Compared two sleeping pads side by side on a cold night in the Sierra Nevada - the difference was huge

I took my old Therm-a-Rest Z Lite out alongside a friend's Nemo Tensor Insulated last weekend near Bishop. After three hours at 28 degrees, I was clenching my teeth from the cold seeping through while he was perfectly comfortable. The extra 5 ounces for an insulated air pad made a massive difference in actual sleep quality. Has anyone else swapped from foam to inflatable and noticed a big change?

2 comments

2 Comments

avery_carr572d ago

I noticed you said the Nemo Tensor Insulated weighs only 5 ounces more than a Z Lite, but that model actually weighs around 15 ounces in regular size. The Z Lite Sol regular is about 14 ounces. So you are really looking at about the same weight, not a big gain. The real difference is the R-value, which for the Tensor is around 4.8 compared to the Z Lite's 2.0 or so. That is why you felt the cold so much more on the foam pad.

jamiew832d ago

Honestly who's really losing sleep over an ounce or two anyway.