NEMO  Tensor Ultralight Sleeping Pad

For the first 3 or 4 trips, this was an awesome pad, and much quieter than my Thermarest NeoAir. However it soon developed a pinhole leak that could not be located and fixed in the field. It took submersion in a bathtub to locate and fix. Since then, it's started leaking again, in multiple pinhole places. NUMEROUS friends who have this pad also complained of the same thing. The bottom line is that the "stretchy" airtight material is fundementally flawed- it just fails after a few trips. Look online and you'll see multiple similar complaints. Unfortunately, this should be considered a failed product at this point- the material is just not up to the task. Same goes for the stretchy inflatable pillow made by another manufacturer.

I’ve gone through two of these mattresses. The first one the company replaced due to a defect. The second one went in the garbage after I couldn’t successfully patch the 6 small leaks. I’m a side sleeper and I can’t help but think that is part of the reason why I got leaks. Super frustrating though as I’m on a trip through Iceland and at the moment (no sporting goods shop anywhere nearby) I’m relegated to a foam pad that I thankfully brought along for padding for my bike. I’ll pay for the weight penalty if it means I can have a durable and reliable product. Hard Pass on this one.

The coolest thing is how easy it os to blow up ... check out a YouTube video ...... It was very warm and comfortable, i advise buying the wider version of the 2 options as i have .

I loved this sleeping pad. It was thicker and more lightweight than the competition, and super comfy. I didn’t mind the noise. Unfortunately, after about 18 months it developed a slow leak. I tried to find and patch the leak (yes I even tried the bathtub), but it’s one of those tiny, slow, invisible leaks that doesn’t show up in the bathtub and can’t be fixed. To be fair, in my 20 years of backpacking, every inflatable sleeping pad I’ve ever bought has eventually developed a slow, invisible leak. I’m always very careful with them, I store and pack them correctly, etc., but I don’t think anything inflatable is truly meant to last long-term. Closed-cell foam it is.

I have the regular wide since I’m a side sleeper, very comfortable, warm during those cold nights. Used for a 2 nights best experience compared to others I used in past. Next trip, first night, just inflated and had a big puncture on the top, very disappointing, the material does not seem durable at all, now I’m scared to take it on multi day hikes. It could have been the one but not to be.

The good: One of the more comfortable pads I have used ever, super light and when rolled up is one of the smallest pads out there, so it does not take up too much space inside your pack. The bad: Lots of holes the last few months, after 18 months of using this pad and about 100 nights out on it, i've put 10 patches on it, and it will still no longer hold air. which is a far cry from one of my older Nemo Tensor Insulated Pads which has been going strong for more than 5 years. I was super bummed to toss this pad, but I think I am done with NEMO for a bit till they fix their manufacturing/materials/quality control problems around these.

So this seems like a great sleeping pad... but long story short, it doesn't seem like the right investment for me to upgrade. I have been using a Thermarest Prolite Womens with a 4.2 R value weighing in at 1lb 2oz. I wanted to upgrade to something lighter. I really only backpack in warmer-cool weather, not cold, so R value wasn't a factor. I was really looking to shed some significant ounces. The issue here is that the Regular size Nemo does not weigh in at the advertised 12oz. It might if you don't include the much needed pump sack and stuff sack. But kit and kaboodle, I weighed it at 1lb 1oz. That is a far cry from 12oz. The 2oz trail weight difference between my Thermorest prolite and the Nemo Tensor, just isn't worth the cost (especially considering that I got my prolite used at a great bargain). Maybe if I was after some serious thru hikes, but I am really only looking currently at 3 day 25 mile trips. I will say that the Nemo Tensor packs down incredibly small and is a wee bit more comfortable... I mean you really can tell that you are above the ground on a 3 inch air pillow. But again, the difference is comfort is not worth the investment to me. It will be going back. Especially as I carry my sleep pad on the outside of my pack anyhow, so size isn't a huge issue. But if you are going for something small, the Tensor is about the size of an Arizona Ice Tea can. Lastly, I like the Prolite for the self inflating easy blow up and deflate mechanism. The tensor relies on the pump sack, which takes about 3 sacks full of air to inflate. I am not hiking at altitude so the 15 breaths to blow up my self-inflating Prolite is no biggie. Lastly, I will say if you are going for light weight, small, and NOT NOISY, the Tensor has it. The Prolite wins for almost as lightweight, not quite as small (but like I said, on the outside of my pack), and also NOT noisy. So the Tensor, while it is a great bag, and not yet trail tested, is going back. The total weight is a good bit more than 12oz and 1lb 1oz. That is too heavy to make a difference for me.

I was in the market for a slightly warmer sleeping pad than the one I have and online reviews indicated this as a worthwhile option. I'm a side sleeper and in my mid 50s, so have woken up countless times with achy shoulders and hips. I'm 5'9" and weight 175 and prefer a wider pad that I don't roll off of as I try to find a comfortable sleeping position. This pad has proven to be well insulated and firm enough that I sleep better and wake up less frequently. It comes with a bag to assist in inflating it. I found it just about as easy to just blow it up as opposed to use the inflating bag, but it's a nice option to have included.

I purchased the Long Wide insulated pad and have used on two week-long backpacking trips in the fall 2021. I loved this pad! I had used a Thermarest I purchased in 1996 on countless trips; I loved the Thermarest! It was very tough but time eventually won. This pad worried me a bit; it didn't seem like the material was strong and the bag inflator seemed weird. I had no issues on either trip, the inflating system is awesome, and I have missed out on years of comfort with a thick pad by using a thin one! The material in this pad is not bullet proof like my old pad, but I didn't baby it either. Very satisfied with my purchase!

This was very compact and light and comfortable and I thought it was going to be 5 stars but then halfway through my first night using it it got a big tear. This was also the flattest least rocky campsite I have ever had backpacking, and the tear wasn’t even in the ground side anyway it was just a random 1 inch tear in the side I was sleeping on. Too risky to take this on a long trek.