Tensor™ Elite Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Pad

Slightly more comfortable and completely silent unless you put it on something squeaky in my 10 nights of experience

I agree but also more slippery, and obviously less durable

10 nights here so I'll help -It is not noisy at all unless you put it on top of something squeaky. -It is quite slippery, moreso than a Neoair. I often struggle to decide between putting my 1/8" foam below (protection and grip) or above (body grip). I think ultimately I will stick to below and put some Seam Grip on top for body/sleeping bag grip -It's the easiest pad to inflate and deflate in existence IMO. This is because the valves are excellent, mine is the short version so it just doesn't take much lung time, the dump valve is wide open, and the material is so supple so you don't have to be careful about folding it nicely. I was actually struck right away by how all of these things contribute to its ease of use

I mostly agree with you. I was already carrying a Thinlight on 98% of trips even with a heavier inflatable. So that's actually why I decided to try the Elite. I personally got it for less than 200 as well.

I've only slept on it for one night with a Thinlight underneath, where it got down to 35F and I felt the cold under the pad for sure but it was fine. A coworker that also bought the pad who is going on the PCT soon slept on it for a month indoors to test it out and had his rip open. He claims he just rolled over and heard it pop. [Here's a video of the damage.](https://imgur.com/a/lGLgBd3) I would *never* use it without a Thinlight.

I just checked myself, they're both listed as 1lb but the listed weight in grams puts the Eclipse at 20 grams heavier. That's not nothing, but considering it is in fact thicker, warmer, and cheaper, I too am wondering why you would choose the Tensor now if you had to pick between the two. I feel like a lot of people in this thread are trying to defend existing purchases.

Again, no one is telling you to get a new pad. The question is why you would choose a Tensor over the Eclipse.

One more time, I'm not telling people to buy anything. The literal point of OP's post is to ask why anyone would buy the Tensor over the Eclipse. And a bunch of people are giving reasons that only defend their existing purchase. Cool, great, enjoy your pad, but that's completely irrelevant to OP's question. "I don't need a warmer pad" is not a valid reason to choose one over the other.

I don't know what you're looking at but they're both listed as the same weight. And no one is asking you to buy a new pad.

Mine got a pinhole leak at the start of a thru hike. Trying to submerge it in a public bathroom sink was fun.

I just spent my first night sleeping on a tensor elite. Loved it! 40F was the nighttime low temp and I was fine. It is comfortable but slippery. More comfortable than either an xlite or an uberlite for sure. I got the short version which weighed 7.5 oz on my scale. I added pillow attachment loops at a point that my Big Sky Dream Nation pillow slightly cantilevered off the head end and that worked great. The net effect is that it worked like a full length and I am 5’-10” — I wasn’t expecting that. A pleasant surprise all around.

Assuming you are attempting to go ultralight — else why post here? — you should be looking for the lightest pad that is appropriate for the target conditions. Since your intended use is summer, you don’t need a high r-value pad. Getting one would only add unnecessary weight. It will also cost more than a closed cell foam pad, and you mentioned cost as a consideration. So I’d suggest you get something like a Nemo Switchback, cut it down to six panels (about 170g / 6 oz), and *learn* to get comfortable sleeping on that. Comfort is not a fixed point, but can be achieved with a proper mindset and a willingness to practice. You are going to get a lot of non-UL advice on this subreddit, despite the stated focus. (A tell is that they don’t mention weight when making a recommendation.) Don’t spend money on a heavy pad that will move you away from your assumed goal of going ultralight. If you really want an inflatable, look at the Nemo Tensor Elite (240g / 8.5 oz). That’s the lightest inflatable option currently available and is quite comfortable.

I’ve had my eye on this. I ultimately didn’t go with it because I’m gearing my setup to be even lighter than this, but it seems nice. https://kilosgear.com/products/aerocloud-sleeping-pad-elite I went with the Nemo Tensor Elite Mummy Pad, but it is more expensive like you mentioned. For the packed size and weight, it’s a very efficient design.

Plenty of brands use 20D, the few times they've ventured lower has massively impacted durability; see the thermarest uberlite and the current Nemo tensor elite, which Nemo even admitted developed pin holes during testing. You will be fine with 20D with or without CCF underneath. I use an X-lite which is 30D I believe but previous mats I've used were 20D all fine and I'm don't exactly baby my gear lol.

Less r value but the Nemo tensor elite is at 8.5oz for the short length and you don't need to cut anything. Mine worked amazing without a problem on the PCT. I guess you could cut this down as well to save another 3oz ish.

Different use cases. Nemo tensor elite is simply made to be as light as possible, akin to the discontinued thermarest uberlite. It's only got an R value of 2.4, but it's 8.5oz The Xtherm is a full on 4 season pad with a 7.3 R value, but that comes with a weight of 15.5oz. it's direct competition would be the Nemo tensor extreme. Both of these are top of class for warmth to weight though.

I spent one night on mine in a shakeout last weekend. I used a 10° ZPacks regular bag. I wore Marino base layers AND down pants. AND a ghost whisperer down puffy. I’m female. I sleep cold. It went down to 25° F. I got the 5’3” version of the Elite. My impressions: * Not more or less comfortable than my thermarest xlite. * Slippery AF. Like an eel slippery. I was already prepared for this from the reviews and had put a bit of seam sealer on the bottom side. It definitely helped. I was on a cushy flat spot so unsure how this will handle real world slanted tent spots. I’ve added a bit more to the underside of my pillow. (It slid right off despite having a strap.) * I was FREEZING. It went down to 25° F. I brought a thermarest CCF pad and a second puffy as a “just in case”. A few hours in, I added pad under the elite and put on the puffy, I was still cold. I kinda don’t blame this pad. It was just a super cold night and there had been snow on the ground only 48 hours before. * the flat valve is a pain. I use the zero pump and getting everything connected properly took longer than blowing up the pad. I assume I’ll get better at this but I definitely prefer thermarest’s valve which is a no brainer. * the size is PERFECT!!!! I’m 5’5”. I like my feet to hang off the end slightly. I wish all the other companies would make this size. Why is it only a choice between 6 feet or something that doesn’t even support the knees??!? * I’d previously been using the regular xlite (pre NFT but with the fancy valve the introduced in 2020) which I’d manually shortened to 60 inches. **The Elite saved me 3 oz** over that. To me, that makes the Elite worth taking a risk on. * I’m obviously worried about its durability. However, I used the torso length uberlite for about a month on the PCT. It held up just fine. I only ditched it because it was just too short for comfort. So, I’m pretty nice to my pads. I’m going to give the Elite a go on the CDT. Fingers crossed. 🤞

Used Extreme on JMT24, nothing but great things to say about it. My favorite pad currently. EE 20° might work for both scenarios also what I took on JMT, if you get too warm easy to vent, coldest it got on my hike was 17°, did get cool and use my puffy with the quilt highly recommended.

I’d second the Nemo Tensor all season ultralight insulated. I waited till it went on sale and snagged it for about $150. With an R 5.4 it may actually be too warm for your summer trip but I’ve used it almost all year around. Very comfy when I was 79kg and incredibly comfy now when I’m 69kg. I toss and turn a lot so I went with the wider option. If I could sleep without rolling I woulda gone with the mummy regular to save the weight. If you’re not needing as high an R value, the Tensor Trail can save you weight and money at R 2.8. If you can find a crazy sale, the Tensor Elite saves you almost half the weight, but I believe it is a relatively new pad with minimal time to see how well it will hold up to time in the wild.