The NEMO Tensor Elite Sleeping Pad is an ultralight 8.5-ounce air mattress that is three inches thick and super comfortable to sleep on when backpacking or camping. While it is insulated with metal foil, it’s quiet when you roll around on it at night, unlike some other manufacturer’s pads that sound like potato chips being crushed. The Tensor Elite also rolls up quite small, which is essential when using an ultralight backpack that may have less than 40L in capacity.
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- Gender: Unisex
- R-Value: 2.4 (ASTM F3340-18)
- Weight: 8.5 oz
- Insulation: Synthetic
- Dimensions: 72″ x 20″ x 3″ (shorter 63″ x 20″ x 3″ available)
- Materials: 10D Cordura Nylon
- Packed size: 3 x 5.5 inches
- Inflaton Sack: Included
- Pros: Ultralight Weight, Comfortable, Quiet, Durable Flat Valve, Packs Very Small
- Cons: Thin Base Fabric is Easier to Puncture, Best Used in Warmer Weather
Weight
The NEMO Tensor Elite is an ultralight sleeping pad, weighing just 8.5 oz in a regular size mummy and 7.6 oz in a short size mummy. That is seriously lightweight. As a point of comparison, the NEMO Switchback (14.5 oz) and Therm-a-Rest Zlite (14 oz) folding foam pads weigh almost twice as much and have a slightly lower R-value.
The Tensor Elite is lightweight because NEMO uses a thin 10 denier Cordura Nylon cover for it and insulates it with a thermal reflective film, similar to Therm-a-Rests’s NeoAir pads, but much quieter. I’m not sure how they did it, but the thermal film in the Tensor Elite makes no noise when you roll around on top of it. However, the 10 denier fabric is much thinner than many competing pads, so I’d advise you to baby it in the field by carefully removing any debris under it and by laying it on top of a ground cloth when sleeping in a shelter or on the bathtub floor of a tent.
The top of the pad is colored silver and has evenly distributed baffles along its surface that give when you lie down on top. The effect is very much like a pocket spring mattress, providing great support while maintaining a plush feel. The pad is a full three inches thick when inflated and quite comfy, although it will bottom out if you kneel on top.
Valve and Pump Sack
The Tenor Elite has a two-way flat valve and comes with a pump sack. Flat valves are more durable than stick valves because they’re flush with the surface of the pad and don’t stick out. The valve operation is intuitive. You can blow into the pad without it deflating or release some air by pushing into the center. To deflate, you simply pull both valve covers open and roll up the pad to deflate it.
Comfort
Ease of Inflation
Warmth
Weight
Durability
Packed Size
Ultralight Comfort
The NEMO Tensor Elite is an ultralight inflatable air mattress that’s comfortable and quiet to sleep on. It’s eay to inflate and packs up very small, perfect for minimalist outdoor adventures.
NEMO has been using the same style pump sack for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, it has a narrow neck, so it can’t be used as a stuff sack or pack liner like the 42L Exped Schnozzel, which you can also use to inflate the Tensor Elite. Alternatively, you can use an electric pump like the electric Alpenblow Micro Inflator, which weighs less than one-third of an ounce.
R-Value
The Tensor Elite has an R-value of 2.4, measured using the sleeping pad standard adopted by REI, Sea-to-Summit, NEMO, Big Agnes, Therm-a-Rest and others. That’s good for summer use down to about 30-40 degrees, which is the best time to go ultralight backpacking. If you plan to backpack or camp in other months, you’ll either need to buy a second pad or get a pad with an R-value of at least 5.4 designed for 3-season (spring, summer, and autumn). Why 5.4? An R-value of 5.4 is needed to achieve most standardized sleeping bag temperature recommendations in cooler weather. If it’s lower than that, you’ll lose body heat to the ground and sleep colder.
Recommendation
The NEMO Tensor Elite is an ultralight sleeping pad that weighs 8.5 oz and has an R-value of 2.4. Best used in warm weather, it packs up very small, making it a great option if you’re an ultralight backpacker who wants to carry the lightest weight gear possible. The Tensor Elite is available in two lengths: a size regular that is 72″ long and a short model that’s 63″ long. Most people can get by with the shorter length in summer by putting their legs on top of their pack and keeping their torso on the pad: it’s not as comfortable as sleeping on a full-length air mattress, but it is another way to save another 9/10’s of an ounce in gear weight.
It’s interesting to note that NEMO introduced the Tensor Elite in the same year (2025) that Therm-a-Rest killed off their ultralight sleeping pad, the NeoAir Uberlite (8.8 oz). It will be interesting to see how the Tensor Elite does, given the Uberlite’s abysmal adoption. It could be that Therm-a-rest just brought the Uberlite to market too soon in 2019, before the current upswell of interest in ultralight backpacking. It may be that the Tensor Elite will find greater adoption since the population of ultralight backpackers has grown so much in the intervening six years. Time will tell.
Disclosure: NEMO donated a pad for review.
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