The Nemo Tensor Elite is a seriously light air pad that doesn’t give up comfort for ultralight weight. It’s small, takes up little room in a pack, and inflates easily.
Overview: Nemo Tensor Elite
MSRP: $199.95, short; $229.95, regular
Weight: 7.6 ounces (short) | 8.5 ounces (regular)
Inflated Thickness: 3 inches
R-Value: 2.4
Insulation: Thermal Mirror film
Fabric: 10D Cordura nylon ripstop
About the Nemo Tensor Elite
The ultralight Nemo Tensor Elite has become the go-to air pad for backpackers trying to cut weight from their packs. The regular pad weighs 8.5 ounces, nearly 5 ounces less than its nearest competitor. The 3-inch-thick pad is comfortable and distributes weight evenly throughout the pad, eliminating pressure points against the body. But the pad has its limits with a 2.4 R-value, restricting its use to warm-season camping.
Nemo Tensor Elite Features
Noise: The Tensor Elite is quiet, which is sure to be a relief for shelter mates.
Warmth: The 2.4 R-value gives the Tensor Elite a comfort range down to about 30 degrees. I slept on the pad on early-summer warm nights and late-fall backpacking trips when nighttime temperatures dropped to the upper 30s.
Sizes: The regular pad is 72 inches long and the short is 63 inches long. Both pads are 20 inches wide. I tested the 72-inch pad because I tired long ago of my feet hanging off the end of the pad, even with makeshift padding for my feet.
Comfort: 3 inches thick. I’m 5 feet, 10 inches, 165 pounds, and was comfortable with the 72-inch length and 20-inch width of a regular size mummy pad. And I slept very comfortably on the 3 inches of padding.
Baffle Construction: The Tensor Elite’s baffle construction distributes my weight, making side sleeping comfortable. I don’t wake up anymore with a sore shoulder from lying on my side.
Insulation: The metallized Thermal Mirror film insulates the Tensor, and by floating the film inside the baffles the crinkling sound familiar on many air pads is eliminated. The Tensor truly is a quiet sleeping pad.
Flat Valve: The Laylow valve is flush with the pad, which I prefer to a protruding valve that makes it difficult to store a rolled-up pad in a stuff sack.
Stuff Sack or Pad Strap: The Tensor Elite is the first pad I’ve used that I can actually fit into the stuff sack. The pad strap is handy if I want to skip the stuff sack and put the pad into a waterproof zipper-seal plastic bag.
Pump Sack: The Vortex pump sack inflates by holding the sack away from my mouth and blowing into the sack, then compressing the sack to force air into the pad. Nemo says this method reduces breath moisture in the sack. I can inflate the pad with easy breaths into the pump sack, filling it two to three times to inflate the pad, or take the really easy way by using a battery-operated inflator.
Durability: Nemo uses 10D Cordura nylon fabric compared with 30D nylon for the 13-ounce Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT pad. The thinner fabric shaves weight off the Tensor Elite, which I appreciate, but I’m also careful to avoid putting the pad down on sharp rocks or shelter floors with nails sticking up. But overall I give the same attention to my air pads that have a higher denier.
What You Get: Pump sack, stuff sack, repair patches, and pad strap included.
Packability: The Tensor Elite rolls up so small that I put it in my compression dry bag along with my sleeping bag and pillow. I can’t do that with my other air pads.
Warranty: All NEMO products carry a lifetime warranty against defects in workmanship and materials to the original owner, with proof of purchase from an authorized NEMO dealer.
Tensor Elite Pros
Ultralight: The Tensor Elite is hands down the lightest, smallest packing sleeping pad on the market.
Comfort: The baffles distribute my weight evenly, ensuring a comfortable night for side sleepers like me.
Pump Sack: Easy to use, and inflates the pad quickly.
Tensor Elite Cons
Thin Fabric: I’m cautious where I put my pad, avoiding shelter floors with nails sticking up or sharp rocks on the ground. Of course, I pay the same attention with my other air pads.
Low R-Value: The Tensor Elite isn’t for sleeping in temperatures below freezing, although adding a foam pad underneath increases the overall R-value.
Overall Value
The ultralight Nemo Tensor Elite has a lot to like: it’s ultralight, it’s comfortable and it packs small. The price is comparable to low-weight—but not ultralight—air pads. But the Tensor Elite comes with caveats. Its 2.4 R-value makes it a pad for summer and mid-shoulder season temperatures. And the thin 10D fabric means avoiding protruding shelter floor nails and sharp rocks. But those issues aside, the Tensor Elite is a great pad for hikers trying to shave every ounce possible from their packs.
Similar Air Pads
Therm-A-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT
MSRP: $199.95, regular
Thickness: 3 inches
R-value: 4.5
Weight: 13 ounces, regular
Exped Ultra 3R
MSRP: $139.95, regular
Thickness: 2.75 inches
R-value: 2.9
Weight: 16.4 ounces, medium
Sea to Summit Ultralight Insulated
MSRP: $179, regular
Thickness: 2 inches
R-value: 3.1
Weight: 16.9 ounces, regular
This product was donated for purpose of review.