REASONS TO BUY
Impressively lightweight
Fast and easy to inflate with included pump sack
REASONS TO AVOID
Only 20" wide
Tapered fit narrows down by feet
Less durable
Nemo Tensor Elite Review
A featherlight sleeping pad that packs down to less than a liter, this pad sets a new standard in ultralight options
Just looking at someone sleeping on this UL pad makes me sleeepy!
Credit: Justin Simoni
By Justin Simoni ⋅ Review Editor ⋅ November 11, 2025
Our Verdict
The Nemo Tensor Elite feels custom-designed specifically for light and fast adventures in the backcountry. It's decidedly not for every type of trip, but when other sleeping pads are just too big and bulky for the trip dreamed up, this sleeping pad's whisper-light weight and barely-noticeable packed volume tick all the requisite boxes to be stowed in the restrictive bags of bikepackers, ultralight backpackers, and fastpackers alike. Summertime is this pad's time to shine, as one of its compromises – of many – is a lower R-value compared to other options that weigh more.
Our Analysis and Test Results
Filling the “Ultralight” niche is this sleeping pad's main reason for being. Featuring extremely thin 10D pad material and a tapered mummy-style design, no detail is left untouched to optimise the overall weight and packed volume of this wonder-pad. On our scale, the pad itself is only 8.9 ounces (251 grams), and it compresses smaller than a Nalgene bottle. With these incredible specs comes a few serious tradeoffs, mostly with durability; the 10D material can't take the use and abuse of some of the other, more heavy-duty pads we've tested. This sleeping pad's footprint is also somewhat small, so if you're a bigger person or active in your sleep, you may be better off with a bigger pad, even if it weighs a little more in your pack.
Inflating the Nemo Tensor Elite using the included lightweight pump sack makes a once-time-consuming task move very quickly, meaning you're that much closer to dreaming.
Credit: Justin Simoni
Comfort
The majority of the comfort coming from the Nemo Tensor Elite is care of the 3 inches of baffled loft from inflating the sleeping pad to your preferred firmness. This should be an adequate amount of height for most sleepers, although the tighter mummy-style dimensions may be best for back sleepers who aren't very active at night. Compared to other sleeping pads in our lineup, the total amount of area is on the smaller side.
We measured the Tensor Elite at 72 inches long by 20 inches wide at its widest point near the shoulders. This mummy-shaped pad tapers fairly aggressively on the foot end, measuring ~15 inches at the ankles.
The Tensor Elite is 72" in length, with a somewhat aggressive taper down near the feet from 20" at its widest to around 15" about a foot from the end. We measured the loft to be 3".
For our 5'11" back sleeper who's usually slumbering as soon as he goes horizontal after a marathon day hiking, this was just enough area to sleep soundly. Wider and/or longer versions of this pad are not available.
Back sleeping was our preferred position when sleeping on the Tensor Elite, but side and stomach sleeping proved comfortable enough.
Credit: Justin Simoni
The Tensor Elite's face material is somewhat slippery, and if you have a sil-nylon or sil-poly tent floor, you may find yourself slipping around. A small modification we've learned over the campfire is to put small dabs of silicone-based seam sealer on the bottom of the pad, which will make it stick to the tent floor surface. We found the material itself to be comfortable enough, but nothing noteworthy.
The baffling of the Tensor Elite was reactive to the weigh put upon it, and never collapsed so much while sleeping where we felt the ground.
Credit: Justin Simoni
Weight
The Nemo Tensor Elite's weight scale numbers are sensationally impressive, mostly from employing very thin 10D material to create the inflatable baffles and foregoing really heavy insulation inside. In total, this pad with all of its accessories comes in at well under a pound: 11.5 ounces (326 grams) on our scale. The pad alone is only 8.9 ounces (251 grams)!
Here's the full breakdown of everything that's included with the Tensor Elite:
- Pad: 8.9 oz / 251 g
- Pump sack: 2.2 oz / 61 g
- Patch kit: .1 oz / 4 g
- Velcro strap: .1 oz / 3 g
- Stuff sack: .3 oz / 8 g
These are excellent weight specs that no other pad in our lineup can match. Many pads are more than twice this weight. If going ultralight with your gear is of the utmost importance to your gear selection, the Nemo Tensor Elite is one of the best choices for an inflatable pad, and really can only be bettered by going with extremely DIY modified options, or very thin and short foam pad alternatives. Just be aware of the compromises you're making in other areas, like comfort, warmth, and durability.
