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 high ideas for locating your good forever-mat.
We’ve entered the golden age of outside gear and the group 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 time nights beside the monitor, the Tensor All-Season – a dependable accomplice 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 – hiya 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 attempting to blow your mattress up on the finish of an extended day.
- Most significantly, all of the mats are by far the quietest I’ve slept on because of the tremendous good and sturdy nylon building.
Let’s take a more in-depth look.
What’s good concerning the NEMO Tensor Path mat?
It’s a traditional. A staple of any hiker or car-camper’s equipment.
Fast Info NEMO Tensor Path
R-value: 2.8
Weight: 370g
Thickness: 9cm thick
RRP: From $299.95
Going someplace the temps will probably be above double digits? Or possibly you’ve been bitten by the gram-counter bug and are taking a look at holding your base weight gentle as a feather?
At a look, the Tensor Path mat provides you a pleasant, light-weight, and tremendous compact sleeping choice with simply sufficient insulation that will help you neglect you’re mendacity on the bottom. Plus there’s loads of thickness for consolation so it’s good for these summer time adventures when the temps keep a bit 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 desire to enterprise out throughout shoulder season. It’s additionally good should you prefer to spend a bit extra time in cooler climates, the place the temps hang around a bit nearer to the one digi’s or get near and even all the way down to zero levels in a single day.
In the event you’re searching for a do-it-all resolution – that is most likely the mat for you.
It appears 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 positively one thing worthy of writing dwelling 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 additional little bit of safety between you and the bottom goes a great distance. And the additional insulation means you may most likely 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 among the most anticipated bits of equipment to hit the outside 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 high of the sector with regards to sleeping mat expertise.
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 persistently sit within the single digits or at/beneath freezing want this. In the event you’re a very chilly sleeper or will do something for a bit of additional heat if 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 provide a sign of its insulative properties. Basically, how effectively it may well cease temperature transferring from one facet of its floor to the opposite as a result of warmth switch = warmth loss.
Sleeping mats hold you heat by reflecting the warmth your physique generates by means of the evening again at you. Principally, 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 best sleeping mat?
Now that we’ve obtained 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 am going essentially the most? Hotter or colder locations?
- Does weight matter?
- Am I a scorching or chilly sleeper?
- Am I a facet/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 a bit 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, optionally available liner, and pillow. Your sleeping mat could be effectively insulated and have a good R-value, however this score gained’t hold you heat by itself.
In a sleep system your gear works collectively to maintain you cozy
Step 2. Examine Your Sleeping Bag
I extremely suggest checking the heat score of your sleeping bag to see what temps it’s beneficial for. You need to discover the bag’s COMFORT score, not the restrict score (as generally marketed).
Choosing the proper sleeping bag and mat combo for the journey or location you’re going to might be the distinction between an superior, enjoyable, well-rested journey vs a crummy, tiring, and probably unsafe journey…
A straightforward information to work out the perfect combo for the place you’re going is to make use of this formulation:
- 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 setting 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. Contemplate the Form of Your Sleeping Mat
Just about all sleeping mats are available in two distinct shapes: mummy or rectangle. The mother form is tapered in the direction of the toes which saves on house and helps shave a pair grams off the general weight.
The rectangle, effectively it’s kinda precisely what it seems 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 mother form.
- Toss-it-all-around sleepers will discover the oblong form extra comfy.
- In the event you’re an individual that likes to have all of the house they will get, or have additional 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 the event 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 approach to make the appropriate selection
Step 4. How scorching do you sleep?
One other factor to remember when choosing a sleeping mat is that girls are likely to sleep colder than males. That is so well-known that sleeping luggage are rated otherwise for every gender to make sure nobody freezes on the market!
Sleeping mats are solely often beneficial for males or females, so contemplate choosing a barely larger R-value for that additional little bit of consolation. Blokes, should you’re chilly sleepers this is applicable to you too!
Step 5. The place do you propose 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 most important distinction between them being their R-value scores, and weights for the totally different sizes. Take into consideration the place you go essentially the most, and the place you propose to journey in future.
‘I go everywhere, man’.
In the event you’re beginning out and searching 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 effectively bang on for nearly in all places 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 finances’ and ‘I travel ultralight’.
In the event you reside in or need to enterprise to locations the place the temps keep above the double digits, the Tensor Path could be the higher choice. Being the lightest of the three it saves you valuable grammage for issues like additional meals and water – or a battery powered fan (somebody’s executed it!). It’s additionally the most affordable of the three for the finances aware adventurer.
It’s not good at camouflage so that you’ll by no means unintentionally depart it behind
‘I’m so sick of carrying a lot weight’ or ‘I just want to be warm’.
In the event you do heaps of actions, froth every thing outside, 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 package deal when tucked away in your pack is a recreation changer for these bulkier winter loadouts.
It even appears hardcore
‘I’m a automobile camper’
‘In the event 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 touch 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 decide 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 with regards to weight and packability, it excels.
