Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT vs NEMO Tensor All-Season
In short: The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT costs $10 less; the NEMO Tensor All-Season is warmer by 0.9 points of R-value; the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT saves 2.5 oz; the NEMO Tensor All-Season is 3.5 inches thick against 3.
| Spec | Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT | NEMO Tensor All-Season |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | ~$210 | ~$220 |
| R-value | R 4.5 | R 5.4 |
| Season band | Cold three-season | Cold three-season |
| R-value standard | ASTM F3340 | ASTM F3340 |
| Weight | 13 oz | 15.5 oz |
| R per ounce | 0.35 R/oz | 0.35 R/oz |
| Thickness | 3 in | 3.5 in |
| Pad type | air | air |
| Inflation | pump sack | pump sack |
| Dimensions | 72 × 20 in | 72 × 20 in |
| Packed size | 9 × 4.1 in | 10 × 4 in |
| Insulation | Two layers of reflective ThermaCapture film over triangular core matrix baffles | Suspended aluminised Thermal Mirror film inside Spaceframe baffles |
| Top fabric | 30D | 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
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT
- 4.5 R-value at 13 ounces is the best warmth-per-ounce of any non-winter pad here — 0.35 R per ounce, against 0.27 for the Nemo Tensor All-Season.
- Three inches of loft keeps a side sleeper's hip off the ground, which the older 2.5-inch generation of ultralight pads never quite did.
- The WingLock valve deflates in about two seconds and accepts the included pump sack, so you never have to breathe damp air into the baffles.
- Packs to roughly the size of a one-litre bottle, which is what makes it work in a 40-litre pack.
- Sold in Short, Regular, Wide and Large, so you can trade 1.5 ounces for six inches of length rather than buying the wrong pad.
- Still made in Seattle, and Therm-a-Rest's warranty service on punctured pads is the most-cited reason people buy a second one.
- 30-denier fabric top and bottom is thin for the price; on granite or pine duff it wants a groundsheet or a thin foam pad underneath.
- The NXT is quieter than the old XLite but not silent — the reflective film still crinkles when you roll over.
- At 20 inches wide the Regular is narrow; broad-shouldered sleepers end up with an arm on the ground and need the Wide.
- $210 for the Regular is roughly double what a comparable-R self-inflating pad costs, and the durability goes the other way.
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.