After dropping his thoughts over the impressively tiny packed sizes and mega R-values of NEMO’s new 2024 Tensor common mummy-sized sleeping mat vary, Explorer Evan shared his prime ideas for locating your good forever-mat.
We’ve entered the golden age of outside gear and the workforce at NEMO has spoiled us rotten by taking their 2024 lineup of sleeping mats up a notch.
The three core mats from NEMO’s Ultralight Tensor vary are the Tensor Path – for heat summer season nights beside the observe, the Tensor All-Season – a dependable companion for nearly any event, and the Tensor Excessive – a mat that’ll carry you thru the depths of winter into the filthiest of snow situations.
Left to proper: Tensor Path mat, Tensor All-Season mat, a ubiquitous Nalgene bottle for dimension, and the Tensor Excessive mat
All three of the Ultralight Tensor mats share these neat options:
- The mats are a soft 9cm thick – hey consolation!
- Every mat has NEMO’s micro-adjustable Laylow™ valve and makes use of the Vortex Pump Sack for inflation, saving you from having to huff and puff making an attempt to blow your mattress up on the finish of a protracted day.
- Most significantly, all of the mats are by far the quietest I’ve slept on due to the tremendous good and sturdy nylon development.
Let’s take a better look.
What’s good concerning the NEMO Tensor Path mat?
It’s a basic. A staple of any hiker or car-camper’s package.
Fast Info NEMO Tensor Path
R-value: 2.8
Weight: 370g
Thickness: 9cm thick
RRP: From $299.95
Going someplace the temps can be above double digits? Or possibly you’ve been bitten by the gram-counter bug and are retaining your base weight mild as a feather?
At a look, the Tensor Path mat offers you a pleasant, light-weight, and tremendous compact sleeping possibility with simply sufficient insulation that can assist you neglect you’re mendacity on the bottom. Plus there’s loads of thickness for consolation so it’s good for these summer season adventures when the temps keep somewhat hotter in a single day.
What’s good concerning the NEMO Tensor All-Season mat?
All-season. All day. On a regular basis.
Fast Info NEMO Tensor All-Season
R-value: 5.4
Weight: 400g
Thickness: 9cm
RRP: From $359.95
The Tensor All-Season mat is for these of us that favor to enterprise out throughout shoulder season. It’s additionally good for those who wish to spend a bit extra time in cooler climates, the place the temps hang around somewhat nearer to the only digi’s or get near and even all the way down to zero levels in a single day.
In case you’re on the lookout for a do-it-all answer – that is in all probability the mat for you.
It appears to be like tiny when packed, however as soon as inflated it’s chunky
A sleeping mat boasting an R-value of 5.4 and weighing solely 400g is spectacular and undoubtedly one thing worthy of writing house about. To place it in perspective, I’m used to utilizing mats with R-values nearer to three, however nonetheless weighing roughly the identical because the All-Season.
That little further little bit of safety between you and the bottom goes a great distance. And the additional insulation means you may in all probability save weight in different areas too!
It’s wonderful how small these pack down
What’s good concerning the NEMO Tensor Excessive mat?
The Tensor Excessive is likely one of the most anticipated bits of package to hit the out of doors gear market in 2024.
Fast Info NEMO Tensor Excessive
R-value: 8.5
Weight: 472g
Thickness: 9cm Thick
RRP: From $419.95
With an extremely excessive R-value of 8.5 and weighing round half a kilo (even the lengthy/huge model is simply 750g!) NEMO has made it clear they’re decided to be on the prime of the sector in terms of sleeping mat know-how.
The Tensor Excessive mat is unquestionably for individuals who spend a great deal of time within the snowy backcountry constructing epic dig-outs to chase first tracks. Individuals who spend time the place temps constantly sit within the single digits or at/under freezing want this. In case you’re a very chilly sleeper or will do something for a bit of additional heat while you’re out within the bush – this has forever-mat vibes.
What within the contemporary frost is an R-value?
In a nutshell, an R-value is a score placed on a product or materials to present a sign of its insulative properties. Primarily, how properly it might cease temperature transferring from one aspect of its floor to the opposite as a result of warmth switch = warmth loss.
Sleeping mats maintain you heat by reflecting the warmth your physique generates by means of the evening again at you. Mainly, the upper the score (or quantity on this case) on the product, the higher that product is at stopping your physique warmth transferring into the chilly floor whilst you sleep.
The R-value is one of the best ways to find out the potential heat, don’t choose by dimension!
Okay, so how do I select my preferrred sleeping mat?
Now that we’ve bought the gist on who these mats are, what they do, and what an R-value is, it’s time to decide on your new sidekick.
My thought course of when selecting a mat goes a lil one thing like this:
- The place do I’m going essentially the most? Hotter or colder locations?
- Does weight matter?
- Am I a scorching or chilly sleeper?
- Am I a aspect/again/entrance/toss-it-all-around sleeper?
- What else do I’ve in my sleep system?
When you’ve answered these questions we will begin to slender it down somewhat extra.
Step 1. Take a look at Your Sleep System
Firstly, you need to check out your general sleep system. This implies your sleeping bag, sleeping mat, non-obligatory liner, and pillow. Your sleeping mat may be properly insulated and have an honest R-value, however this score received’t maintain you heat by itself.
In a sleep system your gear works collectively to maintain you cozy
Step 2. Verify Your Sleeping Bag
I extremely advocate checking the heat score of your sleeping bag to see what temps it’s beneficial for. You wish to discover the bag’s COMFORT score, not the restrict score (as typically marketed).
Selecting the best sleeping bag and mat combo for the journey or location you’re going to may be the distinction between an superior, enjoyable, well-rested journey vs a crummy, tiring, and probably unsafe journey…
A simple information to work out the perfect combo for the place you’re going is to make use of this method:
- Heat environments: sleeping mat = LOW quantity, sleeping bag = HIGH quantity
- Chilly environments: sleeping mat = HIGH quantity, sleeping bag = LOW quantity
For instance: If I’m going to a chilly surroundings just like the snow or an alpine space (not essentially simply in winter) I’d seize the Tensor Excessive with an R-value of 8.5 (excessive quantity) and ensure my bag has a consolation score of say, -4 levels (low quantity).
Chilly climate = NEMO Tensor Excessive territory
Step 3. Take into account the Form of Your Sleeping Mat
Just about all sleeping mats are available two distinct shapes: mummy or rectangle. The mum form is tapered in direction of the toes which saves on area and helps shave a pair grams off the general weight.
The rectangle, properly it’s kinda precisely what it appears like.
The form that’s best for you will depend upon the way you sleep.
- Again sleepers who transfer as a lot as a log, ought to go for the mum form.
- Toss-it-all-around sleepers will discover the oblong form extra comfy.
- In case you’re an individual that likes to have all of the area they will get, or have further width within the shoulders or hips, the Tensor rectangular mats have a large model, and the additional couple of cm’s are to not be underestimated.
- In case you’re above 180cm tall you’ll be happy to know that NEMO shares longer variations of their sleeping mats too.
Making an attempt mats out in retailer is one other good strategy to make the appropriate selection
Step 4. How scorching do you sleep?
One other factor to remember when deciding on a sleeping mat is that ladies are inclined to sleep colder than males. That is so well-known that sleeping luggage are rated in a different way for every gender to make sure nobody freezes on the market!
Sleeping mats are solely often beneficial for males or females, so take into account choosing a barely larger R-value for that further little bit of consolation. Blokes, for those who’re chilly sleepers this is applicable to you too!
Step 5. The place do you intend on taking your mat?
On the finish of the day, all three of those mats pack as much as largely the identical dimension (which is loopy btw!) with the largest distinction between them being their R-value rankings, and weights for the completely different sizes. Take into consideration the place you go essentially the most, and the place you intend to journey in future.
‘I go everywhere, man’.
In case you’re beginning out and on the lookout for your first sleeping mat, otherwise you’re solely mountaineering and don’t have room to retailer a great deal of gear, possibly the Tensor All-Season would be the go. With its R-value of 5.4 it’s fairly properly bang on for nearly all over the place in Australia all yr spherical. To not point out it’s nowhere close to heavy on the scales, and it’s uber packable. Because the title suggests it’s the mat that may cowl all bases.
‘I’m on a price range’ and ‘I travel ultralight’.
In case you dwell in or wish to enterprise to locations the place the temps keep above the double digits, the Tensor Path may be the higher possibility. Being the lightest of the three it saves you valuable grammage for issues like further meals and water – or a battery powered fan (somebody’s completed it!). It’s additionally the most cost effective of the three for the price range aware adventurer.
It’s not good at camouflage so that you’ll by no means by chance go away it behind
‘I’m so sick of carrying a lot weight’ or ‘I just want to be warm’.
In case you do heaps of actions, froth all the pieces outdoor, have already got a couple of sleeping mats in your cabinet, and are sick of taking an additional fold up closed cell foam mat with you to these colder locations and wanna streamline your sleep system (yep, my hand is up) – take the Tensor Excessive.
The R-value of 8.5 is class main and having all that insulation in an insanely small bundle when tucked away in your pack is a recreation changer for these bulkier winter loadouts.
It even appears to be like hardcore
‘I’m a automobile camper’
‘In case you’re automobile tenting, the Tensor All-Season can be my first selection, with the Tensor Excessive not far behind. Deliver the doona, a REAL pillow and sheet, and boy are you in for a comfy evening! Marshmallows over the fireplace, scorching choccy, possibly a splash of whiskey… alright, alright I’ll pack the automobile now!
What NEMO Tensor Mat did I select?
These new mats from NEMO actually are recreation changers. Their packability is off the charts – particularly the Tensor Excessive. How does a mat with an R-value of 8.5 pack up this small?! Thoughts. Blown.
The truth that these mats are so quiet is a giant win for me (and people sleeping close by). With their floating foil insulation design, the Tensor vary is much much less crinkly than different mats I’ve used which makes getting a stable evening’s sleep simply that a lot simpler!
If I needed to choose only one to throw in my pack, it’d should be the Tensor All-Season. Its R-value of 5.4 is ideal for nearly all seasons in Australia and in terms of weight and packability, it excels.
