NEMO Tensor All-Season vs NEMO Tensor Trail
In short: The NEMO Tensor Trail costs $30 less; the NEMO Tensor All-Season is warmer by 2.6 points of R-value; the NEMO Tensor Trail saves 1.6 oz.
| Spec | NEMO Tensor All-Season | NEMO Tensor Trail |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | ~$220 | ~$190 |
| R-value | R 5.4 | R 2.8 |
| Season band | Cold three-season | Three-season |
| R-value standard | ASTM F3340 | ASTM F3340 |
| Weight | 15.5 oz | 13.9 oz |
| R per ounce | 0.35 R/oz | 0.20 R/oz |
| Thickness | 3.5 in | 3.5 in |
| Pad type | air | air |
| Inflation | pump sack | pump sack |
| Dimensions | 72 × 20 in | 72 × 20 in |
| Packed size | 10 × 4 in | 10 × 4 in |
| Insulation | Suspended aluminised Thermal Mirror film inside Spaceframe baffles | One suspended layer of aluminised Thermal Mirror film inside Spaceframe baffles |
| Top fabric | 20D | 20D |
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 Trail
- 3.5 inches of loft at 13.9 ounces — the same thickness as the warmer Tensors for two ounces less.
- Quiet in exactly the way the rest of the Tensor line is.
- $190 undercuts the All-Season by $30 and the XLite by $20.
- Mummy and rectangular options at the same price in the Regular.
- R-value 2.8 runs out below about 40 °F of ground temperature; a frosty night on this needs a foam pad under it.
- Only $30 cheaper than the All-Season, which is nearly twice as warm — the value case is narrow.
- 20-denier fabric, like the rest of the line.
- A thick summer pad is a lot of volume to carry for insulation you could get from foam.