer to that much-feared puncture, simply do not forget that the restore package is within the baggage bag.
In each season, in each approach
In order for you an all-round sleeping pad that may preserve you comfy not solely in summer time, but in addition through the shoulder season, the all-season choice is appropriate. The second layer of All-Season Mylar movie will increase the R-value to five.4 and provides solely 2 ounces of weight. The packed dimension is sort of the identical. At solely $30 extra for a barely heavier pad with virtually double the R-value, I believe that is the very best sleeping pad out of Nemo's present Tensor lineup for most individuals.
{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson