NEMO Tensor All-Season vs NEMO Tensor Elite
In short: The NEMO Tensor All-Season costs $10 less; the NEMO Tensor All-Season is warmer by 3.0 points of R-value; the NEMO Tensor Elite saves 7.0 oz; the NEMO Tensor All-Season is 3.5 inches thick against 3.
| Spec | NEMO Tensor All-Season | NEMO Tensor Elite |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | ~$220 | ~$230 |
| R-value | R 5.4 | R 2.4 |
| Season band | Cold three-season | Three-season |
| R-value standard | ASTM F3340 | ASTM F3340 |
| Weight | 15.5 oz | 8.5 oz |
| R per ounce | 0.35 R/oz | 0.28 R/oz |
| Thickness | 3.5 in | 3 in |
| Pad type | air | air |
| Inflation | pump sack | pump sack |
| Dimensions | 72 × 20 in | 72 × 20 in |
| Packed size | 10 × 4 in | 5.5 × 3 in |
| Insulation | Suspended aluminised Thermal Mirror film inside Spaceframe baffles | A single suspended layer of aluminised Thermal Mirror film |
| Top fabric | 20D | 10D |
Shaded cells mark the row where one has a measurable advantage. Weight, thickness, girth and shape are left unshaded on purpose: heavier is sometimes tougher, wider is sometimes warmer, and calling a winner on those would be an opinion dressed as a measurement.
What each one does well, and costs you
NEMO Tensor All-Season
- Genuinely quiet — the film is suspended inside the baffles rather than bonded to the face fabric, and that is the single thing people switch to this pad for.
- 3.5 inches thick, half an inch more than the XLite, which is the difference for a heavy side sleeper.
- R-value 5.4 covers frozen ground; only the winter specialists in this catalogue beat it.
- Sold as a mummy or a rectangle in the same size, so you can pick between 1.4 ounces and a wider corner for your feet.
- The Vortex pump sack inflates it in about three squeezes and doubles as the stuff sack.
- $220 for the rectangular Regular, the most expensive three-season pad here per R-value.
- 20-denier top fabric is thin; NEMO's own repair kit is in the box for a reason.
- The mummy version tapers hard at the feet and is noticeably narrower than the rectangle at the shoulders.
- The Spaceframe baffles make it firmer than a simple I-beam pad, which not everyone prefers.
NEMO Tensor Elite
- 8.5 ounces with three inches of loft — the best thickness-per-ounce number in the catalogue.
- Packs to 5.5 × 3 inches, roughly a third the volume of an XLite.
- Still uses the quiet suspended-film construction rather than a bonded laminate.
- A Short version at 7.6 ounces for people who sleep on a pack under their feet anyway.
- 10-denier fabric top and bottom is the thinnest here; treat a groundsheet as mandatory, not optional.
- $230 for R-value 2.4 is the worst warmth-per-dollar in the catalogue.
- R 2.4 is a summer rating, so this is a second pad rather than a first one.
- Only sold in mummy cut, so there is no rectangular option at all.
- New in 2025, with no long-term durability record yet on fabric this light.