Warmth
At a manufacturer-claimed R-value of 2.4, the Tensor Elite has one of the lowest R-value ratings for an inflatable pad. Lower R-values are seen in other products, but they're usually from budget picks, which the Elite is definitely not. The lack of insulative qualities comes down to the thinner materials used for the exterior of the sleeping pad, and the use of a thinner metalized film than warmer pads. All this is in the name of shaving weight. While testing this pad, we found it pretty true to its warmth rating.
The Tensor Elite's R-value is suitable for summertime conditions, but you may feel colder than you would like once the temperature dips towards freezing. R-value of a pad is additive, so you could add an additional closed-cell foam pad underneath for extra insulation. However, that will add weight to your system, so we think if you need a cold-weather pad, you're better off selecting a midweight pad with a higher R-value.
For shoulder seasons, if the Tensor Elite's R-value isn't enough, you can supplement by using a second, closed cell foam pad underneath. This will also provide excellent protection from sharp items underneath your tent.
Credit: Justin Simoni
Packed Size
Packed size is, for the most part, unrivaled when comparing the Nemo Tensor Elite with nearly any other regular-sized backpacking sleeping pad.
The included stuff sack has a circumference of 12 inches, and we were able to pack the pad, pump sack, and repair kit inside it with minimal fuss, giving us a total volume of 1.1 liters, just about the same size as a 1L Nalgene bottle.
The Nemo Tensor Elite packs up to about the size of a Nalgene bottle.
Taking out the pump sack will garner you a total volume of 0.75L, aligning closer to the manufacturer's claims of .6L. Unless we're counting literal grams (and sometimes we are!) for our load out, we'd opt to bring the pump sack and repair kit along.
The included stuff sack will fit the pad, pump sack, and repair kit in a little more than a liter of space; the pad alone can be stowed into a space of about .75L.
The included stuff sack is admittedly a little tighter in tolerances than other sleeping pads that aren't focused on squeezing every gram of performance out of them, but we're still able to complete the chore in only a few minutes.
Packing up the Nemo Tensor Elite is a little harder than other sleeping pads, but certainly not impossible to do quickly.
Credit: Justin Simoni
Quality of Construction
Construction quality of the Nemo Tensor Elite lines up with our expectations for ultralight gear: well-made, but less durable by nature. If you're planning on replacing your current conventional sleeping pad with the Tensor Elite because you're wowed by its low weight on the scale, keep in mind that durability expectations may need to be tempered.
We managed to create a few small tears on the underside of the Nemo Tensor Elite during testing in the very abrasive, decomposing granite of our home turf. We patched up the pad using the supplied patches found in the repair kit and some SeamGrip we had on hand, and have since used the pad for many weeks, including a trip into the Mount Evans Wilderness summiting Mount Blue Sky.
During testing, we created a couple of small tears in the Tensor Elite's material.
Credit: Justin Simoni
Careful campsite selection and cleaning your tent footprint of sharp objects should prove all you need to protect your pad, although you can also lay down a thin foam pad between the ground and the Tensor Elite to further reduce the small chance of problems, while also boosting the R-value. Nemo's own Switchback would be a perfect choice.
The dual valve allows you to either manually blow air in or remove small amounts of air as well as allow all the air to escape the pad quickly. The pump sack also fits snugly onto the same valve.
Credit: Justin Simoni
Functionality of the Tensor Elite was excellent, and we had no problems inflating, deflating, adjusting the amount of air in the pad, and of course, sleeping on it.
Pad inflation of the Tensor Elite was easy to do, only taking a few minutes.
Credit: Justin Simoni
Should You Buy the Nemo Tensor Elite?
For summertime conditions where weight and packability are the most important characteristics of your gear, the Nemo Tensor Elite is the obvious choice. There may not be another inflatable pad in its weight class worth buying that packs the performance the Tensor Elite brings to the table, no matter the price. If you're looking for even more weight savings, the Tensor Elite comes in a Short version, further saving you around 25 grams.
The featherweight nature of the Nemo Tensor Elite is its best trait.
Credit: Justin Simoni
What Other Sleeping Pads Should You Consider?
Nemo has an excellent spread of additional sleeping pads. If the Tensor Elite is too extreme, look seriously at the Nemo Tensor All-Season Ultralight Insulated, which packs an R-value of 5.4 and weighs only a few ounces more. The Nemo Switchback makes a good summertime closed-cell foam pad and can be used in collaboration with the Tensor Elite for more warmth, comfort, and heat retention, or all on its own.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Compare Nemo Tensor Elite versus top competing products:
—Justin Simoni
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